Brandon's Colten Worthington, a forward, recently agreed to a Western Hockey League (WHL) Standard Player Agreement with the Saskatoon Blades. He was selected by the Blades in the 11th round (233rd overall) in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft. "I was very excited to be apart of this great organization and I was really excited where it is because it isn’t to far from my hometown. I had just got home from school and was talking to my dad when my phone blew up and I had realized that I was drafted. It was a great feeling" Worthington told bdnmb.ca about his draft experience. To date this season, he has registered 18 points in 25 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings U18 AAA club. If all goes according to plan, Worthington would like to suit up with Saskatoon as soon as they feel he is ready. "I would love to be playing in Saskatoon but with how strong they are with the last two draft years I may not be able to so hopefully I play a couple of games with them next year and then I’ll return back here to play u18 with the Wheat Kings." As Worthington embarks on the next chapter of his hockey journey, he understands what he needs to work on to take it to the next level. "I need to work on my first three steps and make sure that I am always ready. Because playing at the next level is a big step and it is a much faster pace game so for me to be in that position I would need to improve my foot speed and get my first three steps down. Favourite NHL player: Nathan MaKinnon Favourite NHL team: Winnipeg Jets NHL player I model my game after: Pierre-Luc Dubois

Back at the start of November, Brandon's Kaeson Fisher, a defensemen, signed a Standard Player Agreement with the WHL's Everett Silvertips. He was selected 124th overall in the sixth round of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft "Everett was the first team that ever reached out to me so to have an organization as good as they are was a dream come true for me. My mom and I were sitting in the car outside of my siblings school waiting to pick them up" Fisher told bdnmb.ca about where he was when he found out the Silvertips had selected him in the draft. While he lists the Winnipeg Jets as his favorite NHL team and Josh Morrisey as his favorite player, he tries to model his game around Cale Makar "because he is a smooth skater and uses lots of fakes all over the ice". Fisher is currently a member of the Brandon Wheat Kings U18 AAA squad, and his goal is to be able to play for the Silvertips as early as next year. "I have to go to camp next year with a purpose and prove myself as a player that can play at that level. I think I definitely need to get a lot bigger and stronger if I want to play for Everett in the near future. See how strong the guys are in the league is a daily motivator to keep pushing myself" said Fisher.

The City of Brandon’s Parks & Recreation Department is pleased to inform the public that the Skating Oval, located immediately west of the City of Brandon’s Parks & Recreation Complex on McGregor Avenue will be open tomorrow at 12:00 noon. Around the skating oval is the Manitoba Hydro Power Smart Waterfall of Lights display, which is on from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. nightly through the winter season. No public vehicles are allowed in the direct area of the Waterfall of Lights display. The public is encouraged to park in designated areas on McGregor Avenue or Hilton Avenue and walk through the area to view the lights. The City of Brandon Parks & Recreation Department asks all members of the public to enjoy the lighting displays at a safe distance and not to walk in areas where power cords are present. Tomorrow also marks the official opening of the Hanbury Hill toboggan hill, located just off Braecrest Drive in Sir Winston Churchill Park. Hanbury Hill’s warm-up gazebo will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., while decorative lighting and flood lighting turned on each evening from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. for the duration of the season. Other toboggan hills available for public use include ones in Rideau Park and at the Wheat City Golf Course/Recreation Centre, and smaller sliding hills include the 34th Street & Cherry Crescent Sliding Hill and the Parkdale Park Sliding Hill. Families are encouraged to enjoy all the above-mentioned free winter recreation offerings; however, the City of Brandon would note that all are unsupervised areas. For more information on the many other public winter activities overseen by the City of Brandon’s Parks & Recreation Services, including its various sledding/toboggan hills and outdoor trails, please visit brandon.ca/winter-recreation/toboggan-hills or check out the Winter Recreation Guide. More information on recreation programming can be found at City of Brandon - Recreation Programs.

Glen Steele was recently recognized as the High School Rural referee of the year for 2022. A breakfast ceremony was recently held in Winnipeg for all the graduating all stars from A, AA, AAA and AAAA high school volleyball as well as the annual recognition for coaches and referees. Steele first became a volleyball ref four years ago after his boys were finishing their high school volleyball and he has always loved volleyball since high school. In addition to officiating high school games he also refs club games and does lines at both Brandon University and ACC game as well. This year Steele estimates he did over 90 games which is more than he has done in other years. It was the first time he has been recognized from our region.

– For the second consecutive year, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada’s elite Cup Series, presented by Wrangler, will buck into Brandon, Manitoba, holding the PBR Mazergroup Chute Out at Westoba Place at the Keystone Centre on May 27, 2023. PBR Canada’s Cup Series regularly features Canada’s best riders alongside some of the league’s top international athletes, squaring off against the rankest bucking bulls from across the nation. For one night only, fans will witness exhilarating 8-second rides and wrecks throughout the action-packed event as the PBR’s courageous bull-riding athletes face off against their 2,000-pound opponents bred to buck. The Brandon event will mark the third event of the nine-event 2023 season for the PBR Canada Cup Series, presented by Wrangler. Prior to travelling to the Manitoba town, the Cup Series will hold tour stops in both Red Deer and Lethbridge, Alberta. When the elite Canadian Cup Series debuted in Brandon in June 2022, young gun Blake Smith (Abbey, Saskatchewan) delivered a flawless 2-for-2 performance to win the event. In Round 1, Smith was in perfect time with Confused Mind (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle/Legend Rodeo Stock), reaching the requisite 8 for 83.5 points, tying for the round win. Smith then used his early pick in the Round 2 bull draft to select Crossfire’s Black Jack (Lazy S Bucking Bulls), a decision which proved dividends. Smith matched the powerful animal athlete jump-for-jump, and the electric crowd erupted in cheer as he reached the whistle for an event-best 87 points. Edging past the runner-up contender by a mere 2 points in the aggregate, Smith’s score clinched the victory. The event was part of the most intense national title race in PBR Canada history. As the season continued to unfurl, nine riders traveled to the PBR Canada National Finals in contention to win the honor and accompanying $50,000 bonus. Mounting a come-from-behind surge, Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta) emerged the 2022 PBR Canada Champion, surpassing regular-season No. 1 Dakota Buttar (Eatonia, Saskatchewan) and holding off a hard-charging Brock Radford (De Winton, Alberta) in the final outs of the season. When the dust settled, Tetz finished 26.5 points ahead of runner-up Radford. The bull riding action for PBR Canada Cup Series’ Mazergroup Chute Out, begins at 7:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 27, 2023. Tickets for the event go on sale Friday, December 16 at 10:00 a.m. CST, and start at $30, taxes and fees not included, and can be purchased at the Westoba Place at the Keystone Centre Box Office and online at Ticketmaster.ca.