If you ask anyone within the Brandon Wheat Kings organization about Jaxon Jacobson, they’d all agree that the highly talented forward was destined to become a Wheat King.
And for Jacobson, the feeling is mutual.
As a native of Brandon, Manitoba, Westoba Place was his playground, where he grew up admiring the Wheat Kings of the past as they played in front of passionate Manitoban fans. His connection to the organization deepened further when his father, Jared Jacobson, took over as the franchise’s owner in September 2020.
However, as Jacobson developed into one of Manitoba’s most promising young talents, watching Brandon’s finest from the stands started to lose its appeal.
Jacobson yearned to experience the WHL action firsthand.
His ambition to not just reach but excel at the junior hockey level caught the eye of Wheat Kings’ Head Coach and General Manager, Marty Murray, who selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.
“I think he fits the mould of what we want our prospects to be. He’s very competitive. He’s self-driven,” Murray said. “He’s one of those kids who steps up when the pressure is on, and that’s the type of player you want in your organization.”
The Wheat Kings’ decision to draft Jacobson immediately paid off. The 14-year-old exceeded all expectations in his very first WHL appearance.
Just three days before his 15th birthday, the top prospect made an instant impact in a regular season game against the eventual WHL Champions, the Moose Jaw Warriors. Jacobson led the Wheaties to a 5-4 shootout victory by scoring two goals in his League debut.
Jaxon Jacobson,
in his WHL debut…
in his home town…
with his childhood team…nets his first career WHL goal!@bdnwheatkings pic.twitter.com/RWghGhYtof
— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 9, 2023
As he looked back on the unforgettable night in Brandon, the forward joked that scoring goals was the easiest part of the evening.
“I was honestly more nervous about the rookie lap than the actual game. All I could think was, ‘Don’t fall, don’t fall,'” Jacobson chuckled.
Throughout the 2023-24 season, the local talent took the ice with the Wheat Kings seven times, racking up a total of six points (four goals and two assists) during that period.
While he’s proud of his recent achievements, Jacobson attributes his early success to his fellow Wheat Kings prospects and U18 teammates, Easton Odut and Brady Turko. The trio dominated the Brandon Wheat Kings U18 AAA roster last season, collectively amassing 259 points in the regular season. They also won the Manitoba U18 AAA Provincial Championship with a near-flawless 43-0-1-0 record and earned a silver medal at the 2024 TELUS Cup.
“I got the chance to play with a couple of my linemates from U18, which really helped because we already had great chemistry heading into [the WHL], and they’ll be with me for the next few years,” Jacobson said.
They smashed AAA records, swept their way to a championship, represented Manitoba on the national stage, and picked up their first WHL points. What a season it was for Brady Turko, Easton Odut, and Jaxon Jacobson. And the best is yet to come. READ MORE: https://t.co/oyEVhwsqXb pic.twitter.com/hWvJAX4GAM
— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) May 6, 2024
What’s even more remarkable is that Jacobson’s immediate impact on offense isn’t something you often see from players just breaking into the WHL. Scoring goals and creating opportunities are certainly desirable, but they’re usually not expected from emerging prospects.
This is exactly what makes Jacobson such a valuable addition to the Wheat Kings’ lineup.
“We had situations last season where we needed more than just a body—we needed him to step in and perform, and he definitely did,” Murray said.
“We feel really confident about our forward depth this year, and we believe he’ll be one of our 12 forwards capable of making a real difference. Even as a 16-year-old, he has the potential to have nights where he can significantly influence the outcome of a game.”
📚 Round out the top-five selections in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft, it was the @bdnwheatkings selecting local product Jaxon Jacobson. The WHL's Taylor Green has further insight in this @REMAXca Report. #WHLDraft pic.twitter.com/oPpaJYyyWY
— The WHL (@TheWHL) May 12, 2023
As Jacobson transitions from being a Wheat Kings fan to becoming a forward for the team, he heads into the 2024-25 season eager to give back to his local supporters in the best way he knows – by thrilling the Brandon fans with his goal-scoring skills, just like his former hockey idols and Wheat Kings alumni.
“We have an amazing fan base in Brandon. Having been part of it for most of my life, I’ve had the chance to see some great players come through Brandon,” Jacobson said. “[The fans] love seeing goals scored. So, I want to keep being a goal scorer, and hopefully, the fans will love it.”
Jacobson will have his first chance to score on September 20, when the Brandon Wheat Kings kick off the regular season by hosting the Moose Jaw Warriors at Westoba Place. The puck drops at 6:00 p.m. MT / 7:00 p.m. CT.
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