Brandon, MB – The Brandon Wheat Kings have added ten new faces to the franchise, in one of the busiest hockey operations weeks in recent memory. Eight players heard their name called in the WHL Prospects Draft today, following a pair of additions to the franchise in Wednesday’s U.S Priority Draft. In a rare occurance, the Wheat Kings held a trio of first round selections in the WHL Prospects Draft, including #3 and #4 overall. Both of those picks were acquired during the 2016/17 season as part of the packages that sent Tanner Kaspick and Kale Clague to Victoria and Moose Jaw respecitvely. “We were in a very fortunate poisition this year,” said General Manager Doug Gasper. “Having that many opportunities for a franchise type player doesnt happen very often. In the past I was lucky to be part of a program with two first round picks, but never three.”  With the 3rd overall pick the Wheat Kings went to Alberta to take 6’2″ defenseman Charlie Elick from the Edge Academy. The son of former New York Rangers draft pick Mickey Elick has appeared in 11 games in the Canadian Sports School Hockey League this season, scoring three times and adding nine assists. Moments later, the Wheat Kings used the 4th overall selection to take Saskatoon native, Roger McQueen. McQueen is a member of the Saskatoon U18 Blazers, and has put up 20 points in just 17 games this season. In his last season of U15 with the Saskatoon Stallions, McQueen recorded 87 points in just 31 games. With the final pick of the first round, the Wheat Kings went back to Alberta, selecting forward Caleb Hadland from the Yale Hockey Academy. In total, Brandon chose players from three provinces and two U.S states, and spread the picks out amongst one goalie, five forwards and four defensemen. “Today we bring in a great blend of size, skill and players with high hockey IQ and compete,” added Gasper.  “Those are the intagables we value as a Wheat King and we want to keep that tradition of having those type of players in our organization going and I think we did that today.” All players selected today are eligible to play a maximum of five games as an affiliated player this season. WHL Draft Selections #3 Overall – Charlie Elick, D – Edge Hockey Academy “A complete player that leads by example.” -Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton   — #4 Overall – Roger McQueen, F – Saskatoon U18 Blazers “A great combination of size and skill.” -Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton — #22 Overall – Caleb Hadland, F – Yale Hockey Academy “A real leader that contributes offensively.” -Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton — #64 Overall – Carter Klippenstein, F – Lethbridge U18 Hurricanes “Competitive player that leads by example.” -Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton — #86 Overall – Carter Rimstad, D – OHA Edmonton Prep  “A hard nosed defender that makes a great first pass,” -Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton — #108th Overall – Evan Lambert, F – Winnipeg Bruins “A steady defenseman that makes good puck decisions.” -Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton — #114 Overall – Ethan Eskit, G – Yale Hockey Academy “A goalie that shows up when his team needs him to make the big saves.” -Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton — #152 Overall – Drew Williamson, F – Airdrie U18 Bisons “Complete player that playes the game the right way.” -Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton ________________________________________________________________________________ U.S Priority Draft Selections #13 Overall – Colin Frank, RW – Anaheim Junior Ducks U16 “Colin is a gifted goal scorer that has the ability to put himself in position to create offense every shift.” -Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton — #32 Overall – Ethan Gonyeau, D – Dallas Stars Elite U16 “Ethan is a creative puck moving defenseman, that transitions the puck up the ice well and creates offense from the back-end.” -Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton  Season Team League GP G A TP PIM     Playoffs GP G A TP PIM  2020-2021 Dallas Stars Elite 14U AAA T1EHL 14U 8 2 1 3 2 |         Dallas Stars Elite 14U AAA 16U AA 20 1 5 6 4 |          2021-2022 Dallas Stars Elite 16U AAA T1EHL 16U 8 0 2 2 6 |         Dallas Stars Elite 16U AAA 16U AAA 31 2 13 15 - |         Player statistics powered by www.eliteprospects.com (Brandon Wheat Kings Release)

