Wheat Kings’ Burzan named CHL Player of the Week
Toronto, Ont. – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that 2019 NHL Draft prospect Luka Burzan of the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League is the CHL Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday, September 30, scoring five goals and one assist for six points in just one game played with a plus-minus rating of plus-3.
Burzan’s single game performance last week was one to remember, leading the Wheat Kings to an 8-4 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday night. The five-goal output by the game’s first star shattered his previous career-high of two, while his six points doubled his previous high of three. This marks the best single game performance in the CHL this season while Burzan equals former Wheat King Jayce Hawryluk who produced the same totals on March 2, 2016 in an 11-2 win against the Saskatoon Blades.
An 18-year-old from Surrey, B.C., Burzan is playing in his third WHL season after being chosen sixth overall by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound forward joined Brandon midway through the 2017-18 campaign and tallied 21 points (9G-12A) in his final 30 games. So far this season his eight points (6G-2A) in three games are tied for third overall in league scoring. He was recently listed as a ‘C’ rated prospect by NHL Central Scouting in their Preliminary edition of ‘Players to Watch’ for the 2019 NHL Draft, one of 35 WHL players to make the grade on the annual list.
Overall, Burzan has tallied 75 points (35G-40A) in 142 WHL regular season games, including six power-play goals, one short-handed goal, and seven game-winning goals. In 19 career WHL playoffs games, Burzan has compiled 10 points (5G-5A).
Also considered for the award this week was San Jose Sharks prospect Ivan Chekhovich of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar who scored four goals and four assists for eight points in three games, and overage forward Lucas Chiodo of the Barrie Colts who scored three goals and four assists for seven points in two games.
2018-19 CHL Players of the Week:
Sept. 24 – Sept. 30: Luka Burzan (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Sept. 19 – Sept. 23: Kirby Dach (Saskatoon Blades)
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 350 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.