Brandon, MB – Brandon Wheat Kings General Manager, Darren Ritchie has accepted an amateur scouting position with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League. The Wheat Kings have named Doug Gasper the 17th General Manager in franchise history to replace Ritchie at the helm of their hockey operations. Gasper’s been the Assistant GM of the Wheat Kings since 2019. Ritchie joins the Leafs after spending the past 14 seasons with the Wheat Kings as an assistant coach, director of scouting and general manager. He also played four seasons with the club from 1991-1995. “I’m really excited for this next step and I’m also really excited for Doug to take over as General Manager of the Wheat Kings,” says Ritchie. “It’s going to feel a little different for me because I’ve been involved with the Wheat Kings for such a long time and I hold the club so close to my heart. But we’re currently enjoying a strong season and fans can expect a solid team moving forward.” Ritchie spent nine seasons from 2007 to 2016 as an assistant coach before taking the reins of the Wheat Kings’ scouting operations in 2016. He became the 16th GM in franchise history in July of 2019. Gasper, a native of Rosetown, Saskatchewan, joined the Wheat Kings scouting staff in 2019 after spending the previous two seasons as a Western Canadian amateur scout for the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. A former area scout with both the Western Hockey League’s Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Nipawin Hawks, Gasper served as the Moose Jaw Warriors’ director of scouting from 2015 to 2017. In all, he spent six seasons with the Warriors and was instrumental in leading the club to an Eastern Division pennant in 2018. “I’m very excited for this new role with the Wheat Kings,” says Gasper. “I’d like to thank the ownership group for trusting me to be the general manager of such a storied franchise and I look forward to continuing the success this club has had for so many years. I’m really excited about the team’s future.” Gasper currently resides in Saskatoon and will move to Brandon to begin his new role in May. A number of the Wheat Kings’ current prospects have been scouted by Gasper and he looks forward to tracking their continued development. “We are happy for Darren to be able to further his career with the Leafs,” says Wheat Kings Owner and Governor Jared Jacobson. “Our focus is on developing players to advance to the next level, and as an organization we have to understand our staff want to reach their career goals through the Wheat Kings as well. This is a tremendous opportunity for Doug to take over the reins of our Hockey Operations and we are excited for him. Everyone you talk to in our organization and the industry loves working with Doug and has the utmost respect for him as a person and as a professional.” The Wheat Kings have six more games remaining in their 2020-21 season which is being played exclusively out of Regina’s Brandt Centre. They are tied with the Saskatoon Blades for first in the East Division with 28 points. Their next game is Saturday at 5 pm against the Moose Jaw Warriors. (Wheat Kings Release)

Brandon's Tyler Coulter is in the midst of the best season of his pro-career career (ECHL's Rapid City Rush). Heading into tonight's game against Ryan White and the Wichita Thunder, the former Brandon Wheat King currently sits second in league scoring with 42 points in 40 games. The longer than normal offseason provided Coulter, now 24, with the opportunity to further work on his skating and skillset. "This summer was a long a 9 months away from hockey games but probably the most I have skated in any offseason with Dave Lewis and Riley Dudar working on getting faster and improving my offensive game" he told bdnmb.ca. In between rounds of golf at Shilo and Pleasant Valley, he also found time to instruct at the Hockey Factory with Ty and Dave Lewis and skated with the Manitoba pro group. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he and his teammates have had to adjust accordingly. "Once you enter the arena for any game you do have to stay around your dressing room and away from anyone not in your teams bubble. So the routine of going for a run or doing stairs has changed to skipping rope or riding a bike." While it's very different not playing in front full crowds, he feels as though the level of competition has improved with only half the league playing this year.Away from the rink, Coulter has managed to keep himself occupied. "It has been different with social distancing but we are lucky to be able to have our own gym and lots of outdoors activities like trail biking, fishing and golfing all within 20 minutes."

