The storybook season for the 2023/24 Brandon AAA Wheat Kings will continue, as earlier today they defeated the Saskatoon Blazers 1-0 in overtime to claim the West Regionals Championship Final. Brady Turko scored the lone and deciding goal for the Wheat Kings, while Burke Hood stopped all 30 shots he faced en-route to registering the shutout. BRADY TURKO CALLS GAME!! The Brandon Wheat Kings forward scores the only goal of the Western Regional Championship game and sends the #1 Brandon Wheat Kings to the Telus Cup!@3Awheatkings @MBAAAU18 @hockeymanitoba @HockeyCanada pic.twitter.com/8PDZ0NTRm3 — CEHL_u18 (@CEHL_u18) April 7, 2024 With the win, the team will now represent Manitoba at the upcoming Telus Cup, Canada's U18AAA National Championship in Nova Scotia from April 22nd to 28th. Today's game summary can be viewed here.

Taylor Sanheim scored late in the 3rd period Saturday night to propel the Miniota/Elkhorn C-Hawks to a 3-2 victory over Killarney Shamrocks, helping the C-Hawks claim their second consecutive THHL title. Brad Boles scored twice in the contest for Miniota/Elkhorn, who won the best of 5 final series 3-1. Jason Bowles led all playoff scorers with an impressive 36 points in only 12 games. Teammate Brad Bowles finished a close second with 34-points, while Killarney's Isaac Friesen was 3rd with 24-points. Miniota/Elkhorn now advances to play the Ste. Anne Aces for Hockey Manitoba’s Provincial Senior “A” Championship. Ste. Anne won the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League championship last weekend and are lead by a pair of former Brandon Kings in Jordan DePape and Brenden Walker.

Brandon's Brett Skinner has claimed the cup once again for the Fargo Force. The USHL's Anderson Cup has now been won by Fargo in back to back seasons. Skinners (or Skins) has had a very impressive rise in the coaching ranks starting as an Assistant Coach in Sioux Falls with Marty Murray then going to the Head Coach in the NAHL with the Minnesota Wilderness to now a rookie Head Coach for the Fargo Force. The USHL is the leading league for moving players forward from Junior Hockey to NCAA Div 1 College Hockey. Skinner appeared in 11 NHL games for the New York Islanders. Brett is the son of Tom and Jane Skinner in Brandon. https://ushl.com/

The Brandon Wheat Kings are committed to the integrity of the sport of hockey and to the health and well-being of our athletes. It is with this commitment in mind that we address a recent incident involving one of our players, Matt Henry. Earlier this week we were informed by the Western Hockey League (WHL) that Matt had tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance.  Since then we have worked with both Matt and the Western Hockey League Anti-Doping Committee to complete the necessary investigations.  In line with the Canadian Hockey League Anti-Doping Policy and the principles of fair play, Matt has received an eight-game suspension. The Brandon Wheat Kings and the WHL take the issue of performance-enhancing drugs very seriously. We believe in maintaining a level playing field for all athletes and in fostering a culture of healthy, fair competition. Matt has expressed his regret over the situation and has agreed to participate in counseling to address this issue. The Brandon Wheat Kings fully support Matt in his journey to understanding and overcoming this challenge. We are committed to his health and well-being and will be with him every step of the way. We would like to thank the Western Hockey League and the WHL Anti-Doping Committee for their assistance and guidance in this matter. Their dedication to maintaining the integrity of our sport is invaluable. Moving forward, the Brandon Wheat Kings will continue to work closely with the WHL to enhance our education and prevention programs related to performance-enhancing substances. It is our priority to ensure that each of our players has the knowledge and support they need to make informed decisions about their health and careers. We ask for the media and our fans to respect Matt’s privacy as he embarks on this process. We believe in Matt’s ability to learn and grow from this experience. The Brandon Wheat Kings remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards of integrity and fair play in hockey. We are committed to working with the WHL and other partners to safeguard the health and future of our athletes and our sport.

Former Brandon Wheat players Jordan DePape and Brenden Walker were instrumental in leading the Ste Anne Aces to their second consecutive South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League championship. The pair of forwards finished 1-2 in playoff scoring with Walker tallying 27 points and  DePape registering 26. DePape was also named the playoff MVP. The Aces swept their best of 7 championship series against the Warren Mercs. They will now wait for the winner of the Tiger Hills Hockey League to compete for the Hockey Manitoba Senior A Championship. The Miniota/Elkhorn C-Hawks currently hold a 1-0 lead over the Killarney Shamrocks in that best of 5 series.