Game Preview | Cougars vs. Winterhawks
WHL Prince George Cougars

Game Preview | Cougars vs. Winterhawks

Published on September 19, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


PRINCE GEORGE, BC - The Prince George Cougars kick off the 2025-26 Regular Season tonight as they host the Portland Winterhawks at 7:00 pm at the CN Centre. Tonight's game features a guaranteed 50/50 jackpot of $40,000. You must be in house to win the big prize. You can catch tonight's action live on 94.3 The Goat with Allan Bristowe and Hartley Miller with the pre-game beginning at 6:45. You can listen live HERE. You can also watch the game and every game all season long for FREE on Victory+. Watch live HERE.

2025-2026 REGULAR SEAON SERIES

October 5/2024 - at Portland (3-2 POR)

October 8/2024 - vs Portland (4-3 POR OT)

October 9/2024 - vs Portland (5-4 POR SO)

December 13/2024 - at Portland (4-1 POR)

vs.WINTERHAWKS: Tonight is the first of four meetings between the Cougars and Winterhawks. Last season, Portland won all four contests in the regular season series, though the Cougars did collect points in two of the four contests. The Cougars and Hawks are no stranger to each other, meeting in the 2024 and 2025 WHL Playoffs. The Prince George Cougars own a record of 3-3-1-1 against Portland in the last five seasons at the CN Centre. This will be the first time Portland sees the Cougars in Prince George in the regular season since October 8, 2024 - a span of 345 days.

REGULAR SEASON SERIES

September 19/2025 vs. Portland

September 20/2025 - vs. Portland

October 31/2025 - at Portland

November 5/2025 - at Portland

2024-2025 REGULAR SEASON LEADERS (Returning Players):

Goals (28) - Terik Parascak

Assists (54) - Terik Parascak

Points (82) - Terik Parascak

Penalty Minutes (136) - Aiden Foster

Plus/Minus (+22) - Carson Carels

Wins (33) - Joshua Ravensbergen

Goals Against Average (3.00) - Joshua Ravensbergen

Save Percentage (.901) - Joshua Ravensbergen

Shutouts (0) - N/A

REGULAR SEASON MILESTONE WATCH:

-Bauer Dumanski is one game away from 250 career games

-Bauer Dumanski is 26 points away from 100 career points

-Terik Parascak is 13 points away from 200 career points

-Jett Lajoie is 5 points away from 50 career points

-Joshua Ravensbergen is 11 games away from 100 career games

-Kooper Gizowski is 11 games away from 250 career games

-Kooper Gizowski is 2 goals away from 50 career goals

-Kooper Gizowski is 1 assist away from 50 career assists

-Kooper Gizowski is 3 points away from 100 career points

UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025: Prince George Cougars vs. Portland Winterhawks, 7:00 pm, CN Centre

Friday, Oct. 3, 2025: Prince George Cougars at Spokane Chiefs, 7:05 pm, Spokane Memorial Arena

Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025: Prince George Cougars at Spokane Chiefs, 7:05 pm, Spokane Memorial Arena

Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025: Prince George Cougars vs. Kelowna Rockets, 7:00 pm, CN Centre

Friday, October. 11, 2025: Prince George Cougars vs. Tri-City Americans, 7:00 pm, CN Centre

NEWS AND NOTES

THE PRE-SEASON: The Prince George Cougars competed in four contests over the preseason schedule. They took on the Edmonton Oil Kings on September 5th and 7th in Hinton, AB and then concluded the preseason the next weekend against the Kamloops Blazers, one in Kamloops on Friday, September 12th and Saturday, September 13th in Quesnel. Dmitri Yakutsenak, Riley Ashe, and Kayden Lemire led the Cougars skaters in scoring with two points each. Alex Levshyn appeared in all four games, which included three starts.

2024-25 SEASON RECAP: The Prince George Cougars wrapped up the 2024-25 campaign with a 41-21-4-2 record (88 points), securing second place in the BC Division and fourth overall in the Western Conference. On home ice, the Cougars were a force, posting the best record in the BC Division and tying for the top mark in the Western Conference with a dominant 24-5-3-2 (53 points), matching the Everett Silvertips. In the 2025 WHL Playoffs, Prince George battled the Portland Winterhawks in a thrilling seven-game opening-round series. Washington Capitals prospect Terik Parascak led all returning Cougars in scoring with 28 goals and 54 assists in 59 games. Meanwhile, San Jose Sharks first-round pick Josh Ravensbergen delivered an outstanding season in goal, recording 33 wins - the second-most in the WHL.

