WHL: Brandon Wheat Kings 2021 NHL Draft Eligible

Brandon Wheat Kings
March 12 & 13 2021
Game 1 v MJ Warriors
Game 2 v Winnipeg Ice

Both games were quite close. The first game saw the Wheat Kings get beat in the Special Teams department following the 5-minute major taken by Ridley Greig. Moose Jaw came out on top 4- 3 in OT. The next night, even with an altered line-up due to the 3-game suspension of Ridley Greig, the Wheat Kings played their similar pressure style. In a back-and-forth tilt the Wheat Kings picked up the 2pts with a 3-2 win.

2003-born players

Hyland received quite a bit of ice time in both games, and for good reason. He is a highly-skilled forward who plays with a lot of poise. He does possess a lot of skill, however the way he thinks the game might be his best asset. He gets into open ice, always faces the puck and is constantly moving to improve his position and the opportunities to make plays. He’s not a big winger, however he uses his body quite well, it showed with some nice aggressive board play in his own zone where he outplayed two forecheckers in order to get the puck out. In the offensive zone is where he did his best work. His head fakes, looking-off opponents, and changing stick angles to open up lanes and deliver passes was fun to watch. We also got to see his first WHL goal, which was a terrific goal. Starting in his own zone he made a great move to evade two forechecker before head-manning the puck. He then beat his backcheckers up the ice to get into the trailer position; once the puck was on his stick it was gone in a blink with a rocket snap shot. Hyland is a solid skater, but not at the explosive or dynamic level, but given open ice he’s tough to catch. B+ Weekend Series: 3gp, 1g, 1a, 8sog

Chiasson has definitely put in the work during the extended off-season, he really was impressive during the weekend games. There isn’t much not to like about the way he plays. He wins board battles, he wins net-front battles, he buys ice, creating space and time for his teammates to get open, he skates hard, checks hard and he is a lot of fun to watch. Watching Jake play I would have guessed he’d stand 6’3 and tip the scales at 190+. Offensively he is showing his talents. He has a knack for the net and he isn’t afraid to go to the tough places to get rewarded. His lateral movement through the neutral zone kept defenders at a distance and allowed him to gain the blueline very easily. When inside the offensive zone he wasn’t careless, nor panicked. He seemed in control and made good, smart plays with and without the puck. With plenty of offensive upside and highlights on the weekend, maybe one of his better plays was on the penalty kill when highly skilled, smooth skating Daemon Hunt of the Moose Jaw Warriors tried to turn the puck up ice and wheel through the neutral zone, Chiasson performed a perfect angle and squeezed Hunt off just before the red line forcing a turnover. A- Weekend Series: 3gp, 2g, 1a, 3sog

We just got to see Hammett in one game of three the Wheat Kings have played so far, but outside of his inaugural WHL shift he played fairly decent. Hammett had one of the nightmare first shifts; indecisive decision on a pinch left him in no-man’s land as the Winnipeg forward blew by and received a breakaway pass which he scored on. Following that Hammett made very sound plays and showed some very high skill levels. Of all the defenceman on the Wheat Kings Hammett may have the best hands, they are really impressive. Coming around the net on his backhand side he made a quick stickhandle on a forechecker then lifted a buttery soft backhand sauce perfectly to his winger for an easy breakout. He made several plays like that throughout the game. He did release a few shots from the point, they were decent but need to be quicker and heavier. For his skating; his agility trumps his speed. In tight spaces his feet and hands get him away from forecheckers and allow him to recover on attackers. His overall speed needs improving, but you can see he is processing the game at a higher speed than his legs are moving him. C+ Weekend Series 1gp, 0g, 0a, 1sog

2002 born

The late birthday will most likely benefit Iorio and improve his placement during the NHL Entry Draft. Iorio looks to be in great shape and seems to be full of confidence as he is playing very aggressively at both ends of the rink. Iorio’s stride, when you first see him skate, isn’t all that attractive, but after watching him you see how effective his skating is. He doesn’t lose races to pucks, he skates – head up – confidently through the neutral zone with the puck, and his backward skating allows him to keep a tight gap with very few crossovers. It’s tough to hear through the online video, but Iorio seems to be a very strong communicator on the ice. He and his partner cover for one another and become outlets when needed all the time. His passing was very nice, I always appreciate it when you don’t hear the pass being delivered, only received. During the first couple of games we saw a few quick-release snap shots, but his shot was still a bit of a mystery … until Tuesday night. Iorio unloaded a one-timer from the point that literally went through the Prince Albert’s Max Paddock. It was hard, heavy and accurate. Iorio moved himself into a good position and received a great pass and made no mistake with it. His physical play is good, but could be better for a big kid. One thing Iorio needs address is, during scrambles in front of his own net he needs to tie up sticks and bodies instead of fishing for pucks. B+ Weekend Series 3gp, 1g, 1a, 5sog