2015 WHL

PLAYOFFS

2015 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

THE BRANDON SUN

GOING DEEP WHEAT KINGS MARCH 2015

The Brandon Wheat Kings salute their fans at the end of their last regular season game at Westman Place on Saturday. (Tim Smith/Brandon Sun)

Wheat Kings take top seed into playoffs

BY ROB HENDERSON

Theres only one way the Brandon Wheat Kings

want to follow up one of the most remarkable regular
seasons in team history: by going deep in the Western
Hockey League playoffs.
The Wheat Kings won their first Scotty Munro
Memorial Trophy in 19 years as the WHLs top
regular-season team, posting a 53-11-4-4 record for
114 points. Its the most points by a Wheat King
team since they set a league record that still stands
with 125 in the 1978-79 season.
What the Wheat Kings have really been waiting
for begins this week, though, as Brandon hosts the
Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 1 of their first-round
playoff series on Thursday night.
You dont want to have the regular season we had
and not show up for playoffs, said centre Tim
McGauley, who scored 105 points to become only
the second Wheat King in the past 11 years to hit
triple digits. Playoffs is everything. Its when the
real games start.
The Wheat Kings began the season as a young
team with a lot of potential, but so far theyve
exceeded all projections. McGauley has emerged as
a star in the WHL, contending for the scoring title
until the final week of the season, while Jordan
Papirny has built on his rookie campaign, proving
himself as a workhorse and leading the WHL in
goaltending wins. Exciting youngsters like Nolan
Patrick and Ivan Provorov have been instant
successes as rookie of the year candidates who have
National Hockey League scouts raving. Already

boasting top talents like Jayce Hawryluk and John

Quenneville, who were both picked in the top 32 of
last years NHL draft, the Wheat Kings stocked their
lineup with veteran help, this season adding proven
performers like Reid Duke and Macoy Erkamps from
the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Morgan Klimchuk from
the Regina Pats and Reid Gow from the Spokane
Chiefs by way of the University of Manitoba.
Weve really come a long ways as a team from
the start of the year where we were a little bit all over
the map with the new guys we had in, McGauley
said. But now were all structured, were all playing
the right way, were on the same page. Everyones
playing a really good defence-first kind of game with
low shots against, low scoring chances against. The
offence will come so were really coming together as
a team here defensively and well be good for the
playoffs for sure.
They were a potent offensive team from the start.
Brandon had 12 40-point scorers and led the WHL
in goals with 340, the highest total posted in the
league in 17 years.
They have also improved their defence throughout
the season, cutting their goals against by nearly half
a goal a game in the second half.
Weve learned a lot of lessons throughout the
season and thats what we play for, so hopefully
things go well in the playoffs here, Patrick said.
The Wheat Kings have relentlessly piled up points
all season, never going more than two straight games
without picking up at least a single point. Since
Dec. 6, they failed to gain a point in only four games.
The team continued to produce even while battling

through injuries that would have derailed many

clubs. Injuries cost highly touted rookie defenceman
Kale Clague more than half the teams game this
season, while Hawryuk, Patrick and Quenneville
have all gone through extended absences, each
missing more than 10 games this season due to
injuries. Several times during the second half of the
season Brandon was forced to play with less than a
full lineup or play defencemen up front to round out
the forward lines.
We had a lot of injuries this year, which is
unfortunate, Hawryluk said. I thought we played
well, we battled a lot of adversity with the guys gone
but having a healthy lineup just makes us that much
harder to to play against. We have that much more
depth.
The Wheat Kings have also learned from one of
the best WHL teams recently, the Oil Kings, who
have ended Brandons season in two of the past three
years, knocking the Wheat Kings out of the playoffs
in the second round both times on the way to
winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup as playoff
champions. Theyve been hard lessons to learn, but
Hawryluk is anxious to show the Oil Kings how
theyve grown when the teams meet again this spring.
We remember how it felt last year to get kicked
out by them in the second round, Hawryluk said.
Thats something that doesnt leave your head very
quick and I think that should fuel the fire for the guys
that were here last year.
rhenderson@brandonsun.com
Twitter: @HendoRob

