Brandon Wheat Kings
Rink: Assiniboine Credit Union Place
Capacity: 5,102
Built: 1973
League: WHL
City: Brandon, Manitoba
Home Of: Brandon Wheat Kings
Games Attended: 1
Only Game: February 9, 2024 vs Lethbridge
Unique Arena: #79
WHL Arena: #15
Assiniboine Credit Union Place is part of the larger Keystone Centre in Brandon which hosts a variety of events, the biggest of which is the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair. The complex itself is over 540,000 square feet and all the buildings you see in the background are actually attached to the arena, which is the building in the foreground. The arena itself kinda juts out from the rest of the complex on its south side, so there are parking lots surrounding three sides of the arena. The main entrance is actually on the opposite side of the building that this photo was taken. Once entering you go past the team store on your right and into a corridor. On the left are entrances to the arena itself, while going to the right leads you deeper into the complex. As an OHL fan you can’t look at this picture without remembering the old Civic Auditorium in Oshawa, as the two exteriors looked very similar.
The arena bowl in Brandon is laid out in a U shape, with no real seating at the top of the U. There is a small stage there, which has tables setup at ice level like a bar area, but it wasn’t really used for the game I attended. Above that there is a glassed-in suite area much like you see in Erie. Otherwise, the top of the U is a big wall used for signage and advertising. There is a big sign that says home of the Wheat Kings, which is a nice touch. The main entrances to the concourse are at the top of the U. While there is a corridor that goes across the top of the U, it appears to be outside of the ticketed zone, so I’m not sure if you can walk through that way once inside (I didn’t try).
The concourse in Brandon is a little bare bones, but at the same time has everything you need for a junior hockey game. There are some decent concession stands and a small kiosk of souvenirs that compliments the main team store by the main entrance.
(One side note about the photo above is that the Wheat Kings player on the breakaway here did in fact score.)
The seats in Brandon are fairly old but still comfortable. The angle of the seating in my opinion is perfect. Not shallow at all, but not overly steep. I usually love a steep setup, and I’ve seen steeper than Brandon, but sitting there and looking around my thought was that it was perfect. There honestly isn’t a bad seat in the house as far as the views of the ice are concerned. Some seats at the very top of the bowl on the sides have obstructed views of the videoboard, with the press boxes hanging down on one side and a row of suites on the other. The benches are on opposite sides of the ice, but unlike some teams who have this setup yet still have cramped benches (Peterborough) the benches in Brandon are very long, taking up almost the entire neutral zone. The music levels are great, not overly loud but not a library either. But overall, as an OHL veteran I couldn’t help but feel like I was in Owen Sound. Not just because of the similar seats but so many things feel like the Bayshore. The concourse, hell even the press box looks exactly the same, built with dark corrugated metal siding. The biggest difference between Brandon and OS for me is Brandon is bigger, with way more rows of seats and laid out in a U shape as opposed to seats all around. The ceiling is obviously higher, but at the same time it still feels very intimate.
Brandon is one of the oldest franchises in the WHL. As a matter of fact, a hockey team called the Wheat Kings (in different forms) have called Brandon home since 1936. There is a lot of history and success with the franchise. They’re one of the classics of Canadian junior hockey, a team that even casual fans of the game have heard of at least in passing before. That said I was slightly disappointed at the smaller crowd that attended the game I was at. Official attendance was just a hair under 3,000. The fans didn’t totally sit on their hands, and they enjoyed the 4-1 victory by their Wheaties, but it wasn’t exactly a rocking atmosphere either. That’s not to say I think the fans aren’t great in Brandon. Everyone was friendly and knowledgeable, and I am sure this rink has had some crazy nights in its day. I just wasn’t at one of them.
It’s a good junior hockey experience. Not among the best I’ve had, but certainly far from the worst. It’s middle of the road. Nothing blew me away, but nothing is done poorly either. In many ways it feels like junior hockey in a pretty pure form. Assiniboine Credit Union Place doesn’t feel like a modern entertainment centre, but more of a community building. It’s where people come once or twice a week to watch their hometown Wheaties and catch up with friends. It had a great homey atmosphere, and I enjoyed the heck out of it.
