Brandon's Ethan Stewart didn't have to wait long to hear his name called at today's MJHL draft for players born in 2007. The forward was selected in the 1st round, 7th overall by the Dauphin Kings. Stewart spent last season with the Brandon U18 AAA Wheat Kings where he registered 18 points in 22 regular season games. Another Brandon product Loughlan McMullan was also selected in the first round today. Like Stewart, McMullan is also a forward who amassed 68 points in only 36-games with the Brandon U17 AAA Wheat Kings in 2022-23. He was selected by the OCN Blizzard. Defensemen Dustin Bell was selected in the 1st round, 10th overall by the Winkler Flyers.  Last season he suited up in 44 games for the Brandon U18 AAA Wheat Kings and chipped in with 10 points. McCreary's Brady Turko, who has spent the last two seasons playing hockey in Brandon, went 12th overall to the Steinbach Pistons. Turko was teammates last season with Stewart and Bell on the Brandon U18 AAA Wheat Kings and he averaged nearly a point a game (44gp, 43p). In addition to the 4-first rounders a number of players with ties to the Wheat City were also selected. Brandon U17 AAA Wheat Kings defensemen Aiden Laing, 2nd Round 15th overall, Neepawa Titans Brandon U18 AAA Wheat Kings Forward Colten Worthington, 2nd Round 20th overall by the OCN Blizzard. RINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg U16 defensemen Josh McGregor, 2nd Round 25th overall, Swan Valley Stampeders Brandon U18 AAA Wheat Kings Forward Easton Odut, 2nd Round 35th overall, Dauphin Kings Brandon U18 AAA Wheat Kings Defensemen Kaeson Fisher, 4th round 52nd overall, Winkler Flyers RINK Hockey Academy Winnipeg U18 goalie Burke Hood, 5th Round 59th overall, Winkler Flyers Brandon U17 AAA Wheat Kings defensemen Konnor Klemick, 6th Round 79th overall, OCN Blizzard Brandon U17 AAA Wheat Kings goalie Matt Michta, 6th Round 81st overall, Swan Valley Stampeders Brandon U17 AAA Wheat Kings forward Roan Michalchuk, 8th Round 106th overall, OCN Blizzard Rink H.A. Winnipeg U16 Prep goalie Brady Low, 8th Round 110th overall, Portage Terriers The entire list can be found here.

A live wrestling event dubbed as "Hangover @ Houstons" will be coming to the Wheat City on Friday, June 9. Primo's Wrestling, out of Winnipeg, is putting on the show and they intend to have an evening of hard hitting wrestling action full of fun, comedy and excitement. The company has been around since 2012 and hosts roughly 50 type similar events a year in communities like Swan River, Flin Flon , Killarney, Wabowden & many other northern towns. The all-ages event starts at 7pm and kids 5 and under are admitted free. Player One, Mustachio, Ryan Rogan, TJ Cannon, Big Cliff, and Billy Blaze are among the wrestlers scheduled to take part.

Brandon's Brett Skinner has made some major progress in his hockey coaching career by being announced as the new Head Coach of the Fargo Force of the USHL. Cary Eades the Fargo Force GM / President of Hockey Operations for the past 8 season told BDNMB.CA that they had 50 - 60 applicants but also targeted Skinner due to his previous success. Cary Eades ( photo courtesy of The Rink Live Fargo ) Eades also said "He has only coached for 6 years but has had a tremendous amount of success in that time...plus he knows how to win". Skinner is the son of local coaching legend Tom Skinner whom was the head coach of the Brandon Bobcats plus worked in Europe. Brett Skinner was a 3rd round pick of the Vancouver Canucks...selected by Brian Burke. Playing and coaching resume for Brett Skinner https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/8539/brett-skinner The Fargo Force has been a top team in the USHL and produced dozens of NCAA D1 players as well as NHL and Pro players since the 2008 - 2009 season.  The USHL is considered the number one league for players wanting to play NCAA D1 hockey.

Marty Murray joined the Wheat Kings as their General Manager in August of 2022 and he is currently both their GM and Head Coach. As a player, Murray spent 4 very successful seasons in a Wheat Kings uniform before embarking on a professional career which saw him suit up for 261 NHL regular season games. During his junior career, he twice (1994 and 1995) represented Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships. In your prime, how many points would you get playing on a line with Connor McDavid & Leon Draisaitl: Maybe 50?? Favorite road trip you have ever taken: Driving home from the east coast when I was playing, my brother and I stopped at all the major league baseball parks on the way home. What song instantly takes you back to your high school days: Wheat Kings-The Tragically Hip If you could only eat one restaurant for the rest of your life, what restaurant would it be: Mastros Steakhouse If you could put together a concert lineup (3 artists), who would it be: The Lumineers, Mumford and Sons, Foo Fighters What was your favorite toy as a child: Hockey Stick You have to finish 100 buffalo wings at Joe Beeverz in an hour, which 2 teammates from your playing days with the Wheat Kings are you asking to assist you: Chris Dingman and Todd Fedorik If you could add 1 former player from your favorite team in their prime to the current roster in order to win the Stanley Cup, who would it be: Wayne Gretzky What is the best movie soundtrack of all-time: Hmm, nothing jumps off the page If you had to pick one person from the human race to be the ambassador to aliens, who would it be: Chris Moulton Who is the most famous person in your contacts list: Josh Duhamel What would you sing at karaoke night: Something by The Hip What is your favorite way to spend time with your family: On vacation If you could have lunch with one person from history, who would it be: Albert Einstein What would you name your yacht if you had one: I can’t see myself out in the ocean What Canadian city would you relocate to if you were forced to leave Brandon: Kelowna Outside of hockey, did you excel at any other sports as a child: Baseball, Golf Where did you and your best friend meet: School If you could swap jobs with anyone in Brandon for just one day, who would it be: Jared Jacobson What TV show would you most like to make a cameo appearance in: Seinfeld

The U17 Magic softball team headed to Saskatoon this past weekend to participate in the Presidents Tournament and returned home with a silver medal to show for their effort. The team swept through round robin play going 4-0 before topping Lloydminster in the semi-finals. Their only loss occurred in the final game versus the Southern AB Revolution.