Braden Schneider was recently named captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings for the 2020-21 season. The 1st Round (19th overall) draft pick of the New York Rangers in the 2020 NHL entry draft becomes the 64th captain in franchise history. The Moose Jaw Warriors named 18-year-old Daemon Hunt as their captain for the 2020 – 2021 season. Tate Popple (20) and Calder Anderson (18) were named as assistant captains with the WHL club. All three players have spent time previously with the Brandon Wheat Kings U18 AAA organization.

Wawanesa's Lindsey Gullett spent three full seasons playing hockey in the MJHL, including time with both the Neepawa Natives and the Dauphin Kings. Upon completion of his junior career he then attended Castleton University where he played hockey and continued his studies (Communication and Business Administration). From August 2013-July 2015, Lindsey returned to Manitoba where he was the Sales & Marketing Manager for the MJHL's Virden Oil Capitals. An opportunity to join the AHL's Manitoba Moose followed and he spent just a little over 2-years in their organization as their Game Producer. Currently Lindsey is the Manager, Event Presentation for the Edmonton Oilers, a position he has held since November of 2017. BDNMB.CA recently caught up with Lindsey to discuss his career and working for the Oilers. BDNMB.CA - Lindsey, I would assume most people would have no clue how intense your current job is. Tell us about it. - That is a fairly true assumption. It's something that isn't easy to explain as there are a lot of layers to it, but in short, I oversee the in-arena video board broadcast and atmosphere in the arena. BDNMB.CA- Working during the NHL playoffs and Stanley Cup series in the bubble must have been incredibly difficult. Did working as the Producer, Game Presentation - 2021 World Junior Hockey Championship present any unique challenges to fix and correct? - We had no idea what to expect going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was a big "learn as you go" experience for everyone and things were likely to change daily. There was a tremendous team of people from the NHL that joined forces with our staff at OEG and pulled off, what ended up being, a very successful playoff run. As for World Juniors, we gained a lot of experience from the SCP bubble to know what to expect in terms of how the show would be delivered. However, it still was a different vision with TSN taking the lead and wanting to make it look and feel different than what Sportsnet did with the Stanley Cup playoffs. Add in the curveballs of working within the very strict COVID compliance measures for all the staff, I thought it was equally as great of a feat as the fall. BDNMB.CA – How often do you get buddies that come to Edmonton texting you looking for free tickets or looking to meet McDavid? - Indirectly this might happen a bit, but it comes with the territory. If I'm ever able to help anyone out, I'm happy to do so, but overall people understand that it's a business and sometimes things will or won't line up. BDNMB.CA – You met your wife while attending school at Castleton University in Vermont, has it been a culture shock for her living in Edmonton? - I would say the bigger culture shock came in 2013 when we both moved back to Virden. For LeeAnne to live in a rural setting in a predominantly winter climate, knowing very few people, that was the toughest adjustment. With that said, she's a very outgoing and adaptable person which has allowed us to meet some of our greatest friends over the past eight years. Virden and Winnipeg were both great to us. The transition to Edmonton wasn't nearly as overwhelming as our previous moving experiences. QUESTION – Millions of young boys dream to be in the NHL, for you this must be at times a very surreal feeling to be among the superstars of the game. - It's definitely a different path than you would originally dream about as a kid, but it has been a great opportunity for me to work in a venue like Rogers Place with the team of people I'm surrounded by. As a hockey person, I definitely don't take for granted how fortunate I am to get to see some of our stars do extra special things on any given night. I think seeing the playoff bubble this past year put that in perspective even more. Getting the opportunity to see other teams multiple times in a playoff setting made you realize not every team has those instant game changers in their lineup and how special those guys are to a team. BDNMB.CA –You obviously have lots of people to thank for the career you have today, who was a very key person in helping you get to where you are today? - Cliche to say, but my parents supporting me to play DIII hockey in Vermont opened my eyes to a much larger world and other opportunities that are out there. Beyond that, as I got started in sports, you quickly realize you have to be willing to make sacrifices to take advantage of opportunities, especially in a niche role like I'm in. With this said, my wife has been my number one support through it all. She's the only one that lives the life and sees the hours and commitment that is required for this line of work. If she wasn't willing to adapt with her own career, we never would've been able to make the relocations work and I'm not sure I would even still be working in sports if it wasn't for her. BDNMB.CA – Any regrets? During the NHL playoffs with COVID – 19 you must have had some days where you wondered why are you doing this.- Some days can become a grind, but you realize that any job field you work in can have challenging stretches. It definitely has to be about perspective. As much as the stretch of 81 games in 65 days during the playoffs was a marathon, there's not many jobs where you can play a small part in something that millions of people are engaging with on tv, and hopefully soon again in a live audience setting. That's rewarding to me to help tell the story and assist in those memories that people will have forever. To quote Bruce Luebke, the Wawanesa product Lindsay Gullett showing you can still be a huge part of the game even if you are not on the ice. Photo Submitted

According to multiple reports, Brandon's Calen Addison is expected to make his NHL debut tomorrow night against the Kings in Los Angeles. The 20-year-old defensemen has skated in three games this season with the AHL's Iowa Wild, picking up three points along the way. The highly skilled defensemen played minor hockey in Brandon with the U15 AAA and U18 AAA Wheat Kings. Addison then spent several years with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL. He was drafted in the 2nd round, #53 overall, by Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018. In February of 2020 the Wild acquired Addison in a trade with the Penguins.

Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today it has been granted approval by public health officials from the Government of Saskatchewan to play in a Hub Center located in Regina, which will allow the WHL’s Saskatchewan and Manitoba based teams in the East Division to open their season on Friday, March 12. “The WHL appreciates the cooperation we have received from both the Governments of Saskatchewan and Manitoba as we work towards a safe return to play in the East Division,” commented WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. “With our extensive protocols and the necessary approvals now in place, we are looking forward to play getting underway in Regina and allowing our players to continue their development at the highest level in the Canadian system.” Seven WHL Clubs, which operate in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, will form the East Division, including the Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades, Swift Current Broncos, Brandon Wheat Kings, and Winnipeg ICE. The WHL has agreed that all East Division games during the 2020-21 Regular Season will be played exclusively at the Brandt Centre in Regina, under an approved WHL Hub Center model. The WHL East Division schedule will commence on Friday, March 12. The WHL’s East Division will play a 24-game Regular Schedule, which will be announced at a later date. Based on the approved WHL protocols, the schedule will be played exclusively at the Brandt Centre in Regina with practices conducted in the adjacent Co-operators Centre. The WHL has developed an extensive set of protocols and believe the protective Hub environment will provide a high standard of safety, for not only players and staff, but the Regina community at large. WHL players and staff from Saskatchewan and Manitoba based Clubs will begin self-quarantining on February 20 and then will report to the WHL Hub Center in Regina on February 27, where they will be required to undergo COVID-19 testing upon arrival followed by an additional quarantine period. Players and staff will then undergo a second COVID-19 test before being permitted to engage in any team activity. WHL Clubs are also committed to providing private PCR testing through DynaLIFE Medical Labs, to ensure no additional strain is placed on public health. Players will be tested upon arrival to their WHL Club and once again before engaging in any team activity. DynaLIFE’s PCR testing is considered a gold standard for COVID-19 testing, and was utilized in Edmonton during the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs and the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship. The WHL will implement an ongoing weekly private PCR testing strategy. If a WHL Club has one or more players or staff test positive for COVID-19 at any point in the season, the Club will be required to suspend its Club activities for a minimum of 14 days. Enhanced screening for all WHL players, team staff and officials will also take place on a daily basis, including regular temperature screenings as well as symptom monitoring through the WHL Athlete RMS Mobile Application. Masks must be worn by all WHL players at all times with the exception of when participating on ice for games and practices. WHL coaches will be required to wear masks at all times, including while conducting practice and while behind the bench during games. As the WHL returns to play in the East Division, no spectators will be permitted to enter WHL facilities. WHL fans can look forward to the launch of a brand-new live streaming service that will deliver the excitement of WHL hockey straight to their homes. Details on the new WHL Live will be announced soon. With the East Division start date now confirmed for March 12, the WHL will have three Divisions ready to open the Regular Season, starting with the Central Division on Friday, February 26 and the U.S. Division on Friday, March 19. The WHL continues to work with government health authorities in British Columbia to establish a start date for the WHL’s B.C. Division. Approval from the health authority in B.C. is required for the WHL’s B.C. Division to return to play.(WHL Media Release)

Brandon resident Patrick Leask recently unveiled his new initiate called Oji-Cree Softball - a Softball Development Program for Aboriginal/Metis Youth. In conversation with bdnmb.ca earlier today Patrick said would like to see boys softball make a comeback in Manitoba. When he attends ball tournaments with his current team (Layne's Stars) he sees a lot of talented men and women teams and lots of kids watching or playing on open diamonds but he also saw a gap where there could be opportunity. His daughter plays competitive softball and she has lots of options with training or playing but he didn't see a lot of opportunity for boys aged U8-U19 to play softball in Manitoba. In looking to fill that gap, his main goal is to travel to First Nation and Metis communities to offer clinics and promote healthy, active lifestyles. Future plans include creating a boys softball team to play house league and possibly travel depending on the interest. The logo was created to represent Patrick’s family life, the 285 & 314 are their band numbers and their children are Oji-Cree’s both treaty to Waywayseecappo. The Thunderbird represents their son’s Indian name which is Strong Thunderbird Man : Zhoongi Pinesi Inini. The bats represent their love for the game. Patrick himself is a talented athlete have spent several years playing junior hockey in Swan River and a season in Saint John, N.B. playing in the QMJHL. Raised in Sapotaweyak, he grew up around addiction and saw the negative effects it had on friends and family, mostly on children. Sports was his way out, that was his ticket but he had many moments in his life where he just wanted to give up and move back to the reserve. During his clinics he intends to share his story and offer positive messages of hope to the youth who attend. He had help from many people along the way including his father-in-law (Wallace Clearsky), the McGraw's, Bettesworth's, and Hohn's who all assisted him in becoming the person he is today. More recently he said that he has received incredible guidance from Bev Neufeld and positive vibes and encouragement from Ed Dyck. Since the announcement of this initiative it has been an extremely busy few days for Patrick. People from all over the province have reached out with notes of encouragement, while others have inquired about the direction of the clinics. He has lived in Brandon for the past 14-years with his wife (Ojibway and treaty to Waywayseecappo (285)) and two children. Patrick has been employed by Manitoba Hydro for the past 13 years and still plays senior hockey (Boissevain Border Kings) and fastball with the Layne’s Stars (Mallard). For more information on Oji-Cree Softball , or to find out more about Patrick, please visit their Facebook page here.