DRAFTED: Two Cougars were selected at the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, CA. Josh Ravensbergen was chosen in the first round, 30th overall, by the San Jose Sharks. With the pick, he became both the highest-drafted goaltender in Cougars history and the highest-drafted goalie in Sharks history. Aiden Foster was then taken by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fifth round, 127th overall. Foster is the first Cougar selected by Tampa Bay since Brett Connolly in 2010.

LETS GO CAMPING! Four Prince George Cougars were invited to NHL Rookie Camps this September. Forwards Aiden Foster (Tampa Bay Lightning), Terik Parascak (Washington Capitals), defenceman Corbin Vaughan (New York Rangers), and goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen (San Jose Sharks). For Foster, he found the back of the net and suited up in two games for the bolts, Ravensbergen picked up a win in his first start in an NHL jersey, and Vaughan dropped the mitts twice in the same game. For Parascak, he also got into games and provided a pair of assists.

THIRTEEN: Thirteen Cougars return to the opening night roster from last season. The group features six forwards (Foster, Sopiarz, Shurgot, Lemire, Parascak, Lajoie), six defencemen (Dumanski, Carels, Chichkin, Anisimov, Vaughan, Hunter), and one goaltender (Ravensbergen). In last year's playoffs, Terik Parascak paced the Cougars with 10 points (4G-6A) in seven games, while Aiden Foster contributed six assists across the series.

DEBUT SEASON: Seven players are set to make their WHL regular-season debuts with the Cougars: Brock Souch, Dmitri Yakutsenak, Riley Ashe, Jack Finnegan, Phoenix Cahill, Eli Johnson, and Alexander Levshyn. Also back with the club after beginning 2024-25 in Prince George before reassignment are Townes Kozicky and Dermot Johnston.

KOOPER CLAIMED: During the off-season, the Cougars were able to acquire 20-year-old forward Kooper Gizowski off 20-year-old WHL Waivers. Gizowski, a veteran of nearly 250 games, joins the Cougars after spending his first four seasons in the league with both the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Spokane Chiefs. Gizowski scored 17 times last year for the Hurricanes, helping them to a berth in the Eastern Conference Championship series.

O CANADA: Both Joshua Ravensbergen and Terik Parascak attended Team Canada's National Junior Summer Showcase this summer which took place in Minneapolis, MN. The camp serves as an evaluation for Hockey Canada to select its roster to compete in the 2026 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in December. Ravensbergen and Parascak were two of 40 players invited to this summer's camp.

CARSON CANADA: Carson Carels was selected to represent Team Canada the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup this past August in Trencin, SVK and Brno, CZE. Carson and the Canadians earned a bronze medal, defeating Finland in their final game by a 3-0 score. This marks the third time Carels had earned the opportunity to represent the maple leaf. The 17-year-old draft eligible blue-liner owned a nice rookie season for the Cats, contributing, 38 points, and impressive +22 plus/minus which ranked in the Top WHL rookie skaters. Carels was originally selected 16th overall by Prince George in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.

HOME COOKING: The Cougars enter the 2025-26 season off the heels of the two best home record seasons in back to back seasons in team history. In 2024-25, the Cats were 24-5-3-2 inside the confines of the CN Centre. The year prior, the team was 25-7-1-1.

HOCKEY OPERATIONS UPDATES: Earlier this summer, the Prince George Cougars announced that General Manager and Head Coach Mark Lamb, Associate Coach Jim Playfair, and Assistant Coach Carter Rigby all signed multi-year extensions with the club. For Lamb, he ranks as the second highest winningest coach in team history and was also the recipient of the 2023-2024 WHL Coach and Executive of the Year The team also announced that Leland Mack has been named the clubs new Director of Scouting. Mack succeeds Bob Simmonds who is now transitioned to the teams Director of Player Personnel.

Check out the Prince George Cougars Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from September 19, 2025


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