# 21

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# 23

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THE BRANDON SUN

GOING DEEP WHEAT KINGS MARCH 2015

Overagers ready
for one last run
BY ROB HENDERSON

Eric Roy has spent more time in a Brandon

Wheat Kings jersey than nearly anyone and
he doesnt want to give it up anytime soon.
A 20-year-old, fifth-year member of the
Wheat Kings, Roy, whose 322 career regularseason games played are second in club
history to his former coach, Dwayne
Gylywoychuk, is ready for his final playoff
run with the Western Hockey League Club.
Its sad that this is my last season, but Im
ready for the playoffs, said Roy, who joins
Peter Quenneville and Reid Gow as overage
Wheat Kings in their final season of WHL
eligibility. We clinched (a spot in the postseason) a long time ago and Im really hoping
that we go far in the playoffs.
Chosen by the Wheat Kings in the first
round (18th overall) in the 2009 WHL
bantam draft, Roy finishes his career well up
Brandons leaderboard in a number of
categories. Not only is Roy second among
all Wheat Kings in games played, he is in the
top five all-time among the teams
defencemen for goals and assists.
He is also just the sixth rearguard in club
history to post 200 points in a career.
Roy joined the Wheat Kings the season
after the club hosted the 2010 Memorial Cup,
in which they advanced to the final before
losing to the Windsor Spitfires. In his career,
the furthest Roy has been is to the second
round of the playoffs and hed love to go
beyond that this spring.
Obviously losing in the second round is
not too fun, said the Calgary Flames NHL
draft pick, who has been to the second round
twice, losing out to the Edmonton Oil Kings
both times. I want to go further than the
second round, you know I want to go as far
as we can here and we have a really good
team to do that.
While Roy has been been a lifer with the
Wheat Kings, Quenneville and Gow both
left university to finish their junior careers in
style in Brandon. Quenneville left behind a
scholarship at Quninnipiac University last
season and had his rights traded to the Wheat
Kings by the Prince George Cougars so he
could play alongside his younger brother,
John. Gow, a defenceman from Killarney,
left the Spokane Chiefs to play at the
University of Manitoba, but returned to the
WHL when his rights were traded to
Brandon.
With 27 career playoff games as a Chief,
Gow has the most WHL post-season
experience of any of the Wheat Kings. While

hes a recent arrival, having been acquired

on Jan. 5, Gow is impressed by the closeness
of the team hes joined.
Just a group of great guys, he said.
Theres no weak links or anything. Its just
obviously a good knit chain and every guy
picks it up when other guys arent playing
great, so thats a good club to be a part of.
Quenneville ingratiated himself with the
team so quickly that he was named the
Wheat Kings captain this season. The rightwinger from Edmonton has championship
experience, having won the 2013 United
States Hockey League title with the Dubuque
Fighting Saints, and the chance for more
playoff success was one of Brandons
drawing cards.
When I decided to leave school, I saw this
in the future, Quenneville, a draft pick of
the NHLs Columbus Blue Jackets, said. I
saw the pieces that we had and the young
guys coming up and knew that Kelly
(McCrimmon, the Wheat Kings head coach
and general manager) was going to do a great
job of putting together a great team. Its
definitely exciting and I wouldnt want to do
it with any other group of guys.
He scored 27 goals and added 48 assists,
averaging more than a point per game in his
72 outings this season.
Quenneville also has a couple of years in
the Alberta Junior Hockey League under his
belt and he said the time has flown by.
I remember being a 16-year-old kid in the
Alberta junior league and all the 20-year-olds
said, Pete, enjoy it while it lasts because it
goes by extremely fast, and I was like, you
guys are crazy. Especially with those early
years it can be a little slower, especially if
youre fighting just to stay in the lineup. Im
definitely savouring every moment and
definitely being able to play with Johnny and
against Davy (the youngest Quenneville
brother, who is a rookie with the Medicine
Hat Tigers), its been a special year and I
think it can get a lot better.
Finishing off his junior career with the
Wheat Kings has also been a thrill for Gow,
who grew up rooting for the Wheat Kings,
and he cant wait for the puck to drop in the
playoffs.
Im making this my most exciting couple
months of hockey for sure, said Gow, who
posted 13 points in 31 games. To be a
Brandon Wheat King is a dream come true
and its really fun to be here, so I want to
make it last as long as possible.
rhenders@brandonsun.com
Twitter: @HendoRob

