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Top 2014 WHL bantam pick Stelio Mattheos looks to earn ice time on stacked Wheat Kings

Top 2014 bantam pick Stelio Mattheos is set to join the Brandon Wheat Kings this season. (WHL.ca)
Top 2014 bantam pick Stelio Mattheos is set to join the Brandon Wheat Kings this season. (WHL.ca)

Stelio Mattheos, the first overall pick of the 2014 WHL bantam draft, is entering his major junior career in a unique situation. Unlike most top selections who join organizations going through a rebuild, the Winnipeg, MB., native is joining a stacked Brandon Wheat Kings club.

The reason the Wheat Kings, who posted a 34-29-6-3 record in 2013-14, were able to draft Mattheos is because of a deal that GM-head coach Kelly McCrimmon made with ex-Saskatoon Blades GM Lorne Molleken in 2012. He acquired the right to swap 2014 first round bantam picks with the Blades in a trade that sent Brendan Walker to Saskatoon.

Mattheos, 16, feels it works in his favour to join a contender as a rookie rather than a team looking to get back on its feet. He sees the upside in being able to learn from Brandon’s elite forwards such as New Jersey Devils first round pick John Quenneville, Florida Panthers second round pick Jayce Hawryluk and sophomore sniper Nolan Patrick.

“Getting a chance to play with the type of players that they have and practice with them is a huge advantage,” says Mattheos. “They have a great group of guys and it’s a big benefit to be able to learn from them.”

Ultimately, the 6-foot, 190-pound centre is fortunate to have good odds of hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup as a rookie. He’s joining a club that is regarded as the league’s top team because of their star power, depth and experience. Moreover, they should have extra motivation to win it all this year after falling to the Kelowna Rockets in the championship series last season.

“I’m not going to think too far in the future, but it could be a great year,” says Mattheos. “Anything is possible and they showed last year they are a great team.”

Intertwined with joining a solid squad is the obstacle of having to hurdle more-experienced players for ice time. This isn’t a concern for Mattheos as he believes his work ethic will take care of his minutes.

“I still have to make the team, but I’m going to work hard to earn my ice time,” he says. “I want to show I’m a hard worker and I think it will pay off.”

McCrimmon believes the combination of Mattheos’ skill set and experience will ease his transition in major junior hockey.

“He’s big and a strong skater with skill and is ahead of his most of his peers,” says McCrimmon. “The time he spent with the team last year was a valuable experience to get to play with the team and get that playoff experience. He’s also had a good off-season and played well at the U17. He’s showed he’s ready to come in here and play at this level.”

On top of playing a handful of games with the Wheat Kings, Mattheos suited up with the Manitoba Midget Hockey League’s Winnipeg AAA Wild last season. He battled through some injuries, but tallied 14 goals and 25 points in 27 games when healthy.

“It was a tough season at times,” says Mattheos, who netted 53 markers and 103 points in 32 contests on the Winnipeg AAA Monarchs bantam team in 2013-14. “I had a hip injury and it kept me out of the lineup for quite a few games. But I got healthy at the end of the year and finished off the year strong and healthy.”

Mattheos followed up his 15-year-old season with a vigorous off-season workout consisting of lots of on-ice and off-ice training.

“I’ve been working out a lot and doing the work to get ready for this season,” he says. “I’ve been training and working out five times a week off the ice and have been skating four to five times a week. I feel I’m in really good shape and feel I’ve done a lot to get ready for the year.”

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen