Homegrown: Wheat Kings Inspired a Generation of Talent in Brandon
Though the days of Ryan Stone, Eric Fehr and Tim Konsorada in the black, white and gold are well behind us, their influence made a lasting impression on a group that helped bring the Wheat City its first WHL title in 20 years.
With six Brandon natives on the roster, the Wheat Kings rebounded from a loss in the WHL Championship Series last spring to come all the way back and capture the franchise’s first Ed Chynoweth Cup since 1996 to advance to the 2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Red Deer.
If there’s one thing that unites Tyler Coulter, Duncan Campbell, James Shearer, Ty Lewis, Tanner Kaspick and Connor Gutenberg, it’s their childhood love of the Wheat Kings – an enthusiasm that inspired them to become the players that they are today.
“I idolized Ryan Stone as a kid,” said Tanner Kaspick, a draft eligible centreman who was named the WHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year for 2016. “He billeted at Tyler Coulter’s house, and Tyler and I grew up on the same street. So he was almost like an older brother to all of us.”
Kaspick and Coulter enjoyed many road hockey games and mini-stick duels. The two neighbours had their share of battles growing up.
“We were inseparable,” said Coulter, a third-year Wheat King who is two years older than Kaspick. “Every day we would be playing some form of hockey and there was a real competitive rivalry, but looking back on it I think it made us both better.”
The Brandon crew climbed the ranks together, with Coulter, Campbell and Shearer often playing on the same teams.
“Being here in Red Deer is really special for us,” Coulter added. “We always had to go up against Winnipeg as kids so we didn’t win too many provincial titles, but being here at the Memorial Cup is like nothing any of us have ever experienced.”
The Wheat Kings, who led the WHL with 319 goals this past season, consist of 13 Manitoba products on the roster, a recruiting trend that continued in the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft when they selected Winnipeg native Caiden Daley with their first round, 21st overall pick.
Director of Scouting Wade Klippenstein and GM/Head Coach Kelly McCrimmon have a knack for bringing in quality Manitoba talent, a list that includes current stars Nolan Patrick and Jayce Hawryluk.
“I think with Wade and Kelly, they’re just trying to find the best players, regardless of where they come from,” Coulter noted. “I think it’s great that so many of us have local roots though. It’s a dream for us to be able to play in Brandon and inspire the next group of young kids who aspire to be Wheat Kings just like we did at their age.”
Kaspick agrees. The championship run and ensuing MasterCard Memorial Cup experience is one he’ll never forget.
“In all those years of watching the Wheat Kings, even with great players like Brayden Schenn and Matt Calvert, they never won a championship. For us to be able to accomplish that is really cool and it’s awesome to have the whole city behind us.”
The Wheat Kings try and keep their MasterCard Memorial Cup hopes alive tonight when they face the Red Deer Rebels to close out the round robin. At 0-2 in the tournament, Brandon needs a win to advance to Thursday’s tie-breaker game. If they can win by three goals or more, they’ll advance directly to Friday’s semi-final.
Tonight’s game can be seen live across the country at 6:00pm MT/8:00pm ET on Sportsnet.
