Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today Brandon Wheat Kings forward Prabh Bhathal has been named Sandman WHL Rookie of the Week for the week ending Sunday, January 18.

The 16-year-old product of Winnipeg, Man., posted four points (1G-3A) and a plus-4 rating in three games as the Wheat Kings went 2-1-0-0 this past week.

The 6-foot-2, 201-pound centre started his week with a primary assist as the Wheat Kings dropped a 5-2 decision to the East Division-leading Prince Albert Raiders on Tuesday, January 13. Bhathal set up veteran forward Luke Mistelbacher to open the scoring 6:50 into the first period.

The following night in a 3-1 road win over the Saskatoon Blades, Bhathal scored his first goal of the season with 2:33 to go in the second period, giving the Wheat Kings a 2-0 advantage. Bhathal’s tally went on to stand as the game-winning marker.

Wrapping up the week Friday, January 16, Bhathal collected two assists in a 6-1 win over the visiting Victoria Royals. The rookie forward factored in on Jaxon Jacobson’s opening goal of the game, before setting up Gunnar Gleasman to make it 2-0 in the first period. Bhathal was named third star of the game for his two-helper effort.

In his first WHL season, Bhathal is tied for second in scoring among all Wheat Kings rookies with 11 points (1G-11A) in 37 games.

The left-shot centre made his WHL debut during the 2024-25 campaign, skating in eight games for the Wheat Kings and tallying two points (1G-1A).

Originally selected by the Wheat Kings in the second round (36th overall) of the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, Bhathal has secured 13 points (2G-11A) in 45 career regular season games.

Winners of two straight games, the Wheat Kings are 24-17-1-0 coming out of the weekend and rank fifth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. Next up, Bhathal and the Wheat Kings travel west to visit the Lethbridge Hurricanes (12-32-0-1) on Wednesday, January 21 at 8 p.m. CT.

About the Western Hockey League

Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 23 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.