Eric Roy

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12

THE BRANDON SUN

GOING DEEP WHEAT KINGS MARCH 2015

Captain Chris Dingman hoists the trophy after the Brandon Wheat Kings claimed the Western Hockey League title in 1996. (File)

Brandon has long history of success

BY ROB HENDERSON

The Brandon Wheat Kings have been on some long

playoff runs under Kelly McCrimmons watch.
Since McCrimmon became the Wheat Kings
general manager in the 1989-90 season, he has
presided over clubs that have made the Western
Hockey Leagues Eastern Conference final eight
times, advancing to the championship final four times
and claiming one title.
As consistent as the Wheat Kings have been over
the last 20-plus years, the clubs greatest successes
have come in bunches.
From 1995 to 1998, the club played in the WHL
final three times and claimed the second league title
in franchise history.
Brandons 2005 appearance in the Ed Chynoweth
Cup final was the peak of a four-year stretch that

started with a pair of trips to the conference final, and

the Wheat Kings made back-to-back Eastern final
appearances in 2009 and 2010 before hosting the
Memorial Cup in the latter of those years.
McCrimmon said the modern era of Wheat Kings
success came with an influx of talent that led to backto-back Memorial Cup appearances in 1995 and 1996.
Really it began with the 92-93 season, which was
a year that we set the CHL record that still stands for
most improvement from one season to the next, I
believe 62 points, McCrimmon said. And then
the 94-95 season was that group grown up, so that
was Marty Murray, Wade Redden, Justin Kurtz, Chris
Dingman, Darren Ritchie, that era of player that really
were the core of real good teams. And then what was
interesting or most impressive was the ability to
sustain through four seasons, really, of great hockey
teams.

Although standouts like Murray and Ritchie moved

on after 1994-95, enough key pieces remained, while
youngsters like Peter Schaefer turned their experience
into more prominent roles, and other key contributors
such as Cory Cyrenne were added to maintain that
success.
You look at recent teams, like Edmonton and
Portland (the Oil Kings and Winterhawks have met
in the last three WHL finals), clearly part of the
continuing success they have had is the development
they have gained by playing deep playoff runs year
after year, McCrimmon said. That was for sure part
of it with that group of teams with the Wheat Kings.
And we hope that thats something that we started
last year by going two rounds (in the playoffs), that
we can continue to build on there as some of the
players in our organization grow up and become older
guys.

MARCH 2015

13

GOING DEEP WHEAT KINGS THE BRANDON SUN

McCrimmon said a similar

pattern was followed in the early
2000s as players like Ryan Craig
and Jordin Tootoo, who led
Brandon to back-to-back
conference finals in 2002 and
2003, mentored the likes of Eric
Fehr and Ryan Stone. They
matured into key cogs on the
2004-05 WHL finalist team,
with veterans like Tim
Konsorada bridging the gap
between both versions of the
club, while 2005 WHL rookie
of the year Tyler Plante
provided stability in net.
The buildup to the 2010
Memorial Cup really started
gaining momentum in the 200708 season when the rookie trio
of Brayden Schenn, Matt
Calvert and Scott Glennie took
the WHL by storm. Starting the
following season, the club put
together back-to-back 100-point
campaigns, but the road to the
final each of those years was
blocked by the Calgary Hitmen.
In 2010, Calgary went on to win
the WHL title after beating
Brandon in the Eastern
Conference final, but the Wheat
Kings got some revenge, igniting
the crowd at Westman Place by
knocking off the Hitmen 5-4 in
the Memorial Cup semifinal on

Jay Fehrs overtime goal.

With every group of teams
there was another team that you
were always battling with,
McCrimmon said. In 94-95,
95-96, it was P.A. They had
great hockey teams and that
was a real battle both of those
years to get past them. We beat
out Calgary in 97-98 and that
kinda was them laying the
groundwork for some pretty
good teams that followed. And
then 2002, 2003 it was Red Deer
that had a real strong team. And
then 2008-09, 2009-10 it was
Calgary that were the other
team that we always ended up
competing against and
Saskatoon had a great team
both years.
There are some common
themes that bind Brandons top
playoff performers. And while
it remains to be seen if this
years team will follow the same
path, McCrimmon says it
shares some of those traits.
It doesnt happen overnight,
said McCrimmon, who was
also a member of perhaps the
greatest Wheat King team of all
time, playing for the 1978-79
squad that fell just an overtime
goal short of winning the
Memorial Cup. Its a process,

