TELUS Cup Final Caps Historic, Eventful Season For Turko, Odut, Jacobson

By the time the final buzzer sounded on the TELUS Cup, ending the Brandon U18 AAA Wheat Kings season, it had been a season for the ages, and at times one for the record books.

True, the second place finish at the national tournament was not the result the Wheat Kings went in hoping for. But looking back on a season that included time in the WHL, a league championship, a regional title, and a whole lot of points, there was plenty to be proud of for the line of Easton Odut, Jaxon Jacobson, and Brady Turko, all of whom are drafted and signed by the Wheat Kings.

“We did everything as a team and succeeded to our full potential, minus the nationals,” Odut said. “We really wanted gold and came up short, but the season was awesome, breaking records. We were a family the whole time.”

“I knew I was going to be playing U18 again this year, but I didn’t know how the team was going to perform,” said Jacobson. “The season we had was remarkable if you look back at it. I know second place, it’s not something anyone wants to win but it is second in the nation, and that’s pretty good.”

To start, there were the individual accomplishments in the regular season. Jacobson led the way with 106 points in 35 games, but Turko followed right behind him with 41 goals and 90 points in 41 games. With 63 points of his own in just 36 games, Odut was nearly a two-point-per-game player himself.

“This year felt a lot more special, everything just clicked more,” Jacobson said. “Last year, we kind of struggled to win close games but this year we always found a way to win. We all had a lot of trust in each other.”

“I don’t think anyone expected us to do what we did this year,” said Turko. “I think there were high expectations for us, but as a team we really proved to everyone that we were a team that could’ve been the best in the nation.”

As a team, the AAA Wheat Kings had the kind of season that might not be repeated for decades. They lost only once in the entire regular season (an overtime loss, at that) and rattled off 31 straight wins going into the playoffs, tacked on nine straight more in the playoffs for good measure en route to a league title, and didn’t lose a game in regulation all season long until the TELUS Cup regional qualifiers in Winnipeg (a tournament they ended up winning anyway).

“Once we had that 19-game winning streak, and we kept winning going into playoffs I think it got up into the 30s, going into playoffs knowing we’d won that many games in a row, it was a huge confidence boost,” Turko said. “It wasn’t a fluke, winning a couple games in a row. We were dominating and we knew we had something special.”

Through it all, Odut, Turko, and Jacobson were not only teammates but linemates, the engine that powered the AAA Wheat Kings high-end attack. This continued into the TELUS Cup, where they finished first, second, and third in team scoring. Turko’s eight goals were second in the tournament, as were Jacobson’s 11 assists.

“Me, Jax, and Odie were kind of split apart last year and didn’t play together too much,” said Turko. “This year being reunited with Jax and Odie was a great thing for all of us. When we do play together, we have great chemistry, so playing together was a great thing for us. We had more confidence this year, more swagger, and we played that way.”

Another thing the three players had in common was they all appeared in games with the big club this season, and each of them picked up their first WHL point over the course of the campaign. And it’s certainly occurred to them that the chemistry they showed in AAA might serve them well in the WHL ranks, an exciting thought for both Wheat Kings fans and these three local players.

“Not very many people out there get to play with their line as long as we are getting to play together,” Odut said. “We’re like brothers, and our chemistry has built tremendously throughout the three years we’ve been together. It’s awesome seeing each other going to the same spot and it being our hometown squad.”

This season, lengthy as it was, taught each player a lot about preparing for the grind of a full 68-game WHL regular season and the long playoff runs they hope are in their future. What they learned was that playing hockey that deep into the spring isn’t easy, but it is worth it.

“It’s hard work, obviously it’s tiring,” said Odut with a chuckle. “But I love they game, so it’s awesome to be able to play a lot of hockey. When you last this long, it means you’re doing well, so why not keep going when you’re doing well?”

“I wouldn’t do it any other way,” Jacobson agreed. “Getting to play hockey this late in the year is really special. It’s something we take a lot of pride in. It was taxing at some points, but it was definitely worth it.”