Brandon, MB – Today, the City of Brandon hosted an official ground-breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of major construction for the Outdoor Field Sports Complex (OFSC), located at 1st Street & Veterans Way.   The Outdoor Field Sports Complex will include: a FIFA-sized soccer field with lighting 11 x 11 soccer fields a dedicated 9 x 9 soccer field a cricket pitch a field house to include washrooms, change rooms, concession, and multi-use space a maintenance facility The Government of Canada is contributing up to $3.9 million, and the Province of Manitoba is contributing up to $4.1 million toward eligible project costs. The City of Brandon is contributing up to $3.4 million toward the Outdoor Field Sports Complex.  “Today, we are putting shovels in the ground for the start of a project that will impact Brandon in a great way. By investing in recreational infrastructure, our government is growing our country’s economy and improving the lives of Canadians in communities big and small.”  The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for PrairiesCan and CanNor, on behalf of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.  “Our government is proud to collaborate on projects that will improve the quality of life for Manitobans and support the continued growth of our communities and economy. This world-class facility will be a welcome attraction and economic driver for the City of Brandon and the Westman region, and will provide our youth and sport enthusiasts with the opportunity to pursue their athletic dreams.”  The Honourable Heather Stefanson, Premier of Manitoba “We are excited to partner with all three levels of government to see the Outdoor Sports Field Complex come to life in Brandon. As Brandon is a regional hub for western Manitoba, this state-of-the-art facility will be a great investment for our city and beyond.”  His Worship Jeff Fawcett, Mayor of the City of Brandon   Phase 1 of the project kicked off in January 2023 and rough grading of the site is underway. Phase 1 will also see the installation of a watermain, low pressure sewer, and land drainage, including a stormwater retention pond and flood control dike. Design for Phase 2 has been ongoing simultaneously, with the tender anticipated to be released by July 2023.

Hockey Manitoba held their 2023 Male Under-16 Program of Excellence Top-40 Camp at the J&G Homes Arena this past weekend. In addition to all of the on ice instruction, the weekend also included a number of other development items including mental skills coaching, team building, and leadership. A number of Brandon players participated in the camp which will help the coaching staff select the final roster for the 2023 WHL Cup taking place in late October in Alberta. Nolan Saunderson, Graydon Taylor, Jaxon Jacobson, Jonah Lemoine, & Cole Lobreau were among the Brandon contingent to compete. Also hitting the ice was Jack Swaenepoel of Souris, Liam Chartrand from Winnipegosis, Dauphin's Hayden Shtykalo, and Kaden Allan out of Hamiota. The full camp roster can be viewed here.

The 2023 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft took place earlier today and Brandon's Jaxon Jacobson was the top Manitoban selected in the draft, going fifth overall to the Wheat Kings. Several members of the Brandon Wheat Kings U15 AAA roster were also drafted Thursday including Nolan Saunderson, Jonah Lemoine, and Gradey Taylor. Lemoine, pictured above, was selected in the 9th round, 178th overall by the Prince Albert Raiders. A forward, he put up strong offensive numbers in 2022-23 racking up 80 points in just 33 regular season games. He also led the team in scoring and finished 4th overall in league scoring. The Spokane Chiefs used the 90th overall (5th round) to select blueliner Nolan Saunderson. Saunderson, pictured below, picked up 28 points in 31 games this past season with the Brandon Wheat Kings U15 AAA squad. Nolan has been described as "a smart, smooth two-way defenseman. He defends well and makes an accurate first pass up the ice." Gradey Taylor, also a defensemen, appeared in 30 regular season games with the Brandon Wheat Kings U15 AAA team where he collected 14 points (8g-6a) with 39 penalty minutes. He was selected in the 12th round, 178 overall by the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

The Brandon Wheat Kings used the 5th overall selection in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft to select homegrown product forward, Jaxon Jacobson. The 5'8", 150lb Jacobson spent last season with the Brandon Wheat Kings U-18 AAA team where he amassed 60 points in 44 regular season games. He followed that up by recording 8 points in 8 playoff games.  With the fifth overall pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, the @bdnwheatkings select Jaxon Jacobson from Brandon Wheat Kings U18 AAA.#WHLDraft pic.twitter.com/T9cSmFaO88 — The WHL (@TheWHL) May 11, 2023 With their second pick in the first round (19th overall), the Wheat Kings selected Giorgos Pantelas, a defensemen who spent last season skating with the RHA Kelowna U15 Prep team. Pantelas tallied 38 points for Kelowna in 2022-23. He has been described as big, strong, and a great skater. With the 19th overall pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, the @bdnwheatkings select Giorgos Pantelas from the RINK Hockey Academy Kelowna U15 Prep.#WHLDraft pic.twitter.com/yi8W6MI1O3 — The WHL (@TheWHL) May 11, 2023 The complete order of selection for the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft can be found at https://whl.ca/draft.

The MB Mavericks, which includes 4 players from Brandon (Reese Schutte, Shayla Scinocca, Devyn Moncur, and Sydney Sass), headed to Minneapolis this weekend for the annual Stars & Stripes hockey tournament and returned home with the 14U Tier 1 female championship trophy in their possession. In Sunday's tournament clinching 5-2 victory over Team Colorado, the Mavericks received goals from Sydney Sass (3), Erica Miko, and Presley Hodson. Over the duration of the weekend the Mavericks went a perfect 5-0, outscoring their opposition 34-6 in the process. In addition to the Brandon players, the roster (posted below) also includes many of the top 2008 & 2009 born female hockey players from several neighboring regions including: Yellowhead, Central Plains, Westman, and Parkland. To prepare for the Stars & Stripes tournament the team held a few practices, participated in a tournament in Melville, and played 2 exhibition games in Winnipeg.