WHL Prince George Cougars

2023 WHL Graduates - Prince George Cougars

Published on July 20, 2023 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


Throughout the month of July, WHL.ca will be featuring the WHL Graduates from the 2022-23 season in a 22-part, team-by-team series.

We continue with the graduating players from the Prince George Cougars!

Cole Dubinsky

Forward Cole Dubinsky was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2017 WHL Draft by the Regina Pats and spent parts of six seasons in the Queen City, beginning with his WHL debut December 28, 2017. Dubinsky, from Ardrossan, Alta., scored his first WHL goal at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary in October of 2018, and upped his point total from nine (5G-4A) during the 2018-19 season to 22 (6G-16A) in the 2019-20 campaign. Dubinsky benefitted from the shortened 2020-21 season, scoring 14 points in 21 games with the Pats, an offensive output that set the table for a career-best 20-goal, 49-point season with Regina in 2021-22. After beginning the 2022-23 campaign with the Pats, Dubinsky moved to Prince George via trade and in 29 regular season games, scored 16 times with the Cougars including his first career WHL hat-trick February 10, 2023 at Kelowna. He made his WHL Playoffs debut with Prince George this past spring and didn't disappoint, chipping in with seven points as the Cougars reached the Second Round. In all, Dubinsky suited up in 232 WHL regular season games, totalling 128 points (54G-74A).

Chase Wheatcroft

Hailing from Calgary, Alta., forward Chase Wheatcroft closed out his four-year WHL career with an unforgettable season with the Prince George Cougars, scoring 114 regular season and playoff points and earning an NHL contract with the Dallas Stars. Wheatcroft was originally signed by the Lethbridge Hurricanes ahead of the 2019-20 season and spent parts of three campaigns in the Windy City. Wheatcroft's first WHL goal came October 4, 2019 versus the Portland Winterhawks; he would go on to finish his rookie campaign with seven goals and 29 points before outdoing his 2019-20 goals total during the shortened 2020-21 campaign. Wheatcroft played in 22 games with Lethbridge during the 2021-22 season before a move to the Winnipeg ICE ahead of the 2022 WHL Trade Deadline. With Winnipeg, Wheatcroft tucked home 12 goals and 20 points in 33 games, appearing in 15 playoff contests as the ICE reached the Eastern Conference Championship series. He was dealt to the Cougars in June of 2022 and this past season recorded the second-highest single-season point total since the franchise moved to Prince George in 1994, scoring 47 goals and totalling 107 points from his 68 regular season games. His legend grew in the post-season: Wheatcroft scored five times in 10 games, including an overtime winner that pushed the Cougars through to the Second Round of the WHL Playoffs for the first time in 16 years. He'll begin his professional career in the Dallas Stars organization this fall.

Jaxsen Wiebe

Like Wheatcroft, forward Jaxsen Wiebe earned a free-agent NHL contract after a strong performance in 2022-23 with the Prince George Cougars. And like Wheatcroft, Wiebe began his WHL career in the province of Alberta, debuting with the Red Deer Rebels in 2019-20 after being selected in the seventh round of the 2017 WHL Draft. Wiebe's first WHL point was a goal at Medicine Hat October 5, 2019; he finished his rookie campaign with eight goals and 17 points. After two seasons with Red Deer, Wiebe headed north in a deal with the Edmonton Oil Kings, with whom he tallied 36 points (10G-26A) from 51 regular season appearances in 2021-22. The product of Moose Jaw, Sask. added eight points during the 2022 WHL Playoffs, helping Edmonton win the WHL Championship, then scored a hat-trick at the 2022 Memorial Cup versus host Saint John. Wiebe made six more appearances with Edmonton to begin the 2022-23 season before being traded to the Prince George Cougars. In 39 regular season contests, Wiebe put up 35 points (11G-24A), adding five more points (and an overtime game-winning goal) during the 2023 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien. Wiebe signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks in March, and he will begin his professional career in the Anaheim organization this autumn.

Check out the Prince George Cougars Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from July 20, 2023


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