By James Shewaga / 

The Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings used to have the market cornered on homegrown Brandon talent.

But this season, it’s the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Winkler Flyers who have more Brandon-born players than any other junior team in the country.

“There’s quite a few of us on this team here,” said 17-year-old z, one of five Wheat City-natives currently playing for the Flyers. “It makes the transition a lot easier having friends here and it’s been great so far ... A lot of the Brandon guys work well together and I know from [the 2007 Brandon Midget AAA] provincial championship team there was a lot of chemistry on that squad, so it’s working out here, too.”

While the Wheat Kings used to sport as many as nine Brandon kids just three seasons ago, the WHL club currently features four local players this season in forwards Andrew Clark, Matt Calvert and Sanfred King and defenceman Mark Schneider.

In all, there are 12 Brandon-born players suiting up in the WHL, while there are 14 in the MJHL, led by the five Flyers. Osiowy has been joined in Winkler this season by fellow ‘Brandonites’ Kyle Hamm, an 18-year-old rookie defenceman, along with forwards Kyle Wells, 18, and Kory Kimpinski, 19, and 18-year-old rookie goaltender Scott Hellyer, who were teammates on Brandon’s 2007 Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League championship team. Incredibly, that squad has graduated 19 of its 20 players to the junior hockey ranks.

Flyers head scout Mark Johnston helped coach that team and has helped recruit Brandon talent for Winkler, which also featured Wheat City products Curtis Brolund and Ian Campbell earlier this season.

“Our head scout is right in Brandon and in these particular (ages) that we are dealing with now, Mark Johnston coached them and he was hands on with those kids for two or three years, so that obviously has a big influence on getting those kids here and even drafting them a few years ago,” said Flyers head coach 
Mark Thiessen.

Flyers assistant coach/director of player personnel Ernie Sutherland said it’s clear the Brandon players received great coaching throughout their minor hockey and fit in well with the club’s team-first approach.

“That’s exactly what they are, character guys,” said Sutherland. “The guys that we have right now, like Kyle Wells, they are all character guys ... And the reason that some of these guys are asked for in trades is because of the character and leadership that they bring and that’s exactly what every one of those kids bring.”

Whether they are suiting up for Winkler, Waywayseecappo, Swan Valley, OCN, Portage, Neepawa or Dauphin, Osiowy said the 14 Brandon players in the MJHL take pride in where they came from.

“I think it’s great for the city of Brandon,” he said. “I guess we have made some big strides in minor hockey and in getting guys up here (into the junior ranks).”