Four-goal performance from Wheat Kings star McQueen first of its kind in 15 years

Brandon, Man. – Roger McQueen was already prominent on the lists of NHL scouts heading into the 2024-25 WHL Regular Season, but a four-goal effort in Friday’s season opener has the emerging star in the spotlight.

McQueen, a 6-foot-5 product of Saskatoon, exploded for four goals to propel the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 5-2 home triumph over the WHL’s defending champion Moose Jaw Warriors to start the new WHL campaign.

The opening night outburst for the 18-year-old McQueen marks the first time a WHL player has scored four goals on the first night of the schedule since Stepan Novotny turned the trick as a member of the Kelowna Rockets in a 6-5 overtime loss back on Thursday, September 17, 2009.

Novotny was four days shy of his 19th birthday when he accomplished the feat in 2009, while McQueen was 12 days from his 19th birthday as of Friday night.

McQueen’s first goal of the night came on a second-period power play and tied the game 1-1.

The Warriors staked out a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes of play before McQueen took over in the third period.

The towering pivot scored 4:21 into the final period to tie the game 2-2. His third goal of the night came midway through the period, giving Brandon its first lead of the game.

McQueen put an exclamation point on an already impressive performance when he deposited his fourth goal of the evening into an empty net during the final minute of play.

KA-CHOW x4 ⚡️

Roger McQueen (Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL) has been climbing draft boards quickly— a four-goal opening night performance is sure to turn some heads 🔥 pic.twitter.com/K18N2vQ30b

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) September 21, 2024

While NHL Central Scouting won’t issue its preseason rankings for the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft until mid-October, that hasn’t stopped scouts and prognosticators alike from recognizing the potential in McQueen as he enters his third full WHL season.

Born October 2, 2006, McQueen has found himself on numerous draft charts heading into the season, including being ranked sixth among all 2025 NHL Draft prospects by TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

Selected fourth overall by the Wheat Kings in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, McQueen registered 51 points (21G-30A) in 53 games last season, scoring near a point-per-game pace after collecting 14 points (4G-10A) in 55 games during his rookie season (2022-23).

Standing 6-foot-5 and tipping the scales at 193 pounds, McQueen’s combination of size and skill represents the type of talent that is difficult for NHL scouts to ignore.

“McQueen is a 6-foot-5, right-shot centre with speed and skill who ticks all the boxes to be a No. 1 NHL centre,” a scout told TSN.

While the rest of the hockey world salivates over McQueen’s potential to shoot up draft boards during his NHL Draft year, the Wheat Kings star has his focus set on team success in 2024-25.

“The end goal is to win the league and that’s what we’re going for this year,” McQueen told Rob Mahon, play-by-play voice of the Wheat Kings on Q Country 91.5, on September 18. “We have the team to do it… We have a lot of rookies who’ve gotten their feet wet and they all look unreal, especially our D corps is looking really solid this year. We’re really excited for what we have. Our expectation is we want to win the league.”

Expectations are high for McQueen and the Wheat Kings, and while they are only one night into the 2024-25 WHL Regular Season, they are out of the gates in impressive fashion.

Should McQueen carry his season-opening momentum forward, there’s plenty of reason to believe he will find his way to the Canadian Hockey League’s new marquee event – the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota – scheduled for November 26 and 27 in London and Oshawa, respectively.

The new national event is set to pit a team of the CHL’s top NHL Draft prospects against USA Hockey’s U18 National Team Development Program (NTDP) in an unprecedent two-game border battle, which will surely capture the attention of NHL scouts and fans alike.

There is plenty for fans to be excited about in Westman as the Wheat Kings also gear up for a bid to host the 2026 Memorial Cup.

All this to say all eyes will be on the Wheat City for the foreseeable future.

McQueen and the Wheat Kings continue WHL Opening Week when they visit the Regina Pats on Saturday night (6 p.m. MT). Catch the action on WHL Live on CHL TV.