Whiz kid Wicklander
Brantford Bulldogs have a potential steal of an Ontario Hockey League draft pick prospect in their possession in the person of forward Kaden Wicklander of the Espanola Paper Kings of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
With a 2008 birth date and one of the youngest players in the entire NOJHL, the rookie Wicklander is leading Espanola in scoring and, along with 2007 birth year goalie James Meredith, the two have been major spark plugs for the surging Paper Kings.

Despite being so young and competing against players one, two, three and four years older, the 5 foot 9, 155 pound Wicklander tops the Espanola scoring chart with 17 goals, 23 assists, 40 points in 34 games. His signature effort of the season thus far came in a recent 5-4 win over the Iroquois Falls Storm in which Wicklander figured in on all five Espanola goals by scoring four times and adding an assist.
Wicklander was an 11th round pick by Brantford from the Sudbury Under 16 Wolves of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League at the 2024 OHL priority selections draft. In 44 games with the U16 Wolves, regular season and playoffs included, during the ’23-24 season, Wicklander rang up 21 goals, 28 assists, 49 points.
As for how he has fit in with Espanola as an NOJHL rookie and a key component for the Paper Kings this season, Wicklander’s impact has not gone unnoticed by the team’s general manager, Marc Gagnon.
“Wicklander is a skilled and often a dynamic offensive contributor for us,” Gagnon relayed to Hockey News North. “His puck skills and hockey IQ have earned him to be a valuable asset in both even strength and special teams, particularly the power play, for us. Besides that, he is a great kid and teammate as well.”
Well coached by Jason Rapcewicz, the Paper Kings are on a roll with five straight wins and are in a frantic race for the eighth and final playoff place with the Soo Thunderbirds, French River Rapids and Iroquois Falls Storm.
