Wheat Kings welcome trio to lineup

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This article was published 12/01/2023 (711 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Wheat Kings return to action tonight with their three newest members all in the lineup for the first time.

Dawson Pasternak and Kayden Sadhra-Kang both played in Brandon’s inspired 4-2 victory on Tuesday over the Western Hockey League leaders, the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Nolan Flamand arrived in the city on Wednesday after flying from Kelowna following a deadline day deal made with the Rockets a day earlier. He will be on the ice tonight at Westoba Place as the Medicine Hat Tigers (14-20-5-1) visit the Wheat Kings (17-18-4-0) and also against the Moose Jaw Warriors (24-14-0-2) on Saturday.

“The guys are really good at welcoming you in,” Flamand said of his new teammates. “They’ve treated me well since I’ve been here and they’ll keep treating me well. Everything here is just great. Even the coaches and management have welcomed me here. That’s so nice. I can’t wait to get started tomorrow.”

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray played with a lot of teams during his professional career, and said it’s incumbent on everyone involved to help get any newcomers up to speed.

“The guys who are here need to welcome them with open arms and make them feel comfortable,” Murray said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. We have a really good group of guys here and I think that’s never going to be a problem. Guys help guys feel comfortable right away and help them any way, whether that’s on the ice or finding a good place to eat lunch. All that’s part of it.”

Sadhra-Kang, a six-foot-four, 202-pound defenceman from Richmond, B.C., arrived on Monday around 6 p.m., and met the players the morning of the trade deadline around the time popular veteran Jake Chiasson learned he had been traded. Not surprisingly for anyone who knows him, an emotional Chiasson took time to reassure Sadhra-Kang.

“They were really nice,” Sadhra-Kang said. “Honestly, when I got here, Chiasson had just gotten traded and he was pretty teary eyed. It was a bit awkward but then he came up to me and said ‘You’re going to love it here.’

“The guys have been super nice so far and really welcoming, and my billets are awesome. I’m just happy and comfortable being here.”

Flamand’s welcome was a little more dramatic.

The five-foot-nine, 181-pound forward from Saskatoon participated in his first full practice on Thursday, which happened to be his 19th birthday.

After the formal practice ends, the players always gather at centre ice to stretch, and as that was taking place, co-captains Nate Danielson and Nolan Ritchie snuck up and doused Flamand with four water bottles to aid in the celebration.

“It was definitely a special one for me, with the boys welcoming me that way,” Flamand said with a smile. “It was unfortunate to get all that water dumped on me but I was happy to know that I’m now part of this team and brothers with all of them.”

Pasternak, a five-foot-nine, 158-pound forward from Winnipeg, is still taking it all in. While the last couple of days have flown by, the former Portland Winterhawk is happy with how things worked out.

“It’s amazing,” Pasternak said. “I was really surprised with all the facilities, the dressing room, the workout room. All that stuff is so nice. The guys seem like a really great group, and the coaches are great too. They’ve looked after me really nicely so far. “I’m just looking forward to the rest of the season.”

After learning about the trade at breakfast, he hopped in a vehicle with senior scout Mark Johnston, arriving in Brandon a couple of hours before Tuesday’s game.

He suited up with Danielson and Rylen Roersma, earned an assist and looked just fine, even if he had to learn some systems on the fly.

“It’s always going to be different,” Pasternak said. “I’ve played enough hockey now in my life where a coach tells me to do these systems over these systems and I can put it in my brain pretty quickly. I kind of had to do that playing the other night. I had to get somewhat of an idea what to do out there.

“It is a little different but I’ll get it figured out pretty quick.”

“Hopefully,” he added with a laugh.

Murray isn’t worried.

“I think they adapt for the most part,” Murray said. “It’s kind of up to the guys who are playing with them to help them out a little bit. Obviously, with Kanger and Dawson just thrown into the fire against a really good Seattle team, I thought they both handled it well.

“It’s good to get a practice or two under our belts before we have our next one. Hopefully they can contribute. I liked what I saw of Flamand today as well.”

The Tigers have won both meetings between the teams at Co-op Place. The first was a 5-1 decision as the Wheat Kings finished up their B.C. Division road trip with four games in five nights on Oct. 22. They followed up with a 6-1 win on Nov. 16 as Brandon played back-to-back nights on the road.

Murray wasn’t on the bench yet, he took over the job from Don MacGillivray on Nov. 28, so he hasn’t watched the Tigers in person. Still, he has a healthy respect for what he’s seen on video.

“They work, they skate, they’re relentless on pucks,” Murray said. “We’ve played them twice where it wasn’t a favourable schedule for us … But that’s junior hockey. Everybody goes through a tough schedule as far as travel. They’re a good team. They’re battling just like we are to make the playoffs.

“I’ve been really impressed watching from afar. (Tigers head coach and GM) Willie (Desjardins) does a great job there.”

Sadhra-Kang has played against Medicine Hat twice in the last two weeks, and has a pretty good sense of what to watch for. He said they’re a good club.

“They’re not the most fun team to play because they like to cheat for offence a lot,” Sadhra-Kang said. “They have a lot of young guys but those young guys are skilled so you can’t take them for granted. I do think it’s a winnable game. We have a lot of skill on this team and a lot of good players, and as long as we play our game — I know it’s a cliché — but keep a defensive mind first because these guys are cheating for offence.”

In a way, the schedule couldn’t have been more ideal to bring the new guys in.

Brandon plays twice on the weekend at home, and then doesn’t see action again until next Friday against the Calgary Hitmen. That way, the players see immediate game action, have practice time and then head out for a trip to bond with their new teammates.

“It gives them an opportunity to kind of get their feet wet with us and when you go on the road, that’s how you get to know each other,” Murray said. “They spend a lot of time together. It will be a good opportunity for those guys to get on the road and get to know our guys better as people.

“Hopefully we’ll have a good weekend this weekend with them and then worry about the road next week.”

ICINGS: A pair of suspensions were handed down on Thursday, with Seattle losing forward Lucas Ciona for two games after he took a charging major and game misconduct against the Winnipeg Ice on Wednesday. Also, Cole Shepard of the Lethbridge Hurricanes earned a one-game ban for a slew footing double minor and game misconduct he took against the Swift Current Broncos on Wednesday.

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