Oil Kings, Wheat Kings battle for Wednesday Night in the Dub crown

There’s only one crown up for grabs as the Edmonton Oil Kings roll into Brandon for a tilt against the Wheat Kings in this week’s edition of Wednesday Night in the Dub.

Both Eastern Conference squads are riding recent hot streaks, with both clubs sitting 7-2-1-0 in their last 10 games and ranking fifth (Edmonton) and sixth (Brandon) in fewest goals-against across the league.

The visiting Oil Kings are coming off a 4-0 shutout victory against the Moose Jaw Warriors that saw 16-year-old Joe Iginla pot the game-winning goal.

Florida Panthers prospect Gracyn Sawchyn has set the standard for the Oil Kings this season by surpassing 20 goals and 60 points for the first time. He signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the reigning Stanley Cup Champions in the fall and has seen his younger brother, 2025 NHL Draft-eligible Lukas Sawchyn, excel in his rookie season and sit fifth on the team in scoring with 45 points (13G-32A).

2024 St. Louis Blues draft pick Adam Jecho has also been playing some of the best hockey of his WHL career since returning to Edmonton with a bronze medal in tow from the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship (he notably scored a last-minute goal to eliminate Canada in the quarterfinals).

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound centreman is pacing the Oil Kings with 14 goals and nine assists for 23 points in his last 18 games and enters Wednesday’s tilt, which is also his 100th career WHL game, on a five-game point streak.

Edmonton also boasts a projected high-end pick in the 2025 NHL Draft with 6-foot-4, 210-pound Blake Fiddler, who also boasts an ever-coveted right-hand shot.

Fiddler recently competed at the first-ever CHL USA Prospects Challenge and wore the ‘A’ for Team CHL. He has eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in his sophomore WHL season.

Edmonton has also found a solid tandem in net with breakout rookie Ethan Simcoe, who already has three shutouts to his name in 16 games played, and Alex Worthington, who has popped off for 20 wins in his first campaign as the Oil Kings’ starter.

Worthington ranks in the top-10 in all major goaltending stats and was even a dark horse candidate for WHL Goaltender of the Year in the WHL’s Midseason Player Survey.

On the flip side, Brandon has seen first-year Wheat Kings Marcus Nguyen post a fourth-straight 20-plus goal season.

The 20-year-old enters Wednesday with 99 career goals and 99 career assists.

2025 Trade Deadline acquisition Jordan Gavin also looks to break the 20-goal barrier for a third-straight season and has averaged just shy of a point per game in his first 20 matches with Brandon.

Gavin, who is eligible for this year’s NHL Draft, was also a 2024 WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player nominee. He’s only taken two regular season penalty minutes in 194 games- and one of those was a bench minor.

Between the pipes, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Carson Bjarnason is sitting third in save percentage among all WHL netminders and cracked Team Canada’s roster for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The Carberry, Man. product is closing in on 150 games played and sits fifth in wins (68) among active WHL goalies.

Brandon is 2-0-0-0 against Edmonton this season with two games remaining in the regular season series.

Puck drops at Westoba Place at 7:00 p.m. CST.

All Wednesday Night in the Dub featured games will be free to stream on WHL Live and the WHL’s YouTube Channel.

STAT PACK

	Edmonton Oil Kings	Brandon Wheat Kings
Record	32-21-2-2 (4th Central)	30-18-4-3 (2nd East)
Leading Scorers	Gracyn Sawchyn (26G-41A, 67PTS) Gavin Hodnett (24G-37A, 61PTS) Adam Jecho (23G-24A, 47PTS)	Nolan Flamand (20G-40A, 60PTS) Marcus Nguyen (29G-25A, 54PTS) Matteo Michels (18G-31A, 49PTS)
Leading Goaltender	Alex Worthington (20-15-0-2, 3.02 GAA, .903 save percentage, one shutout)	Carson Bjarnason (15-12-3-0, 3.05 GAA, .908 save percentage, one shutout)
Powerplay	23% (13th)	24.5% (10th)
Penalty Kill	81.6% (1st)	79.6% (6th)