Brandon Wheat
Kings appearances
in Western Hockey
Leagues final four:

Season
Playoff record Result
1971-72..........6-7-1 ..................Lost semifinal
1976-77..........10-6 ....................Lost league final
x-1978-79 ......18-4 ....................Won championship
y-1994-95 ......10-8 ....................Lost league final
y-1995-96 ......16-3 ....................Won championship
1997-98..........12-6 ....................Lost league final

development that players have

and the way a team grows. And
I look at our team right now and
I think its kind of followed
some of the similar steps. The
first thing you have to have is
good players but then I think
its a whole bunch more that
goes with it. The difference
between a good team and
working towards earning the
right to be a champion: its
leadership, its maturity, its
resilience, its mental toughness.
Those are some of the attributes
that separate the teams that play
the longest from the teams that
dont.
Playoff record Result
Season
2001-02..........11-8 ....................Lost conf. final
2002-03..........9-8 ......................Lost conf. final
2004-05..........13-11 ..................Lost league final
2008-09..........8-4 ......................Lost conf. final
x-2009-10 ......9-6 ......................Lost conf. final
x-placed second in Memorial Cup.
y-placed third in Memorial Cup.

ABOVE: Brad McCrimmon shows off the hardware in 1979.

ABOVE LEFT: McCrimmon was a force on the blue-line for the powerful 1978-79 Wheat Kings sqyad, which lost the Memorial Cup
final in overtime. (File)

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HEIGHT: 63

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PTS 21

BIRTH DATE: 1996-09-11

+/-

HOME TOWN: BRANDON, MB

PIM 25

# 28

Quintin Lisoway

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GP

64

11

WEIGHT: 195

PTS 20

BIRTH DATE: 1995-11-12

+/-

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PIM 2

14

# 16

Tanner Kaspick

POSITION: CENTRE
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GP

53

17

WEIGHT: 193

PTS 18

BIRTH DATE: 1998-01-28

+/-

HOME TOWN: BRANDON, MB

PIM 15

# 10

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GP

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PIM 6

-1

# 33

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# 12

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11

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PTS 13

BIRTH DATE: 1994-04-04

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PIM 30

#3

Mark Taraschuk

POSITION: DEFENCEMAN
HEIGHT: 60

GP

32

WEIGHT: 192

PTS 6

BIRTH DATE: 1997-04-02

+/-

HOME TOWN: WINNIPEG, MB

PIM 8

14

# 29

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PIM 8

30

THE BRANDON SUN

GOING DEEP WHEAT KINGS MARCH 2015

Wheaties:
Year by year
1992-93

Lost to Medicine Hat 3-1

Leading scorer: Bobby House and Marty Murray (4 pts)
Key players include: Mike Maneluk, Aris Brimanis, Mark Kolesar
Goaltender: Trevor Robins
Key facts: Second in the East Division (43-25-4) after four years out of the playoffs, they met a veteran Tigers team led by Domenic Pittis. After winning the
opener in the best-of-five series, the Wheaties lost three straight games.

1993-94

Beat Regina 3-1, beat Lethbridge 4-1, lost to Saskatoon 4-1

Leading scorer: Marty Murray (20 pts)
Key players include: Mike Maneluk, Darren Ritchie, Chris Johnston
Goaltender: Byron Penstock
Key facts: Second in the East Division (42-25-5), the team was helped by the
emergence of rookie defenceman Wade Redden. The Wheat Kings lost in the conference final to a first place Blades team that would appear in its second WHL
final in three years.

Macoy Erkamps of the Brandon Wheat Kings wraps the puck around netminder Brody Willms of the
Moose Jaw Warriors for a goal during the Wheat Kings final regular-season game on Saturday night
at Westman Place. The Wheat Kings defeated the Warriors by a score of 9-2 to clinch the Scotty Munro
Memorial Trophy as the WHLs top regular-season team. (Tim Smith/Brandon Sun)

