SERIES PREVIEW: (5) Brandon Wheat Kings vs. (4) Lethbridge Hurricanes

After suffering sweeps in their respective 2024 WHL Playoffs first-round series, the Brandon Wheat Kings and Lethbridge Hurricanes are out for redemption- and they’re ready to battle for it.

The fourth-seed Hurricanes (42-21-3-2) have a 3-0-0-1 record against the fifth-seed Wheat Kings (38-23-4-3).

Being in the same division as the powerhouse Medicine Hat Tigers and Calgary Hitmen may have caused some to overlook the Hurricanes, who went on a nine-game point streak in late February and early March.

Lethbridge set itself apart with its league-best penalty kill and ranks as the fourth stingiest team when it comes to goals against thanks to stalwart defencemen like Captain and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Noah Chadwick.

Hurricanes General Manager Peter Anholt made some of the splashiest moves of the season, starting with the acquisition of 2024 WHL Champions Brayden Yager (Winnipeg Jets), goaltender Jackson Unger and defenceman Vojtech Port (Anaheim Ducks) from the Moose Jaw Warriors. Lethbridge beefed up down the middle by adding Vegas Golden Knights prospect Jordan Gustafson and landed star defenceman Caden Price (Seattle Kraken) at the 2025 WHL Trade Deadline.

Brandon seemed prime for a breakout season after potential top-10 2025 NHL Draft pick Roger McQueen dummied the opposition with four goals on opening night, but the talented centreman ended up missing a large portion of the season with an injury, though he returned for the final stretch of the regular season.

In his absence, the Wheat Kings scored by committee with six players cracking 20 goals- including defenceman Luke Shipley, who is one of only five WHL defencemen to hit the milestone.

Wheat Kings General Manager and Head Coach Marty Murray didn’t make too many moves with a young, talented roster, but did bolster the Wheaties’ attack with the addition of 2025 NHL Draft-eligible forward Jordan Gavin, a perennial WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player nominee who only has four career penalty minutes while steadily picking up points. Prior to the start of the regular season, Brandon also acquired creative winger Marcus Nguyen, who leads the team with 36 goals and has a hat trick in his final season of eligibility.

The series will see seven NHL prospects hit the ice, along with five players listed on NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings.

This marks the third playoff series between Lethbridge and Brandon. Most recently, the Hurricanes bounced the Wheat Kings in five games in 2018 before falling to the eventual champion Swift Current Broncos.

The Hurricanes will start the playoffs on home ice for the first time since 2019 when puck drops on Game One at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena on Friday, March 28.

GAME BREAKERS

Brandon Wheat Kings: Speedy winger Marcus Nguyen caught the eye of Marty Murray during a sensational run to the 2024 WHL Championship with the Portland Winterhawks, which saw him score five goals (including a hat trick and two game-winners) to eliminate the Prince George Cougars in the Western Conference Final. The Wheat Kings acquired the overager in a trade over the offseason and he’s more than delivered with a team-leading 36 goals. He’s surpassed 200 career points (106G-103A) and looks to turn things up to another level once again in his final trip to the WHL postseason.

Lethbridge Hurricanes: Winnipeg Jets prospect Brayden Yager was candid about what he, along with Vojtech Port and Jackson Unger, bring to the Hurricanes in a Wednesday Night in the Dub preview in February. “Coming from a winning team last year can definitely spread little lessons or messages to other players about what it’s like to have a winning culture and be a part of a winning team,” Yager explained. The 6-foot, 170-pound centreman is already in the playoff grind mentality after posting his second-best regular season. The reigning WHL and CHL Most Sportsmanlike Player had 27 points (11G-16A) in the 2024 WHL Playoffs and believes he’s beefed up his two-way play since then in hopes of lifting the Ed Chynoweth Cup for a second time.

GOALTENDING

Brandon Wheat Kings: The goaltending duel in this series makes it a must-watch as two of the stingiest teams in the league go head-to-head. Philadelphia Flyers prospect Carson Bjarnason is coming off a career-best season with a 22-15-3-0 record, a 2.93 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage and a 33-save shutout against powerhouse Medicine Hat. He may be 1-2-0-0 against the Hurricanes in 2024-25, but he was named a star of the game in two of his three appearances and made at least 30 saves in each of them, highlighted by a 38-save effort (plus another three in the shootout) in a 4-3 Brandon victory on February 28. A busy season has also seen Bjarnason climb to fifth on the WHL’s active wins leaderboard with 75.

Lethbridge Hurricanes: Jackson Unger aso knows the gig. The 2024 WHL Champion has put up the best numbers of his career since being traded to Lethbridge. He’s 22-7-2-1 as a Hurricane with a 2.42 goals-against average, a .909 save percentage and a shutout, which came in a 30-save effort against the Saskatoon Blades on February 25. Unger was a part of the Moose Jaw team that swept the Wheat Kings in 2024 but has only faced them twice with Lethbridge this season. He went 1-0-0-1 against the Wheaties in their last meetings. Unger also wraps up his fourth WHL season sitting fourth in active wins with 84.

X FACTOR

Brandon Wheat Kings: Roger McQueen is an X-factor in the truest sense of the word. The talent is undeniable, and despite missing the bulk of the regular season with an injury, he’s still projected as a top-five pick in the 2025 NHL Draft by experts like TSN’s Craig Button. The 6-foot-5, 193-pound centreman put up eight goals and three assists through his first six games but has slowly gained steam in his return for 10 goals and 10 assists in 17 games on the season. He also had five points (4G-1A) in four games with Brandon in the 2024 Playoffs. Can the star prospect bounce back to dazzle fans and scouts in the postseason?

Lethbridge Hurricanes: Here’s one can of worms that isn’t for the faint of heart. 19-year-old Logan Wormald paced all skaters in the regular season series between Lethbridge and Brandon with four goals and two assists for six points. He had two game-opening goals, two game-winning goals, and an assist on the Canes’ third game-winner. Wormald is fresh off of his first 30-goal season and is tied for second among all WHLers with nine game-winning tallies. The competitive winger is longing for his first playoff victory after suffering sweeps in two straight playoff trips and may have all the tools to get it done in 2025.

 

2025 WHL PLAYOFFS SERIES SCHEDULE

Game	Visitor		Home	Day	Date	Time
1	Brandon	@	Lethbridge	Friday	March 28	7:00 p.m. MST
2	Brandon	@	Lethbridge	Saturday	March 29	6:00 p.m. MST
3	Lethbridge	@	Brandon (Virden)	Tuesday	April 1	7:00 p.m. CST
4	Lethbridge	@	Brandon (Virden)	Wednesday	April 2	7:00 p.m. CST
5*	Brandon	@	Lethbridge	Friday	April 4	7:00 p.m. MST
6*	Lethbridge	@	Brandon (Virden)	Sunday	April 6	4:00 p.m. CST
7*	Brandon	@	Lethbridge	Tuesday	April 8	7:00 p.m. MST

*- If necessary