In past years we've heard from Brett Connolly of the Prince George Cougars and in the future Alex Forsberg will be a focal point in PG, but this year the Cougars have Troy Bourke who will hear his named called at the NHL draft. He currently leads Prince George in scoring and put up 21 points in 21 games through Nov/Dec earlier this season.
A deal today in the WHL that sees the Tri-City Americans and Prince George Cougars swapping goaltenders. The Americans have acquired Ty Rimmer and a 2012 rd plus 2013 5th round pick while sending 20-year-old Drew Owsley and a conditional 7th in 2013 to the Cougars.
Tonight the Edmonton Oil Kings play host to the Prince George Cougars at Rexall Place. It's a game that you should try to get to if you're a fan of entertainment and future stars of the NHL. It's also a pretty important game for both teams who sit 6th in their respective conferences. Here now are 5 reasons you should check it out.
Well I didn't see that coming with Russia beating team WHL in a shoot out, although we shouldn't be that shocked as they swept the Q and gave the OHL all they could handle. Maybe I'm a little biased but I didn't think Russia would win a game, let alone set themselves up for a sweep in the opener. They shouldn't have as the WHL gassed a 3 goal 3rd period lead when Russia lit them up like the Griswold house in Christmas Vacation and won it 7-6 in a shoot out.
When it comes to the top WHL rookies there are a number of young hot prospects, but you might be surprised that some of them aren't this list. Guys Like Martin Marincin of Prince George. The Oilers 2010 2nd round pick has 15 points in 13 games so far. Tyler Pitlick, also an Oiler draft pick who joined Medicine Hat after a year in the NCAA, won't be on it either. I don't think an NHL drafted player - or any player who is past their draft year - should be eligible for the Jim Piggott Memorial trophy for the loops top freshman. Instead here are some of the top players eligible for the 2011, 2012 or even 2013 NHL drafts learning their craft in the Western Hockey League.
The Prince George Cougars and Edmonton Oil Kings have a lot in common, so it wasn't surprising that it took 64 minutes, 59.9 seconds to decide things at Rexall Place Monday afternoon in an 8-7 sloppy but entertaining contest.
It sure was great to get back to the rink over the weekend. Not only did the Edmonton Oil Kings tournament provide onlookers with an opportunity to watch several high profile prospects, new Oiler properties and get a feel for how the local WHL is shaping up, but it also let me get back in face-to-face contact with the WHL community.