Playoff debut thrills

BY ROB HENDERSON

Macoy Erkamps has waited a long time for

this.
Now in his fourth Western Hockey League
season, the Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman
is getting ready to skate in the playoffs for the
first time. Erkamps, who turned 20 last month,
spent his first three years with the lowly
Lethbridge Hurricanes, who never got closer
than within six points of a post-season berth
during his tenure there.
Erkamps asked for a trade prior to this season
in hopes of landing with a contender, and the
native of Delta, B.C., is still pinching himself
at the spot he finds himself in.
I havent played in the month of April in, I
cant even remember when, so I cant tell you
how excited I am, said Erkamps, who did not
report to the Hurricanes and was eventually
dealt in the blockbuster that also brought Reid
Duke to Brandon. Its going to be a great
opportunity. Hopefully we can live up to
expectations and end up going far.
Expectations certainly are high for the Wheat
Kings.
The club finished in the top spot in the league,
earning 114 points.
Erkamps has been a steady, but somewhat
underrated, contributor to that success, notching
three goals and 28 assists, while posting a plusminus of +29.
While hes never played post-season hockey,
Erkamps has heard all about it and he figures
its the type of game that suits the rugged
6-foot-0, 200-pounder.

Youre going to be seeing the same team

over and over again so I need to be physical,
hard to play against in the corners, Erkamps
said. I hope to help the team out that way
for sure.
While Erkamps has had to wait for his
chance, the playoffs like a lot of things
came quickly to rookie defenceman Ivan
Provorov.
The Russian defenceman, who turned 18
in January, scored 15 goals and added 46
assists. He is ranked by many pundits as a
potential top-10 pick in this years National
Hockey League draft.
After shining in the regular season, hes
looking forward to seeing what the playoffs
are all about.
Im real excited. I honestly cant wait to
play our first game in playoffs, Provorov said.
Weve got a really good team this year, so I
hope we make it as far as possible.
The pressure of the playoffs shouldnt faze
Provorov. Over the Christmas holidays he
played for Russia at the world junior
championship in Toronto and Montreal. Still,
hes gotten some advice from his teammates
about what to expect as the intensity is
ramped up for the playoffs in the WHL.
They said every game is a battle and they
said theres no bad teams in playoffs, he said.
And so youve got to give 100 per cent every
game you play in playoffs.
rhenders@brandonsun.com
Twitter: @HendoRob

1994-95

Earned a bye, beat Moose Jaw 4-1, beat Prince Albert 4-3, lost league final to
Kamloops 4-2. Appeared in Memorial Cup.
Leading scorer: Marty Murray (29 pts)
Key players include: Darren Ritchie, Wade Redden, Chris Dingman
Goaltender: Bryan Elder
Key facts: The East Division champs (45-22-5) were paced by Murrays 128
points and Ritchies 62 goals. They were beaten by the defending WHL champions,
who were led by Hnat Domenichelli, Darcy Tucker, Shane Doan and Jarome Iginla.
The seven-game series with P.A. was an all-timer. The Wheat Kings went to the
Memorial Cup anyway because Kamloops served as host, leaving a spot for the
WHL finalists. The Wheat Kings opened the Cup with a 9-2 pasting of Hull before
dropping their last three games, including the semifinal to Detroit.

1995-96

Beat Saskatoon 4-0, beat Red Deer 4-0, beat Prince Albert 4-2, beat Spokane
4-1 to become league champs. Appeared in Memorial Cup.
Leading scorer: Bobby Brown (27 pts)
Key players include: Mike LeClerc, Peter Schaefer, Cory Cyrenne
Goaltender: Jody Lehman
Key facts: Won the regular season title with 105 points (52-19-1) and lost just
three games in the playoffs as they bulldozed their way to a league title in dominating fashion. Went 2-1 at the Memorial Cup before losing a 4-3 heartbreaker to
Peterborough in the semifinal in a game they led 2-0.

1996-97

Lost 4-2 to Moose Jaw.

Leading scorer: Cory Cyrenne (6 pts)
Key players include: Kelly Smart, Stefan Cherneski, Justin Kurtz
Goaltender: Brian Elder
Key facts: The East Division leaders (47-24-1) were upset by the fourth-place
Warriors, who had finished 16 points behind them in the regular season. A sensational goaltending performance by Donovan Nunweiler combined with an injury
to Smart were too much to overcome.

