2022 WHL Playoffs Preview: (6) Brandon Wheat Kings vs. (3) Red Deer Rebels
With the 2022 WHL Playoffs set to begin Thursday, April 21, WHL.ca takes a look in at each of the eight head-to-head matchups across the league. In our third of eight opening round 2022 WHL Playoffs previews, we examine the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Red Deer Rebels.
For the first time in six years, the Red Deer Rebels and Brandon Wheat Kings will meet in the WHL Playoffs.
Their best-of-seven affair begins Friday night at the Peavey Mart Centrium, the same locale in which both Clubs participated in the Memorial Cup in 2016 following Brandon’s five-game triumph over Red Deer in the 2016 Eastern Conference Championship.
The Rebels enter the 2022 WHL Playoffs fresh off one of the best campaigns in franchise history, finishing with 45 wins and 94 points.
The Wheat Kings, meantime, come into the series after a 35-win Regular Season, a 68-game campaign in which Brandon’s full roster was rarely on display.
Red Deer boasts the League’s top two scorers. Vancouver Canucks prospect Arshdeep Bains led the loop in 2021-22 with 112 points, while linemate Ben King’s 52 goals were best among WHL skaters.
Ottawa Senators first-rounder Ridly Greig finished his Regular Season on a 12-game point streak, but the Lethbridge, Alta. product appeared in only 39 games this season, and none since March 11.
The season series between Brandon and Red Deer was an even one. Both sides won twice, both both sides also holding a 1-1-0-0 home record in the four-game set. Greig led all scorers in the season series, notching seven points in three appearances.
Another intriguing storyline is shaping up between the pipes. Brandon’s East Division-winning tandem of Ethan Kruger and Connor Ungar were teammates in the Subway Hub a year ago. This year, they occupy opposite ends of the rink after Ungar was dealt to the Rebels during the off-season.
Red Deer’s last WHL Playoffs visit was short-lived, as they were ousted in four games in 2019 by the eventual WHL Champion Prince Albert Raiders. Brandon is making its first post-season appearance since 2018, a year in which the Wheat Kings were ousted in the second round by the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
WHL Championship aspirations are high as we begin the 2022 WHL Playoffs. The Rebels enter the post-season in search of their first title in 21 years. Brandon perhaps views a matchup with Red Deer as a bit of a good luck omen; their victory over the Rebels six years ago helped pave the way to the franchise’s most recent WHL Championship.
Game Breakers
Red Deer Rebels: Arshdeep Bains and Ben King have been the collective motor for the Rebels this season, finishing 1-2 in League scoring, and accounting for a huge chunk of Red Deer’s offensive output. They score when it matters, too. King’s 15 game-winning goals in 2021-22 stand as the second-highest single-season total in WHL history, while Bains added 10 deciders of his own.
Brandon Wheat Kings: The pride of Rossburn, Man., Chad Nychuk has provided oodles of offence from the defence this season, leading all WHL blueliners with 21 goals during the 2021-22 campaign. What’s more, the 20-year-old rearguard finished tops among Wheat Kings skaters with 46 points during the 2022 portion of the Regular Season.
Chad "The Rossburn Rifle" 🔫 Nychuk finished the regular season with 21 goals including 8 game winners!
The most goals for a defenceman in @TheWHL!
In honour of this, we present a 21 goal salute: pic.twitter.com/w7tz0SNqyO
— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) April 18, 2022
Goaltending
Red Deer Rebels: Coach Steve Konowalchuk split goaltending duties through the course of the Regular Season and comes into the WHL Playoffs with two 20-game winners. Connor Ungar and Chase Coward hold similar numbers too, with Ungar holding a 2.43 goals-against average, .911 save percentage as part of his 21-9-1-0 campaign. NHL Draft prospect Coward finished the Regular Season with a 22-10-0-2 record, 2.51 GAA and .906 SV%.
Brandon Wheat Kings: Veteran Ethan Kruger received the lion’s share of the work in goal for Brandon this season, appearing in 51 games. The 20-year-old posted a 27-17-2-2 record to go along with a 3.15 GAA, .901 SV% and one shutout.
X-Factors
Red Deer Rebels: 16-year-old forward Kalan Lind has enjoyed a fruitful first full season in the WHL, and has staked his claim as one of the leading lights in the Class of 2005. Lind, from Shaunavon, Sask., was the youngest of four Rebels to score 20 or more goals during the Regular Season, six of which came on the power-play. Lind led Red Deer in penalty minutes, too, showing skills beyond his years when it comes to aggravating opponents.
Kalan Lind with an elite knee drop.@Rebelshockey pic.twitter.com/c5LAvuSOce
— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 2, 2022
Brandon Wheat Kings: He appeared in just 20 games after recovering from an injury, but forward Jake Chiasson served notice that he will be difficult to contain in the WHL Playoffs. Chiasson, a fourth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2021 NHL Draft, tallied 18 points (6G-12A) over the final portion of the Regular Season, a total that included three outings of three points or more.
Series Schedule
Game | Visitor | Home | Date | Time | |
1 | Brandon | @ | Red Deer | Friday, April 22 | 7:00 |
2 | Brandon | @ | Red Deer | Saturday, April 23 | 7:00 |
3 | Red Deer | @ | Brandon | Tuesday, April 26 | 6:00 |
4 | Red Deer | @ | Brandon | Wednesday, April 27 | 6:00 |
5 * | Brandon | @ | Red Deer | Friday, April 29 | 7:00 |
6 * | Red Deer | @ | Brandon | Sunday, May 1 | 4:00 |
7 * | Brandon | @ | Red Deer | Tuesday, May 3 | 7:00 |
Season Series
Red Deer (1) at Brandon (3) – February 8, 2022
Brandon (4) at Red Deer (1) – January 14, 2022
Red Deer (5) at Brandon (3) – November 5, 2021
Brandon (1) at Red Deer (7) – October 23, 2021
Through WHL Live on CHL TV, fans can enjoy every single scheduled game throughout the 2022 WHL Playoffs with the purchase of a WHL All-Access Pass at the low price of $59.99 plus applicable taxes and fees.
WHL Live – 2022 WHL Playoffs Packages
All-Access: $59.99
Round-by-Round: $19.99 per round
24-Hour Access: $8.99
* all prices in Canadian dollars
+ does not include applicable taxes and fees
WHL Live on CHL TV is available to fans anywhere in the world, providing high-quality streaming of WHL games on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV platforms, via mobile with iOS and Android, and on web using Safari or Google Chrome web browsers. Visit WHLLive.com for complete details.