Competitive men's and women's fastball returned to Brandon over the weekend at the first annual Oji-Cree Softball tournament held in the city. Teams from across the province competed for titles in four different divisions: men's, women's, U16, and U12. In the twelve team men's division, the Notre Dame Clubs (pictured above) captured first place. First place in the women’s division went to Layne’s Stars, while Team Extreme claimed the U16 title and the Pimicikamak Rebels took home the U12 Division. The weekend opening ceremonies kicked off Saturday with the Dakota Hostiles drum group and Elders Fred Stevens and Rey Cook.

The Brandon Wheat Kings are excited to announce that former captain and eleven-year NHL veteran Matt Calvert has joined the hockey staff as a Development Coach. Along with assisting the coaching staff with day-to-day operations, Calvert will focus primarily on the career development of current players and prospects, emphasizing skill development, fitness, nutrition, mental health, and education. “Matt is someone that we want in our organization. He was a model Wheat King and more importantly he is a great person from a great family,” said General Manager Doug Gasper. “It was an easy decision to have him working with our players and staff.” Calvert joined his hometown Wheat Kings in 2007 after a breakout 83-point season with the U18 Wheat Kings and quickly became a fan favorite with his unparalleled work ethic and heart. “Im excited to move my family back to Brandon,” said Calvert. “Im excited to have the opportunity to help these players out and try and make them better every day. It’s been a lot of fun spending this time off with my family, but it’s time to get back to work.’ Over his three-year career in the WHL, Calvert would appear in 198 games, scoring 99 times and adding 131 assists for 230 points in a Wheat King sweater, capping his career with a CHL Memorial Cup All-Star nod. A fifth-round selection of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Calvert would quickly establish himself as one of the hardest working players in the NHL. Over his eleven-year NHL career, Calvert played in 556 regular season games, scoring 95 times, and adding 108 assists for the both the Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche. The addition of Calvert rounds out the Wheat Kings hockey operations staff for the 2021-2022 season. General Manager – Doug Gasper Director of Player Personnel – Chris Moulton Head Coach – Don MacGillivray Assistant Coach – Mark Derlago Assistant Coach – Dan Johnston Goaltending Coach – Tyler Plante Athletic Therapist – Zack Hartwick Equipment Manager – Scott Hlady Assistant Equipment Manager – Jody Norminton Dressing Room Assistants – Rob Pope, Aiden Pope, Jason Norminton The Wheat Kings will officially open training camp on Tuesday September 7th at Westoba Place. Full training camp details, including schedule, rosters and fan participation will be release later this week. (Wheat Kings Media Release)

The City of Brandon and Management and Staff at Brandon’s Community Sportsplex are excited to welcome the public back into the Sportsplex pool this fall. The Sportsplex pool has been closed due to mechanical system deficiencies. Construction is expected to be completed by mid-September. The pool will be re-filled, re-heated, and inspected by Manitoba Public Health to ensure compliance with all regulations. Barring any delays, the pool is scheduled to re-open on Monday, September 27, 2021. A full slate of programming is scheduled for this fall, including: Red Cross Swim Lessons* Public Swim Lap Swim Aquafit *Registration is required for Red Cross Swim Lessons and opens Tuesday, August 31, at 7:00 a.m. Registration is available at mycommunity.brandon.ca, by phone at 204-729-2471, or in person at Brandon’s Community Sportsplex (30 Knowlton Drive). A valid credit card is required for online or phone registration. Cash, cheque, credit/debit cards, or gift cards are accepted in person. Information for public swim, lap swim, and aquafit is available at brandon.ca/pool. Information on Red Cross Swim Lessons and aquatic leadership courses is available at brandon.ca/swimming-lessons. Residents can also make Facility Reservation Requests. More information can be found at mycommunitybrandon.ca or by calling 204-729-2471. (City of Brandon PSA)  