1997-98

Beat Lethbridge 4-0, beat Regina 4-1, beat Calgary 4-1, lost 4-0 to Portland in
league final.
Leading scorer: Cory Cyrenne (24 pts)
Key players include: Kelly Smart, Burke Henry, Kirby Law
Goaltender: Jomar Cruz
Key facts: Third in the East Division (45-21-6) but just a point out of a tie for
the top spot, the Wheat Kings rode balanced playoff scoring in going 12-2 to earn
a spot in the final. There they ran into a league-leading Portland team that boasted
future NHLers Brendan Morrow, Marian Hossa and Andrew Ference. The Wheat
Kings couldnt shut the potent Winterhawks down, giving up 23 goals in four
games.

1998-99

Lost to Red Deer 4-1.

Leading scorer: Burke Henry and Brett McLean (7 pts)
Key players include: Ryan Robson, Burke Henry, Brad Twordik
Goaltender: Jamie Hodson
Key facts: Second in the East Division (39-29-4), the Wheat Kings ran into a
Rebels team that scored 30 times in the five-game series and won all three games
in Brandon.

1999-2000

Missed the playoffs.

Key facts: After going 25-38-4-5 and missing the postseason by six points,
they reloaded in the subsequent WHL draft by selecting Eric Fehr third overall
and Ryan Stone 23rd. The pair finished one-two in league scoring in 2004-05.

MARCH 2015

31

GOING DEEP WHEAT KINGS THE BRANDON SUN

Wheaties: Year by year

2000-01

Lost to Swift Current 4-2.

Leading scorer: Jordin Tootoo (6 pts)
Key players include: Ryan Craig, Colin McRae, Kevin Harris
Goaltender: Rob McVicar
Key facts: Fourth in the East Division (32-32-5-3), the Wheat Kings
won the opener against the first-place Broncos, who were led by Duncan Milroy, Layne Ulmer and Tim Smith, but lost three one-goal games.
It was coach Bobby Lowes final season behind the bench for the team.

2001-02

Beat Saskatoon 4-3, beat Swift Current 4-1, lost to Red Deer 4-3.
Leading scorer: Ryan Craig (21 pts)
Key players include: Jordin Tootoo, Colin McRae, Kevin Harris
Goaltender: Rob McVicar
Key facts: First in the East Division (43-23-4-2), the Wheat Kings
survived losing three overtime games against Saskatoon in the first
round to meet the defending Memorial Cup champion Rebels. This
time they won two OT games but lost in double OT in Brandon in
Game 6 and couldnt rebound.

2002-03

Beat Regina 4-1, beat Moose Jaw 4-3, lost to Red Deer 4-1.
Leading scorer: Tim Konsorada (14 pts)
Key players include: Ryan Craig, Jordin Tootoo, Eric Fehr
Goaltender: Rob McVicar
Key facts: First in the East Division (43-17-9-3), the Wheat Kings
overcame a balanced Warriors team after a Game 6 overtime loss in
the second round. They met a familiar foe in Red Deer in the conference final, winning only Game 4 in a series in which they scored just
four goals.

2003-04

Beat Prince Albert 4-2, lost to Medicine Hat 4-1.

Leading scorer: Erik Christensen (12 pts)
Key players include: Eric Fehr, Tyler Dyck, Reagan Leslie
Goaltender: Josh Harding
Key facts: Third in the East Division (28-32-9-3), the Wheat Kings
were led by pickups from Kamloops (Christensen) and Regina (Harding). Despite a 9-3 pasting of the Tigers in Game 4, Medicine Hat went
on to win the series and later the league title.

2004-05

Beat Moose Jaw 4-1, beat Calgary 4-3, beat Prince Albert 4-3, lost
to Kelowna 4-1 in league final.
Leading scorer: Eric Fehr (32 pts)
Key players include: Ryan Stone, Lance Monych, Steven Later
Goaltender: Tyler Plante
Key facts: First in the East Division (45-21-5-1), the highest scoring
team in the league (255 goals) actually lost Game 1 10-1 to Calgary
before winning the last three games of the series to capture the first of
two seven-game series that the Wheat Kings played in a row. They met
the defending Memorial Cup champions in the final, losing a pivotal
Game 4 in overtime that would have pulled them even in the series.

2005-06

Lost to Moose Jaw 4-2.

