Panthers Prospect Hawryluk Drives Wheat Kings
The Brandon Wheat Kings are a multi-talented group with impressive depth.
But there’s more to the Western Hockey League champions than skill and strength in numbers, insisted star forward and super pest Jayce Hawryluk.
“We have a team that works very, very hard. All four lines are extremely hard-working guys and that’s something you need in order to win,” said Hawryluk, whose club takes on the Quebec Major League champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the second game of the MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Enmax Centrium.
“You’re not going to win without guys buying into the systems and how we have to play. That’s something that our team is very good at doing — listening to the coaches as well as competing.
“We compete very hard and don’t give up. It doesn’t matter if we’re up or down in a game, we play extremely hard at all times.”
Hawryluk certainly fits that pattern. The 20-year-old product of Roblin, Man., has a motor that runs ad nauseam as well as a flair for getting under the skin of opposing players.
The five-foot-10, 194-pound centre is coming off a productive regular season in which he sniped 47 goals and collected 106 points — both team highs — in just 56 games while racking up 101 minutes in penalties.
He went on to score seven goals and record 29 points — second to teammate Nolan Patrick — in 21 post-season contests, tallying three times and collecting three helpers in an 8-4 championship-clinching win over the Seattle Thunderbirds.
“It’s been a good season for me personally as well as the team,” said the 2014 second-round draft pick — 32nd overall — of the Florida Panthers who signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the NHL team in March.
“I find whenever there’s team success there’s personal success as well, so it’s been a good season and I’ve had fun so far.”
The Wheat Kings were pre-season favourites to win the WHL title and despite a hiccup — such as a 10-0 loss to the Rebels Jan. 2 in Red Deer — here and there, they came through in the end.
Clearly, the team was on a mission after being swept by the Kelowna Rockets in the 2015 league final.
“Losing in the finals last year left a sour feeling in our stomachs and I feel this year we knew what it took to win,” said Hawryluk. “Last year we didn’t have the experience and we just leaned on the older guys this year, guys who had been there before.
“We responded well this year and played the way we can.”
Hawryluk, a four-year veteran, is one of the ‘older’ guys who contributed big time in the playoffs that included a five-game conquest of the T-Birds in a championship series that featured three overtime outings, all of which ended in Brandon’s favour.
“All the games were really tight, expect for the last two which were a bit high scoring,” said Hawryluk. “The first three were OT games and could have gone either way.”
But the best team prevailed and now the Wheat Kings have their sights set on winning the franchise’s first-ever Memorial Cup.
“It’s a big event and for all of the guys except ‘Wheats’ (defenceman Mitch Wheaton) it’s our first time here,” said Hawryluk. “Obviously it’s a huge event and we’re super excited to be here.
“It’s exciting. We’re a bit nervous and anxious, but that’s to be expected.”
Hawryluk said he and his teammates have elicited a bit of advice from Wheaton, who was a member of the Rockets last season.
“We’ve asked him a few questions here and there, but at the end of the day you have to go out there and play hockey,” he stated. “There’s not much else to it.”
While the Wheat Kings lived up to their pre-season ranking by winning the WHL crown, they’re just one of four potent teams — joining the Huskies, host Rebels and OHL champion London Knights — chasing the Canadian Hockey League championship.
“I don’t think there’s a favourite, to be honest,” said Hawryluk. “Every team here is good and it could go any way.”
