Brandon Wheat Kings Jake Chiasson (61st), Vincent Iorio (71st), Riley Ginnell (191st), Nolan Ritchie (197th), Yaroslav Busygin (34th, international skaters), Ethan Kruger (32 NA goalies) landed on NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. In total 57 WHL players were named. Carson Lambos (11th Winnipeg ICE) was the top Manitobans listed among the 57. The 2021 NHL Entry Draft will be held virtually, the first round is scheduled for July 23rd and rounds two through seven will be July 24th. The full lists can be viewed at the links below: Central Scouting North American list Central Scouting International list In other Wheat Kings news, the Arizona Coyotes announced the signing signing of rugged forward Ben McCartney to a three-year entry level contract. McCartney tallied 151 points in 205 regular season games during his tenure with the Wheat Kings. He was the 204th player taken (7th round) in last year's NHL Entry Draft. News: We have signed forward Ben McCartney to a three-year entry-level contract. #Yotes https://t.co/dAvhhhdYMr — Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) May 27, 2021

Trent Miner, who spent time with both the Brandon U15 AAA Wheat Kings and the Brandon U18 AAA Wheat Kings, has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the NHL's Colorado Avalanche. Following a 2-year stint with the U18 Wheat Kings, Miner joined the WHL's Vancouver Giants. He was drafted in the seventh round (202nd overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Avalanche. Miner split his time this season between the Vancouver Giants (15 games) and the AHL's Colorado Eagles (6 games). The 6-foot-1, 185-pound netminder recorded four shutouts, a 2.16 goals-against average and .915 save percentage in his 15 games with the Giants, this past season. Zach Miner (brother), Dan Averill (step dad), Trent, Danica Averill (sister)

Brandon’s Calen Addison made his NHL playoff debut last night with the Minnesota Wild in their contest against the Vegas Golden Knights. Addison logged 13:18 of playing time, picking up an assist on Jordan Greenway's first period goal. He suited up for 3 regular season games this season with the Minnesota Wild and 31 games with the AHL's Iowa Wild. The highly skilled defensemen played minor hockey in Brandon with the U15 AAA and U18 AAA Wheat Kings. He then played several seasons in the WHL before turning pro. Brandon product Calen Addison in tonight on D for #mnwild vs #VegasBorn— Ken Wiebe (@WiebesWorld) May 25, 2021

Rick Dillabough, a familiar face, and long-term employee of the Brandon Wheat Kings organization, has announced via his LinkedIn page that he was stepping down from his position of Director of Business Operations, Sales and Sponsorship. In his more than 30 years with the organization Rick witnessed three trips to the Memorial Cup, which included two WHL Championships. In his post, he went to on to thank everyone he worked with along the way for making it such a rewarding experience. Prior to working for the Wheat Kings, Dillabough spent 4-years as the Sports Director/play by play announcer for Riding Mountain Broadcasting.

Earlier today, Brandon's Kristen Campbell was named to the to National Women’s Team Olympic Centralization Roster for the 2021-22 season. Campbell is one of three goaltenders announced to the team who will compete for a roster spot at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Kristen played with the Westman Wildcats in 2012-13 and also spent several seasons playing hockey in the US at the University of Wisconsin. She has represented Team Canada previously at the2015 IIHF World Women’s U18 Championship. In total 28-players were named today including Deloraine's Ashton Bell, who plays defense. Players and staff will relocate to Calgary at the end of July to prepare for the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship and Olympic training. The full release can be read here.