Leading scorer: Dustin Kohn (4 pts)
Key players include: Codey Burki, Mark Derlago, Tyler Dittmer
Goaltender: Tyler Plante
Key facts: Fourth in the East Division (30-32-6-4), the Wheat Kings
met a Warriors team that finished 26 points ahead of them in the regular season. Brandon actually led the series 2-1 but were shut out in
the last two games.

2006-07

Beat Prince Albert 4-1, lost to Calgary 4-2.

Leading scorer: Codey Burki (11 pts)
Key players include: Mark Derlago, Andrew Clark, Dustin Kohn
Goaltender: Tyler Plante
Key facts: First in the East Division (41-20-3-8), the Wheat Kings
posted a pair of OT victories to start the P.A. series. Despite starting
the Hitmen series with an OT win and a one-goal victory, a pair of lopsided losses in Calgary led to their Alberta foes winning four in a row.

2007-08

Lost to Lethbridge 4-2.

Leading scorer: Daryl Boyle (6 pts)
Key players include: Brayden Schenn, Matt Calvert, Matt Lowry
Goaltender: Joe Caligiuri
Key facts: Second in the East Division (42-24-3-3), the Wheat Kings
ran into a Hurricanes team that finished six points ahead of them in
the Central Division and subsequently made it to the league final. The
Hurricanes went up 3-0 in the series with three one-goal wins before
the Wheat Kings mounted an unsuccessful comeback that saw them
win the next two.

Brandons Ryan Stone hugs goalie Tyler Plante after the Wheat Kings won Game 7 of the 2005 Eastern Conference final at the Keystone Centre. (File)

2008-09

Beat Kootenay 4-0, beat Medicine Hat 4-0, lost to Calgary 4-0.
Leading scorer: Brayden Schenn and Scott Glennie (18 pts)
Key players include: Jay Fehr, Andrew Clark, Colby Robak
Goaltender: Andrew Hayes
Key facts: Second in the East Division (48-19-3-2), the Wheat Kings
scored 45 goals in their two series sweeps but gave up 24 in four
games as the Hitmen advanced.

2009-10

Beat Swift Current 4-0, beat Saskatoon 4-2, lost to Calgary 4-1.
Appeared in Memorial Cup.
Leading scorer: Brayden Schenn
Key players include: Matt Calvert, Scott Glennie, Colby Robak
Goaltender: Jacob De Serres
Key facts: Second in the Eastern Conference (50-18-1-3), the Wheat
Kings triumphed in two deceptively close series before falling to a familiar foe, the regular-season champion Hitmen. The two would meet
again, however, because Brandon was hosting the Memorial Cup. In
the semifinal, Jay Fehrs overtime goal sent the Wheat Kings past the
Hitmen to the Memorial Cup final, where they lost to Taylor Hall and
the Windsor Spitfires 9-1.

2010-11

Lost to Medicine Hat 4-2.

Leading scorer: Mark Stone, Scott Glennie (10 pts)
Key players include: Shayne Wiebe, Michael Ferland, Ryan Pulock
Goaltender: Corbin Boes
Key facts: Sixth in the Eastern Conference (32-31-1-8), the Wheat
Kings met a Tigers team that finished 27 points ahead of them in the
standings. Despite scoring 29 goals in six games, they gave up 31, and
only won the games in which they surrendered fewer than four goals.

2011-12

Beat Calgary 4-1, lost to Edmonton 4-0.

Leading scorer: Alessio Bertaggia (7 pts)
Key players include: Mark Stone, Michael Ferland, Ryan Pulock
Goaltender: Corbin Boes
Key facts: Sixth in the Eastern Conference (39-28-1-4), the
Wheat Kings upset some familiar foes in the higher-ranked Hitmen
before falling to an Oil Kings team that went on to win the league
title.

2012-13

Missed the playoffs

Key facts: With a record of 24-40-4-4, the team missed the playoffs by 16 points. They selected Nolan Patrick, Kale Clague and Tanner Kaspick in the first 25 picks, all of whom now skate with the
club.

2013-14

Beat Regina 4-0, lost to Edmonton 4-1.

Leading scorer: John Quenneville
Key players include: Jayce Hawyrluk, Ryan Pulock, Tim McGauley
Goaltender: Jordan Papirny
Key facts: Seventh in the Eastern Conference (34-29-6-3), the
Wheat Kings upset the Pats by scoring 24 goals in four games.
They lost to an Edmonton team that would go on to win the Memorial Cup.