Prospect Update Part 2: The Defense Rests

On the very last day of their regular season, the Brandon Wheat Kings decided to get a closer look at the future of their blueline, and that future did not disappoint.

For the game against the Regina Pats, the team inserted 2008-born blueliner Giorgos Pantelas into the lineup. Pantelas finished his WHL debut with an even rating and 3 shots on goal, and didn’t look out of place.

“I don’t know if people understand how good Gio can be,” said Wheat Kings Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton. “In Kelowna, I think he wasn’t utilized as well as I would have liked him to be utilized, but in saying that it was still a good place for him to have some growth. Gio is smart, poised, makes great decisions with the puck, defends well, and he’s going to be a big man. His upside is huge.”

Pantelas was the Wheat Kings second pick of the first round in 2023, 19th overall, and given that their first pick was local AAA all-star and MVP Jaxon Jacobson it might seem like he’s been buried a bit in the consciousness of Wheat Kings’ fans. Management and scouts, however, remain high on Pantelas.

“Sometimes it’s really easy to focus on what’s in front of you and not what isn’t,” Moulton said. “We have some really great players that are away from Brandon that have had some great years. They may not get the exposure in Brandon that guys in Brandon do, but Gio is definitely not forgotten as far as our organization goes.”

Pantelas is not the only defensive prospect attracting notice for the Wheat Kings either. Over in the Alberta AAA ranks, defenseman Gradey Hope has been putting together an outstanding year. In fact, his 33 points in 36 games were the most points by any defenseman in Alberta’s U18 league.

“The biggest thing with Gradey is he’s starting to play with more confidence again,” said Moulton. “What I saw, and what our scouts saw this year, was that he kind of looked like the Gradey we drafted. The year before that, he played well, but… his coach in St. Albert gave him the freedom to do a little bit more. From that, Gradey gained confidence and was engaged more on the offensive side of the puck.”

Hope showed Wheat Kings fans a glimpse of what he might be during the preseason, when he used his 6-foot-1 frame to play a physical style. In other words, there’s more to his game than just the numbers.

“Do I think he’s a pure offensive defenseman?” Moulton said. “No, I don’t. But can he be a well-rounded guy that can do a little bit of everything? Yes. He has the ability to engage physically, he has the ability to defend well, and the fact that he’s created some offense from the back end just makes him that much more valuable.”

By the time you get into the 7th and 8th rounds of the WHL draft, the prospects chosen certainly don’t have the hype of those selected in round one, but that doesn’t mean they can’t go on to be excellent players. A couple fo Wheat Kings’ prospects are showing strong signs on that front, including 142nd overall pick Maddox Gandha, who posted 21 points in 26 games at RHA Kelowna alongside Pantelas.

“Maddox is a guy that they utilize in so many areas that I think it was tough for him to find some consistency with his linemates,” said Moulton. “But in the second half of the year, he really started to grow. He’s finding his grove. They’re utilizing him in so many areas and he does a great job.”

And then there’s Cameron Allard, who played his first season of AAA just a few hours up the road from Brandon with the Estevan Bears. The 160th overall pick in the 2023 Prospects Draft put up 27 points in 44 games, which was more than any other defenseman his age in the Saskatchewan AAA ranks. That, coupled with his size, has Wheat Kings’ scouts keenly interested in his future.

“Here’s a kid we took in the eighth round, our third defenseman taken,” Moulton said. “He goes in and he leads Saskatchewan in defenseman scoring for all 15-year-olds. And there were some high-profile defenseman in Saskatchewan and Cam led that league. He is a massively improved kid that had an amazing year and has leapfrogged so many kids in his age group.”

The Wheat Kings will hold the 14th overall pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft following the results of the draft lottery on Wednesday, March 27.