Scott Hlady (Scooter) is the Brandon Wheat King's Equipment Manager. He recently worked his 400th game in that role. An active member in our community, Scott founded the BIRT Cup in 2008 and is also a former Campaign Chair for The Brandon and District United Way. He suited up for 41 regular season games with the Wheat Kings as well as five years patrolling the blueline for the University of Brandon Bobcats. If you could join any musical group/band (past or present), which would you want to join?  The Tragically Hip.  Iconic Canadian band that has a song with our nickname in it. Name a product or service you love so much that you'd happily be that company's spokesperson?  Any Shoe Company.  I’m really hard on shoes throughout the year and love trying new things out.  Shoes can make or break any outfit.  If you could go back in time and attend one NHL game live, which game would you choose?  Wayne Gretzky’s record points game.  Was my favorite player growing up. Three movies everyone should have in their movie library?  Step Brothers, Slap Shot, The Bad New Bears Once their playing days are over, which current member of the Wheat Kings roster do you think will make the best coach one day? Marcus Sekundiak.  Never Complains, works hard and leads by example.   Has a real coolness to his approach.  In a zombie apocalypse, what would be your weapon of choice?  Sherwood PMP 5030 Coffey Curve they last forever and very durable.  You get locked in Wal-Mart for 24 hours, how would you pass the time?  Playing some board Games, Building Lego and making unique displays for customers. Your dream golfing foursome includes yourself and these three individuals? Tiger Woods Wayne Gretzky and Will Ferrell On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the quality of the food so far in the bubble?  No Comment Outside of Brandon, what WHL city has the most passionate fans?  Seattle has awesome Fans as does Everett.  Brandon fans are the most passionate in the Canadian cities.  All the US cities are unique in their own way. If you had to join the Witness Protection Program, what would your name be?  Phil Dunwood What was your favorite TV show growing up?  Scooby Doo What are three things you would bring with you to a deserted island? My Gerber utility Tool a Pot for cooking and some Wax Thread.  I can make lots of stuff with that. You spent many seasons playing baseball in the MSBL, name the three most dominant pitchers you faced during that time? 1. Shane Moffat 2. Saun Corey 3. Andy Boehm Your fast food guilty pleasure? McDonalds that’s easy Would you rather spend five days exploring New York City or Disney? Oh my God two of my favorite places.  Have been to both and would go back to both.  That’s a 50-50 split and would depend on who I got to take with me. What WHL city has the most impressive dressing room/facility for visiting teams? Edmonton hands down. The NHL would like to schedule an NHL exhibition game in Brandon, what two teams would you like to see hit the ice? Vegas and New York Islanders Three most commonly used apps on your phone? Twitter, Amazon and Tik Tok

No longer do parents have to drive to Winnipeg for hockey training and programs as this fall the Western Canada Hockey Academy will open their doors in Brandon. Top notch instructors including Dave Lewis and Craig “Chevy” Anderson will be the driving force with all the teams and programming at the WCHA. The new arena, which will be located south of the city near Brookwood Estates, will feature state of the art new training with a focus on developing the player to skate faster, shoot harder while pushing their game to a new level.  The main ice surface will be an NHL – sized ice surface.  Additionally, there will be full physical testing equipment.  The arena will feature a 6-lane – 100 metre track to help promote and increase mobility and speed in their athletes.  The WCHA facility will have 2 shooting bays and 1 goalie bay for small group sessions and private training. pic.twitter.com/pKNXH2ADEE— WCHA Hockey (@lewisdaveTHF) March 17, 2021 Academy Info: Students from grades 5 through 9 will spend half their days training on-ice and in the WCHA performance centre, and half the day studying in four core subjects; Math, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. The WCHA is proud to offer this education, which follows the Manitoba Department of Education standards and guidelines to ensure a rounded education for their athletes. Every athlete coming through the program will receive over 400 hours of skill based training over the course of one year, developing the best and brightest that Westman has to offer. Hockey Camps: WCHA will be offering camps from U9 all the way up to pro camps for both male and female athletes.

City of Brandon Parks & Recreation Services is excited to announce that work is underway to open the pickleball and tennis courts for the season. Crews are installing the nets for pickleball at Stanley Park (1410 Princess Ave.) and for tennis at Queen Elizabeth Park (200 – 26th St.). Both courts will be available for residents to start using this Friday, March 19th, 2021.   Residents using these spaces must follow the provincial health orders*, as well as the court rules.  For any questions or concerns, contact parks@brandon.ca or 204.729.2148.  City of Brandon Pickleball Court Rules  ·       Pickleball courts are open from dawn until dusk   ·       Courts are available on a first come, first served basis   ·       Tennis or soft-soled shoes only   ·       Players are required to observe proper pickleball etiquette   ·       If others are waiting to play, limit play time to 1 hour for singles and 1 1/2 hours for doubles   ·       No food or beverages on the court   ·       No rollerblades, skateboards, or bicycles   City of Brandon Tennis Court Rules  ·       Tennis courts are open from dawn until dusk   ·       Courts are available on a first come, first served basis   ·       Tennis or soft-soled shoes only   ·       Players are required to observe proper tennis etiquette   ·       If others are waiting to play, limit play time to 1 hour   ·       No food or beverages on the court   ·       No rollerblades, skateboards, or bicycles   *Provincial Health Orders  The City of Brandon stresses that access to the above facilities is with the expectation that users will adhere to the current Manitoba Public Health Orders, including:  ·       Limiting group sizes to 10 persons, not including coaching staff  ·       No multi-team tournaments are permitted  Masks are not required when using these outdoor spaces. More information on the Manitoba Public Health Orders can be found at manitoba.ca/covid19/restartmb/prs.  (City of Brandon PSA)