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WHL Prince George Cougars

Game Preivew: Prince George Cougars at Portland Winterhawks

October 5, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


PORTLAND, OR - Tonight, in Portland, the Prince George Cougars conclude their five-game road trip as they battle the Portland Winterhawks in a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Championship Series. The Cats are coming off a 5-2 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds last night at the accesso ShoWare Centre.

LAST GAME RECAP: The Prince George Cougars are coming off their second consecutive victory on their road trip with a 5-2 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds. Carlin Dezainde propelled the PG offence, compiling three points in the win. Hunter Laing, Borya Valis, and Jett Lajoie also buried goals for Prince George, while Josh Ravensbergen made 27 saves in the victory.

HEAD-TO-HEAD PREVIEW: Tonight is the first of four meetings between the Prince George Cougars and the Portland Winterhawks. The Cougars finished the season series 2-2 against Portland last season. Riley Heidt led all returning Cougars in points against Portland with five (2-3-5) in four games.

AYE AYE CAPTAIN: The Cougars announced on Wednesday, October 2nd, that Riley Heidt has been named the 30th captain in franchise history. The newly acquainted captain is entering his fifth season with the Cougars and leads the franchise in points (280) and assists (195). Heidt succeeds former captain Hudson Thornton who is currently in the Hershey Bears (AHL) organization. Serving as Alternate captains are Borya Valis, Carlin Dezainde, and Bauer Dumanski.

BACK IN THE SADDLE: The Prince George Cougars have received a boost to their line-up as Riley Heidt and Terik Parascak have joined the Cougars for the 2024-25 season after being re-assigned by their NHL Clubs. Heidt is back after being with the Minnesota Wild for his second NHL Training Camp. Heidt appeared in three pre-season games for Minnesota. For Parascak, he spent the past two and a half weeks with the Washington Capitals organization. The 2024 first round pick appeared in one game for the Capitals and collected one assist.

STRIKING A DEAL WITH SPOKANE: The Cougars acquired goaltender Cooper Michaluk from the Spokane Chiefs in exchange for a fifth-round selection in 2027. Michaluk, 19, appeared in 71 games over four seasons in Spokane, including a 4-3 OT win where he defeated the Cougars, making 27 saves. In 71 games as a Chief, Michaluk is 21-34-6.

VIVA VILLY: Defenceman Viliam Kmec has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights. Kmec, 20, was a free agent invite to Vegas' development camp this past summer and has translated it into an NHL contract. Additionally, Kmec has returned to the Cougars for the 2024-25 season.

READY. SET. VEGAS.: Forwards Terik Parascak, Ondrej Becher, and Hunter Laing were all selected at this summer's NHL Draft in Las Vegas, NV. The Washington Capitals drafted Parascak in the first round (#17 overall) and is the fifth Cougar ever to be selected in the opening round. The Lethbridge, AB native was named Co-Rookie of the Year during the Cougars' end-of-season awards, leading all Cougar rookies in scoring with 43 goals and 105 points in 68 games. He represented the Cougars at the 2024 CHL/NHL Top Prospects' game and was the first Cougar selected in Las Vegas. Ondrej Becher's name was called a few rounds later as the Detroit Red Wings selected him in the third round (60th overall) of the draft. The Czechian forward had a career season with the Cougars, compiling 95 points over a 58-game span. A few rounds later, Hunter Laing heard his name called by the Calgary Flames in the sixth round (170th overall). The 6'6 forward from Kelowna scored 11 times in the 23-24 season and was the final player from the Cougars to hear their name called at the NHL Draft.

LET'S GO CAMPING: Ten Cougars who are eligible to play in the WHL this season participated at NHL rookie camps in September - Riley Heidt (Minnesota), Koehn Ziemmer (Los Angeles), Terik Parascak (Washington), Ondrej Becher (Detroit), Borya Valis (Detroit), Bauer Dumanski (Detroit), Hunter Laing (Calgary), Carlin Dezainde (Boston), Viliam Kmec (Vegas), and Ty Young (Vancouver). Riley Heidt, Koehn Ziemmer, and Terik Parascak have each signed entry-level contracts with their NHL clubs. Valis, Dumanski, Laing, and Kmec have all returned to the Cougars.

Additionally, alumni Zac Funk (Washington), Hudson Thornton (Washington), Chase Pauls (New York Rangers) Chase Wheatcroft (Dallas), Jaxsen Wiebe (Anaheim), Tyler Brennan (New Jersey), and Ethan Samson (Philadelphia) all skated at NHL Camps.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

WHEN: Saturday - 6:00 pm

WHERE: Veterans Memorial Coliseum - Portland, OR

LISTEN: 94.3 The Goat

WATCH: WHL Live

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Western Hockey League Stories from October 5, 2024


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