WHL Stars of Tomorrow: Jaxon Jacobson, Brandon Wheat Kings

If you ask anyone in the Brandon Wheat Kings organization about Jaxon Jacobson, each and every response would insist that the highly-skilled forward was born to be a Wheat King.

And, for Jacobson, the feeling is mutual.

As a Brandon, Man. local, Westoba Place was the youngster’s stomping grounds, as he grew up idolizing the Wheat Kings of old as they took to the ice in front of a rowdy, Manitoban crowd. His familiarity with the organization further expanded when his father, Jared Jacobson, stepped in as the franchise’s owner in September 2020.

But, as Jacobson began to develop into one of Manitoba’s top budding stars, watching Brandon’s best from the stands was starting to lose its flavour.

Instead, Jacobson wanted a taste of WHL action for himself.

His hunger to not only reach but dominate at the junior hockey level was flagged by the Wheat Kings’ Head Coach and General Manager, Marty Murray, who nabbed Jacobson with the fifth-overall selection at the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.

“I think he fits a mould of what we want our prospects to be. He’s very competitive. He’s self-driven,” Murray shared. “He just seems to be one of those kids that rises to the occasion when the chips are down, and those are the type of players you want within your organization.”

The Wheat Kings’ choice to select Jacobson at the draft paid off instantly, as the then 14-year-old flew past all expectations in just his first outing in the WHL.

Just three days before his 15th birthday, the top prospect stole the spotlight in a regular season tilt against the eventual WHL Champions, the Moose Jaw Warriors. Jacobson helped the Wheaties claim a 5-4 shootout win over a talented Warriors roster by netting a pair of goals in his League debut.

Jaxon Jacobson,

in his WHL debut…
in his home town…
with his childhood team…

nets his first career WHL goal!@bdnwheatkings pic.twitter.com/RWghGhYtof

— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 9, 2023

As he reminisced about the unforgettable night in Brandon, the forward joked that tickling the twine was the least daunting part of the evening.

“I was honestly more nervous for the rookie lap than the actual game. I was just thinking, ‘Don’t fall, don’t fall,'” Jacobson laughed.

Over the course of the 2023-24 season, the homegrown product hit the ice with the Wheat Kings on seven different occasions – tacking on a total of six points (four goals–two assists) during that span.

And, while proud of his recent accomplishments, Jacobson credits his fellow Wheat Kings prospects and Under-18 (U18) teammates, Easton Odut and Brady Turko, for the early bout of success he found. Jacobson, Odut, and Turko took centre stage on the Brandon Wheat Kings U18 AAA roster last season, coming together to post 259 points during the regular season. The trio also won the Manitoba U18 AAA Provincial Championship after posting a near-perfect 43-0-1-0 regular season record and took home silver at the 2024 TELUS Cup.

“I got the opportunity to play with a couple of my linemates from U18. So, that really helped me out because we had a lot of chemistry going into [the WHL] and obviously they’re going to be with me for the next couple of years.”

They smashed AAA records, swept their way to a championship, represented Manitoba on the national stage, and picked up their first WHL points. What a season it was for Brady Turko, Easton Odut, and Jaxon Jacobson. And the best is yet to come. READ MORE: https://t.co/oyEVhwsqXb pic.twitter.com/hWvJAX4GAM

— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) May 6, 2024

What’s more impressive, however, is that Jacobson’s immediate offensive output isn’t something that is common among players breaking onto the WHL scene for the first time. While racking up goals and creating scoring opportunities is a welcomed result, it typically isn’t expected from sprouting prospects.

And that’s what makes Jacobson such a valuable addition to the Wheat Kings’ ranks.

“We had some situations in the season last year where we not only needed him to come and be a body, we needed him to come in and play well. And he certainly delivered,” Murray said.

“We feel really good about our forward depth this year, and we feel he’s going to be one of our 12 forwards that have the ability to make a difference in our game. I really think as a 16-year-old he can have those nights where he can be a major dictator in the outcome of the game.”

📚 Round out the top-five selections in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, it was the @bdnwheatkings selecting local product Jaxon Jacobson. The WHL's Taylor Green has further insight in this @REMAXca Report. #WHLDraft pic.twitter.com/oPpaJYyyWY

— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 12, 2023

As he makes the move from a Wheat Kings fan to a Wheat Kings forward, Jacobson enters the 2024-25 season ready to give back to his local supporters in the only way Jacobson knows how – entertaining the Brandon faithful by lighting the lamp just like his former hockey heroes and Wheat Kings alumni used to.

“We have a great fan base in Brandon. And, obviously being a part of that for most of my life, I got to experience some great players come through Brandon,” Jacobson shared. “[The fans] love seeing goals scored. So, [I’d like to] just try to keep being a goal scorer and, hopefully, the fans will love it.”

Jacobson’s first opportunity to find the back of the net will come on September 20, when the Brandon Wheat Kings ring in the regular season by welcoming the Moose Jaw Warriors into Westoba Place. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. MT / 7:00 p.m. CT.