Can anyone topple the juggernaut?
It’s the big question surrounding the Telus Cup AAA U18 Male Hockey West Regional in Winnipeg this week.
The Brandon Wheat Kings, blessed with a talented roster, the star power of centre Jaxon Jacobson and a nearly unbeaten record, are heavy favourites and expected to emerge with a berth in the Telus Cup national championship tournament, slated for April 22-28 in Membertou, N.S.
Jules Xavier / The Brandon Sun files Jaxon Jacobson is one of the leaders on the U18 AAAA Brandon Wheat Kings.
The four-team regional also includes the Saskatchewan champion Saskatoon Blazers, Thunder Bay Kings, representing Northwestern Ontario and the host Winnipeg Wild.
Brandon, which lost only once in 53 regular-season and playoff games in 2023-24, faces Saskatoon in the tournament opener Thursday. The Blazers are young — with 10 2008-born players on their roster — but talent rich, headlined by star forward Dayne Beuker, who scored 41 goals and 84 points in 44 games this season.
“The boys have had a great year and achieved a lot of accolades but to underestimate Saskatoon is not in our best interests,” said Wheat Kings head coach Travis Mealy earlier this week. “I’ve watched some video on them and they’re pretty good team — very fast, very skilled.
“And then of course, not to remove Thunder Bay from the equation, but with (head coach) Paul Krueger and the Wild, it doesn’t matter if we beat them seven times in a row this year. It’s a one-game series and in my experience, Paul’s team has taken the regional opportunity away from us twice now.”
The Wheat Kings, who held down the top five spots in their league’s regular-season scoring race, swept the Wild in their best-of-five league final late last month.
“They’ve experienced a ton of success over there and they are an extremely talented team and they’re deep but we’ve had good games with them,” said Krueger. “Two of the games, one in playoffs and one in regular season, went to overtime. So when you’re talking about a short-term competition like this, you never know what’s gonna happen.”
The Wild, meanwhile, have a balanced attack sparked by the forward trio of Carter Kingerski, Cole Babych and Gino Cotroneo.
“They’ve all got a roles to play, right?” said Krueger. “And if they play those roles to the best of their abilities, we’re a successful hockey team. Some of some of them are relied on a little bit more to play from the offensive side of things and we need them to generate a little bit more offence. Other guys have to go out there and be able to defend properly… It’s a very balanced approach from the standpoint that we don’t have one No. 1 line that we rely on solely. We try to rely on everybody and everybody’s talents and attributes.”
In goal, veteran Jacob Armstrong is a steady presence for the Wild.
Norman Northstars goalie Preston Kaludjak was peppered with 46 shots during his team’s 9-0 loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings during a Manitoba U18 AAA Hockey League game Friday night at J&G Homes Arena. He was especially sharp in the scoreless first period, here stopping Jaxon Jacobson on a breakaway with a pad save. Jacobson would finish with two assists and his 20th goal of the season. (Photo Jules Xavier/The Brandon Sun)
“They’re so similar from year to year,” said Mealy of the Wild. “Structure’s usually the same and they work extremely hard all over the ice. There’s no quit in that group. And then the only thing that changes is their skill level from year to year, which is typically top of the league anyways. This year they had a slow start, much the same as last year, and then you just see them getting better and better.”
Brandon’s Jacobson, playing with wingers Brady Turko and Easton Odut, is dangerous every time he steps on the ice. Scoring 37 goals and 103 points in 35 regular-season games, the fifth-overall pick in the 2023 WHL Draft has already played seven major-junior games as a mid-season callup, scoring four goals and six points with the hometown Wheat Kings.
“He’s not overly fast, he’s definitely not overly big — his hockey IQ is what drives drives him as a player and what separates him from everyone else,” said Mealy. “You think he’s had a quiet night and you see the scoresheet and he had a three- or four-point night. He just slows the game down and he’ll pick you apart. It’s going to be extremely interesting when he does put some more weight on or grows a little bit. He’ll be that much stronger. His shot, his release — he’s pretty incredible to watch.”
Mealy also has the luxury of two reliable goaltenders and he spent the season alternating Matthew Michta and Burke Hood.
“Burke in Game 2 (of the league final) against the Wild, I don’t I don’t think we win that game without him,” said Mealy. “We didn’t start on time and the Wild really pushed and he shut the door and we ended up winning that game. So, I went back to him for Game 3.”
