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Hagel named WHL Player of the Week

With the week he had, accolades were likely to follow
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Red Deer Rebel Brandon Hagel was named WHL Player of the Week on Monday. (Photo by Jeff Stokoe/Advocate staff)

With the week he had, accolades were likely to follow.

When the final week of the WHL regular season concluded, Red Deer Rebels forward Brandon Hagel finished with 12 points in four games.

In three of those games he had two goals and four points.

On Monday, Hagel was named WHL Player of the Week for the week ending March 19.

The Buffalo Sabres draft pick said after his first star performance in a 5-1 win over Calgary at home Wednesday, he had just simplified his game.

That started paying dividends for the Rebels in a big way down the stretch according to GM/head coach Brent Sutter, who said Hagel has elevated his play in the last month.

“The last three weeks he took his game to a level that we expect him to play at,” Sutter said after a 5-4 overtime loss in Edmonton on Sunday.

“We expected him to play that way all year and for whatever reason it didn’t happen, the last three weeks he cranked it up.”

After a breakout season in 2015-16, the 18-year-old enjoyed a career year in 2016-17, posting 71 points (31G-40A) in 65 games. The Morinville native finished the regular season second on the Rebels in overall scoring.

The 6-foot-1, 165-pound left winger was undrafted and signed by the Rebels in September 2015. In 137 career WHL regular season games, Hagel has 118 points (44G-74A).

byron.hackett@www.reddeeradvocate.com



Byron Hackett

About the Author: Byron Hackett

Byron has been the sports reporter at the advocate since December of 2016. He likes to spend his time in cold hockey arenas accompanied by luke warm, watered down coffee.
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