Brandon’s Clarke Caswell was selected 6th overall by the Swift Current Broncos in today's 2021 WHL Prospects Draft for players born in 2006. Caswell, a forward, is currently playing with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League where he has amassed an impressive 51 points in 20 games to date. "I am glad I went to the team that wanted me the most and am thrilled that it was Swift Current. I’m Pumped to be a Bronco!" Caswell told bdnmb.ca. "It was a long process with the draft being pushed back so yeah I’m real happy it’s over and I can now plan my path going forward." "Several of the Swift players, current and former have contacted me today already which is amazing. It’s been very welcoming!" Caswell recently competed at the 2021 Western Hockey League (WHL) Cup in Red Deer, Alberta with Team Manitoba. As for his future Caswell stated "My next goal is to play in Swift Current as a 16 year old and be a contributor right away. Lots of work ahead of me but can’t wait to be playing as a Bronco." It should be noted that with the 7th overall pick, the Broncos drafted Boissevain's Josh Fluker. The talented rearguard has suited up in 19 games with the Southwest Cougars of the Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League this season. He has registered 16 points in those 19 games. Brandon's Ethan McCallum, a goaltender, was selected in the 2nd round, 39th overall by the Medicine Hat Tigers. This season McCallum is playing for the Notre Dame Hounds U16 Prep in the CSSHL. Owen Wallace, a teammate of Caswell's on the Brandon Wheat Kings U18 AAA squad, was drafted in the 7th round, 138th overall by the Prince Albert Raiders.

Golfers looking to swing and putt year-round will be pleased to hear that Golf Brandon Inc recently launched an amazing state of the art indoor golf simulator at 3500 McDonald Ave (Wheat city Golf Course). The activity is ideal for everyone from families looking for fun to serious golfers looking for a chance to swing while escaping the elements. The Trackman 4 wall-sized golf simulator allows patrons to putt, chip and drive on famous courses (150) across the world or to test your skills at the various practice and game modes. Using real clubs, golfers strike a ball into the screen where their course is projected. Sensors analyze their swing and speed to determine where the shot goes. Playing costs are $50 an hour (8am-8pm, 7 days a week) and can be split amongst the number of people playing. Besides golf, customers can also take advantage of some amazing food from the recently opened Eagles Nest Bar & Grill. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Eagles Nest Bar & Grill's menu features something for everyone, including a number of appetizers, entrees, beverages and even a kid's menu.

The City of Brandon is providing an update regarding the re-opening of Brandon’s Community Sportsplex Pool. On November 9th, we announced that we were anticipating reopening the pool in the coming month. Since then, further mechanical issues and deficiencies relating to the main drain were discovered, resulting in additional delays. These delays have impacted the re-opening date. The plumbing work related to the main drain repairs has now been completed, and we are hopeful that the construction and commissioning of the Sportsplex Pool is nearing completion. Before we can officially re-open the pool, the following milestones must be completed: Mechanical commissioning of the pool operating system, which verifies that the mechanical systems are working properly Flow rate testing on the corrected main drains to ensure proper circulation in the pool Chemical balancing and heating of the pool Public Health inspection. Upon completion of these milestones, a firm reopening date will be communicated with the public. The City of Brandon thanks all patrons of the Sportsplex pool for their continued patience. More information on Parks & Recreation Services programming can be found at mycommunity.brandon.ca or by calling 204-729-2471. (City of Brandon PSA)

Brandon, MB – The Brandon Wheat Kings, along with Equipment Manager Scott Hlady are proud to launch a new charity initiative, “Wheat Kings Fight.” The program, which will launch on December 1st will help raise money for different charities and organizations around Westman. Hlady, who started the BIRT Cup Charity Golf Tournament back in 2007 says sometimes a small idea can turn into a big boost for the community. “Little things that we can do go a long way towards giving back to our community,” said Hlady. “The BIRT Cup started with 17 golfers and is now one of the biggest summer golf fundraisers in the city.” With the support of Wheat Kings Owner Jared Jacobson and Progressive Westman, the Wheat Kings will launch a different t-shirt each month, that fans can order online. Proceeds from the sales will benefit a different charity or group. In December, all money raised will be donated to the Kidney Foundation of Canada in honour of long time Wheat Kings volunteer Al Gibb who is currently awaiting a Kidney Donation. Fans may have also noticed a special decal on the visitor’s penalty box door, a gold heart with GIBBY in the middle. This was strategically placed on Gibb’s penalty box so he could see the team’s support while watching the WHL Live stream while resting from home. “Since I can remember, the community has always supported the Wheat Kings and other sports teams and groups. As community leaders, it’s a privilege for us to give back.” January is tabbed as the Wheat Kings ‘Hockey Fights Cancer’ month and will culminate on Saturday the 22nd vs Regina when the team wears special lavender jerseys, designed by Brooks Freeman. Those sweaters will be auctioned off in support of the Canadian Cancer Society. In addition to the jersey auction, all month long the Wheat Kings will sell special lavender t-shirts for $40.00, that will include a ticket to the Hockey Fights Cancer game with proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society as well. Fans are encouraged to order their Wheat Kings Fight t-shirt online HERE the BWK Team Store will have limited quantities and sizing in stock. Additional monthly charities will be announced at a later date.