WHEAT KINGS ENJOYED STELLAR SEASON
Brandon, MB. –The hurt of losing the Western Hockey League Championship Series may still be fresh, but for members of the Brandon Wheat Kings the 2014-15 season will certainly go down as one to remember.
The Wheat Kings’ season, which came to an end Wednesday night in what was their first appearance in the League Final in ten years, was filled with a variety of highlights – both by the team and by many of its players.
In addition to advancing to the WHL Championship, the Wheat Kings captured the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for winning the regular season title with a record of 53-11-4-4. This marked the first time in nineteen years that Brandon has finished atop the WHL standings.
While Brandon edged out the Rockets for the regular season title, it should come as no surprise to see Kelowna earning a trip to the MasterCard Memorial Cup in Quebec City. Including this year when they won 53 games, the Rockets have won 162 games over the course of the last three seasons.
Two primary reasons that the Wheat Kings finished ahead of Kelowna during the regular season had to do with offence and play away from home. Besides setting a franchise record with 26 wins on the road, the Wheat Kings scored a league leading 340 goals (4.72 goals/game) in 72 games.
The Wheat Kings featured a well balanced attack, led by the likes of Tim McGauley, an all star goalkeeper and one of the best blueline groups in the league.
Chosen the Eastern Conference of the Year and runner-up to Portland’s Oliver Bjorkstrand, McGauley finished third in WHL scoring with 105 points, including 42 goals.
Between the pipes, 18-year old Jordan Papirny finished among the league leaders in games played (59), minutes played (3,566), goals against average (2.74) and save percentage (.910), while leading the way with 44 wins. Those 44 victories were second most in franchise history. Only Glen Hanlon, who won 49 in 1976-77, had more victories in the Wheat King net.
The club’s blueline was led by an 18 and 20-year old veteran as well as a rising 17-year old star from Russia. Ivan Provorov, the club’s first round selection in last July’s Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, led all first year players in scoring this past season with fifteen goals and 61 points and is expected to be a top-ten pick in June’s National Hockey League Draft in Florida.
A silver medal winner at January’s World Junior Hockey Championship, Provorov also finished fourth in scoring amdng WHL defenceman and was named the Eastern Conference’s Top Defenceman. His blueline partner Ryan Pilon meanwhile finished ninth with eleven goals and 52 points. Calgary Flames prospect Eric Roy, a former first round bantam draft choice of the Wheat Kings, ended his 5-year WHL career by playing in 322 games – second only to Dwayne Gylywoychuk’s 323 in franchise history.
Among the others that enjoyed outstanding seasons with the Wheat Kings was rookie Nolan Patrick. A 16-year old center from Winnipeg, Patrick finished third in scoring among first year players this season and led all rookies with 30 goals. In fact, the fourth overall selection in the 2013 Bantam Draft, became the first WHL rookie to score thirty goals since Brett Connolly of the Boston Bruins scored 30 goals and 60 points as a member of the Prince George Cougars during the 2008-09 campaign.
Patrick was one of five Wheat Kings to be named League Awards Finalists and joined head coach and general manager Kelly McCrimmon as a winner. While McCrimmon was named Executive of the Year, Patrick took home Rookie of the Year honours.
Joining Patrick, McCrimmon, Provorov and McGauley as Eastern Conference Award winners was captain Peter Quenneville, who led the club in playoff scoring with ten goals and 20 points. The Columbus Blue Jackets draft choice was up for Most Sportsmanlike Player.
Other 2015-16 Season Highlights:
* The Wheat Kings had the best home ice record in the Eastern Conference at 27-3-4-2 and second best record away from home in the entire 22-team circuit at 26-8-0-2
* Wheat Kings opened the season by going 6-0-1-0
* During the team’s longest road trip of the season, Brandon went 6-1-0 in late October / early November
* During a stretch of sixteen games in January / February, the Wheat Kings compiled an impressive 14-0-1-1 mark
* Before losing to Kelowna in the WHL Championship Series, the Wheat Kings had posted a 12-3-0 record with playoff series wins over the defending Memorial Cup Champion Edmonton Oil Kings, Regina Pats and Calgary Hitmen
* Seven Wheat Kings scored 20 or more goals during the regular season – Patrick, McGauley, Morgan Klimchuk, Peter Quenneville, Rihards Bukarts, Jayce Hawryluk and Reid Duke
With the club returning home Thursday, the coaching staff is expected to conduct player exit interviews before they go on their separate ways for the off-season.
While at least four players – Quenneville, Roy, Reid Gow and Klimchuk – aren’t expected back next season, Brandon’s captain says that this year’s team is one which will be close to the heart of many of its players for a long time to come.
“A year that I’ll never forget. We became so close as a group, we were like a family, and I wouldn’t want to do this with any other group of guys,” Quenneville told CKLQ’s Bruce Luebke. “We had a tremendous season, we had a lot of young players develop tremendously well throughout the year and I really believe we laid the foundation.”
Brandon could boast as many as nineteen returning players next season, which doesn’t include 15-year old Stelio Mattheos and 16-year old Ty Lewis, who closed out the season with the WHL club.
As for the Rockets, they will open up the 2015 Memorial Cup a week from Friday against the host Quebec Remparts. Kelowna joins Quebec, Rimouski and the winner of the Ontario Hockey League Final between Oshawa and Erie.
