The AAA Midget Wheat Kings have made various personnel changes over the past 24 hours.  Former coach Ken Schneider will return to the team today as they travel to Dauphin to play Parkland this evening.  Also returning in an assistant coaching role will be alumni member Curtis Broland. The Wheat Kings are currently in 3rd place in the Manitoba AAA Midget League behind the Thrashers and Wild. No official comment has come from the AAA Midget board at this time. (Ken Schneider / photo courtesy of Dustin Schneider)

Brandon, MB. – On the eve of the Western Hockey League Trade Deadline, the Brandon Wheat Kings have dealt Defenceman Schael Higson to the Kelowna Rockets in exchange for Defenceman Braydyn Chizen and a fifth round draft choice in the 2019 Bantam Draft. A four year WHL veteran, the 20-year old Chizen comes to Brandon having played 227 games, including sixteen in the playoffs. The 6’7” 207 lb. St. Albert product has eleven goals, 34 points and 233 penalty minutes in 211 career games with the Rockets. “Braydyn is a big bodied right shot Defenceman with over 200 games of experience in this league” said Wheat Kings General Manager Grant Armstrong. “We look forward to adding him to our lineup as soon as Friday Night.” Chizen was a seventh round selection of the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild in 2016. Higson meanwhile is in his fifth and final season in the WHL, having played for both Brandon and Saskatoon. In 20 games this season, he had three goals and 17 points. The Wheat Kings next action comes Friday night when the Red Deer Rebels pay a visit to Westoba Place. The WHL Trade Deadline is 4pm (Manitoba time) Thursday.

Long-time Hockey Brandon volunteer Glen Parker will serve as the honourary chairperson for the 50th Anniversary edition of the A & W Tournament of Champions next month. Parker’s affiliation with the Tournament of Champions goes all the way back to the first two events in 1970 and 1971, when he participated as a player with the Brandon team in the Bantam (13U) Division in 1970 and the Brandon UCT team in the Bantam A Division in 1971. More recently, Parker spent 17 years as President of Hockey Brandon from 1996 to 2013, during which Hockey Brandon took over operation of the Tournament of Champions from the City of Brandon (2001). In addition, Parker coached 24 youth teams over the years, has served as an on-ice official for almost 20 years, and was a Hockey Manitoba Director. He continues to serve on the executive as the Brandon representative on Hockey Manitoba’s Minor Council while also representing the Riverview Ward on Brandon City Council. The 50th edition of the A & W Tournament of Champions will take place February 7-10 and February 15-17, 2019. Many special events are planned to recognize the Golden anniversary of the event including a special reception to be held on Friday, February 8th at the Keystone Centre. Further details about the reception and other events associated with the 50th anniversary will be announced at a later date.

The Wheat City Whiskey Jacks, the latest addition to the summer-collegiate Expedition League, released their 2019 schedule earlier today.  The team opens the season on the road in Minot on May 24th against the Souris Valley Sabre Dogs.  The team's home opener has been scheduled several days later, on the 28th, against the same Sabre Dogs club.  The ten team league features franchisees in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming.  Each team plays a 64-game regular season schedule. Wheat City Whiskey Jacks home games will be played at Andrews Field located at 2000 Hilton Avenue in Brandon.  Information on acquiring tickets for the 2019 season will be released shortly.

Brandon, MB. — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are proud to partner with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first-ever Blue Bombers Night when the Kootenay Ice pay a visit to Westoba Place on Friday, January 18th. In making the announcement Thursday morning, the Canadian Football League club announced that quarterback Matt Nichols will be in attendance for the game and in addition to participating in the pre-game ceremonial opening face-off, the 2-time Blue Bomber Most Outstanding Player will be signing autographs during the first intermission. “I can’t wait to meet the community in Brandon and attend my first Wheat Kings game,” says Nichols. “Manitobans are passionate fans no matter the sport, and I’m looking forward to making the trip and meeting all the football fans out there.” A former member of the Edmonton Eskimos, Nichols was acquired by the Bombers in September 2015 for a conditional draft pick. During the 2016 season – his first as a full time starter for Winnipeg – the Redding, California native passed for 3,666 yards while starting the final thirteen games. One of only three CFL quarterbacks to lead their respective club to 10-plus wins in 2016, he had a streak of 166 consecutive passes without an interception. Nichols followed up in 2017 by setting career-best marks for passing with 4,472 yards and 28 touchdowns in 17 games. His 103.8 quarterback-efficiency rating topped all CFL signal callers. He led Winnipeg to an 11-6-0 record in his seventeen regular season starts. This past season, Nichols recovered from a pre-season knee injury, to lead the Bombers to a 10-8 record and a third place finish in the Western Conference. After beating the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Semi-Final, the Bombers fell to Calgary in the Western Conference Final. During the 2018 campaign, Nichols started fourteen games, passing for 3,146 yards and eighteen touchdowns. A four year starter with the Eastern Washington Eagles, the Business Management Major established fourteen school records and six Big Sky Conference marks. He was the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year in both 2007 and 2009. His career passing records (12,616) are the most in Big Sky Conference history. Tickets to the January 18th game between the Wheat Kings and Ice are on sale now at the Keystone Centre box office. Fans can also order online at keystonecentre.com or by calling (204) 726-3555. Tickets are also on sale for Friday’s annual Home Depot Family Skate Night, presented by Q Country Radio, when the Seattle Thunderbirds make their first visit to Brandon in two years. Fans attending tomorrow’s game are encouraged to bring along their skates and helmets and join the Wheat Kings for a “free” post game Family Skate.