 

NHL PROSPECTS

Edmonton Oil Kings

F- Adam Jecho (St. Louis Blues)

F- Gracyn Sawchyn (Florida Panthers)

F- Miroslav Holinka (Toronto Maple Leafs)*

D- Parker Alcos (Vancouver Canucks)

*- unable to participate

Brandon Wheat Kings

G- Carson Bjarnason (Philadelphia Flyers)

TOP 2025 NHL DRAFT ELIGIBLES (PER NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING MIDTERM RANKINGS)

Edmonton Oil Kings

D- Blake Fidder (24)

F- Lukas Sawchyn (119)

D- Ethan MacKenzie (163)

Brandon Wheat Kings

SOUND OFF

Gracyn Sawchyn

On the atmosphere around the Oil Kings:

I think we have a pretty good vibe going around lately. We have some injuries that we’ve been dealing with, but, you know, every team in the league has been dealing with that as well. But I think we’re pretty excited for playoffs, especially our 20s who maybe haven’t had that experience.

On what he learned from Seattle’s Championship run in 2023:

I think it’s just sticking together. We had such a close group and we did everything together, even when we weren’t supposed to be at the rink. I think that plays a big part. You’ve just got to go through the grind. It’s tough, and you need to be able to lean on each other.

On having younger brother Lukas join the Oil Kings:

It’s been really different for us. It’s been really good for just getting closer to each other too. We spent a lot of years away from each other, but he’s learning the league. He’s been playing well, and I think he’s a pretty big part (of the Oil Kings’ success)

On what’s developed in his game this season:

Just trying to learn how to be a leader. That’s new for me and I think that’ll be a big part with our playoff run and the rest of the season now. So just keep trying to work on that, and then obviously the little things on offence, shooting the puck more, and then also being trying to be reliable on the defensive side.

On signing an entry-level contract with Florida:

It kind of caught me out of the blue. I just got a phone call from my agent, and then the whole process was during our US road trip, so I wasn’t trying to think about it a whole bunch, but when it did happen, it was pretty cool. I was around my teammates and got to kind of experience it with them, and it was in Seattle (where he won a WHL Championship), so it was pretty cool.

On 2025 NHL Draft-eligible Jordan Gavin

I think, offensively, he’s always a threat. He’s always in the right spot to get a puck and have a high scoring chance. I think trying to eliminate that would be good for us

Jordan Gavin

On Brandon’s recent success, including a 10-game point streak:

That stretch of games we had was really good for our confidence and just kind of getting into playoff action here, we’re feeling really good. So I think just kind of building off that and using it into the playoffs.. In-division games are always huge. That’s kind of something we emphasize… Our win against Prince Albert was huge. That was kind of for the first place in the division.

On the identity the Wheat Kings are building post-Trade Deadline:

We’re kind of a fast, skilled team. I think we definitely use our depth to our advantage. I feel like we have a lot of players that can play and then, obviously, our goaltending is super, super solid. So, I think just kind of an all around game with a lot of players who can play in any different situation.

On building his game in his NHL Draft season:

I think I’m an offensively minded player. I think I excel on the power play and I use my playmaking ability and my smarts to create offence. So, I feel like I’m kind of a guy that if you need a goal, you can put out there.

On the key to staying out of the penalty box:

I feel like I’m just smart with my stick… I feel like I’m just a smart player when it comes to that. I obviously don’t want to be in the box and put my team on the non-advantage. But I don’t know. Just luck sometimes, I guess!

On what he expects from the Oil Kings:

We know they’ve got top end talent, obviously guys like Sawchyn, Hodnett and Jecho and guys like that. We know what they bring. We know they have a really good penalty kill as well. I think just bringing our ‘A’ game and kind of see where it takes us.

On Florida Panthers prospect Gracyn Sawchyn:

I think it’s just his ability to create offense. It’s special when you kind of watch him handle the puck and how he can get by anyone one-on-one.