As hockey season returns, the dreams of young men across North America are realized, getting the call to new levels of hockey. One such example is Brady Turko, a young man from McCreary, MB, who has joined the Western Hockey League (WHL) ranks after a terrific season at the U18 level.
Turko joins a Brandon Wheat Kings squad that is focused on getting younger, as they aim to host the Memorial Cup in 2026. He describes the home opener and starting the new season in Brandon.
"It's been a great experience so far; it's been a great atmosphere in the room and around the rink. With all our fans, and all the support we got in the home opener, it was really great to see everybody come out and support us. Obviously, it was great for us to get that win for not only us, but for the fans as well. For the city of Brandon, I think it's been a pretty good start, us going 2-0 so far this season."
Turko joins the squad along with his teammate of three years dating back to their U15 days, Jaxon Jacobson, which Brady adds has been a cool experience.
"Since U15, we've played on a line together, and we've went up the ranks side-by-side. We played together in midget, went to the TELUS Cup, and then came here, and we're still on a line together. So, it's been great going through that experience with him. He's one of my best friends, someone I can talk to, and on the ice, he's amazing to play with. I wouldn't have it playing with anybody else, it's something special we've got together, and I'd like to keep that going here throughout the season."
Turko acknowledges that his hockey career wouldn't have reached this point without making the move from McCreary to Brandon when he was in his early teens.
"I started out in McCreary; I started skating around three years old just on the pond at my family farm. I played minor hockey in McCreary my whole life up until Peewee, then my first year of Bantam, I went and played at Parkland for a year, but it was shut down because of COVID, so I only played about five games. After that, the U15 Brandon Wheat Kings wanted me to come move to Brandon and go to the hockey academy here and play for their team," Turko continues. "It was a tough decision. I was a young kid, maybe 14 at the time, but I ended up deciding to come here to Brandon and I think that was the best decision I could have made. I played a year of U15, and then got drafted to the Wheat Kings, played a couple years of U18, and then I was fortunate to end up signing with the Wheat Kings. So, I came to start off the season and play a couple games here."
He adds that there are many people who have helped him get to the WHL.
"I'd just like to thank all my minor hockey coaches and coaches along the way, my friends and family who supported me to get where I am today. Obviously, I can't be here without them. And my parents; moving here as a young kid, I know, was hard on them, having to go back and forth between McCreary and Brandon to help me on my way here, but I was very fortunate that they did that for me."
Turko and the Wheat Kings have had a solid start to the season, and Turko hopes that with some belief from the group, they can carry their early success forward into the rest of the season.