The 2021 edition of the AAA Hockey Challenge wrapped up Sunday with champions being crowned in 4-different age groups. 2012 The Ice Kings (pictured above) blew through the competition en route to claiming the 2012 title. Kale Nicol racked up nine points (6g,3a) in Sunday's final as the Ice Kings toppled the Pilot Mound Buffaloes 11-8. Emmitt Bell also recorded a hat trick for the Ice Kings, while Nixon Buskell chipped in with four points on the strength of one goal and three assists. Dawson Densmore replied with three goals for the Buffaloes. 2011 Meanwhile, in the 2011 age division final at the Enns Brothers Arena, the Pembina Valley Heat knocked off the MB Extreme 9-3 in Sunday's final. Shane Pethybridge set the pace for the Heat netting three goals while teammates Mason Froese and Gavin Gacuta each dented the twine twice. Jayden Veeder added 3 assists. Bentley Peters scored twice for the Extreme. 2010 Markus Knaub and Noah Prejet both scored three goals as the Pilot Mound Buffaloes upended the MB Jr. Ice 14-3 in the 2010 age group championship. Gavin Anderson (2g,2a), Levi Hill (2g2a), and Maddox Ramage (4a) each registered four points a piece in the championship game. Shae Streu & Eli Wasylyk both picked up two points for the Jr. Ice in the loss. 2009 In the 2009 final, Wheatland Wild beat the MB Stars Females 8-0 on the strength of one goal and three assists from Jack Robinson. Brady Silvernagle and Maxon Johnston had two goal performances for the Wild, while Kaleb Page earned the shutout.  

The Brandon Wheat Kings are excited to announce that iHeartRadio Canada’s BOUNCE 96.1 will once again be the official broadcast home of the hockey club. The new agreement with Bell Media restores one of the oldest broadcast partnerships in the Canadian Hockey League. CKX was the official radio & TV partner of the Wheat Kings in all but two seasons from 1947 to 1991, a span that saw the club play in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Western Canada Hockey League, and the Western Hockey League. “This is an exciting time for the Brandon Wheat Kings as we get set for the new season,” said Wheat Kings Owner & Governor Jared Jacobson. “There is a great history between these two organizations. CKX told the story of the Wheat Kings for more than 45 years on both radio and TV and now we will work together again to bring our broadcast content to the next level on BOUNCE 96.1.” Branden Crowe returns to the broadcast booth for his sixth season as the voice of the Wheat Kings while long-time analyst Peter Gerlinger will be joined by a series of new analysts and reporters that will help tell the stories that matter most to the fans. Fans can catch every game, both home and away, live on BOUNCE 96.1, as well as on BounceRadio.ca, iHeartRadio.ca, and the iHeartRadio Canada app. Every Wheat Kings game will also be streamed via the WHL Live streaming service. A refreshed Wheat Kings Official Team Podcast will return for season three and will be available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Play. Additionally, plans are in place for a new “Home Game Day” digital show featuring exclusive interviews, behind the scenes coverage along with discussion and analysis from every game. HISTORY OF BRANDON WHEAT KINGS ON RADIO & TV 1947-48 – Jim Craig |CKX 1948-50 – Jim Kielback | CKX 1950-58 – Ken Milton | CKX 1958-65 – Henry Stothard | CKX 1965-66 – Bob Davidson |CKX 1966-69 – Marv Saxberg | CKX 1969-74 – Cliff Jones | CKX 1974-76 – Gary Thom | CKX 1976-77 – Brian Swain | CKX 1977-78 – Larry Hyatt | CKX 1978-79 – Mike Sposito | CKX 1979-80 – Dick Gibson | CKX 1980-82 – Bruce Buchanan | CKX 1982-83 – Peter Schultz | CKX 1983-85 – Lee Powell | CKX 1985-86 – Rick Dillabough | CKLQ 1986-87 – Mike Beauregard | CKX 1987-90 – Glen Dufresne | CKX 1990-91 – Rick Dillabough | CKLQ 1991-92 – Glen Dufresne | CKX 1992-93 – Darren Dreger & Daren Millard | CKLQ 1993-2016 – Bruce Luebke, Ron Popplestone & Peter Gerlinger | CKLQ 2016-2021 – Branden Crowe & Peter Gerlinger | Q Country