Game Preview: Cougars vs. Giants: 0
WHL Prince George Cougars

Game Preview: Cougars vs. Giants: 0

Published on January 23, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Prince George Cougars News Release


PRINCE GEORGE, BC - The Prince George Cougars return to CN Centre as they aim for four straight wins as they host the Vancouver Giants.

When: Friday, January 23

Puck Drop: 7:00 pm

Cougars Record: 26-16-2-0 (54 Points)

Cougars Last Game: A 5-1 win in Vancouver over the Giants on Sunday, Jan. 18

Western Conference: 3rd

BC Division: 2nd

Prince George Cougars Roster Breakdown (Birth Year):

2005-born players (3) - Dumanski, Gizowski, Seitz

2006-born players (7) - Souch, Ashe, Parascak, Vaughan, Ravensbergen, Levshyn, Sobry

2007-born players (6) - Foster, Yakutsenak, Shurgot, Lajoie, Anisimov, Fisher

2008-born players (7) - Kozicky, Lemire, Finnegan, Cahill, Carels, Johnston, Funk

2009-born players (1) - Hajt

Giants Record: 18-25-1-2 (39 Points)

Giants Last Game: A 5-1 loss to the Cougars on Sunday, Jan. 18

Western Conference: 10th

BC Division: 6th

Vancouver Giants Roster Breakdown (Birth Year):

2005-born players (3) - Volotovskii, Pyne, Mittlesteadt

2006-born players (3) - Titlbach, Domenichelli, Skok

2007-born players (9) - Oreskovic, Charko, Sharpe, Hood, Hartmann, Marrelli, McCloskey, Pawlenchuk, Tomik

2008-born players (8) - Olson, Lin, Hayes, Preston, Pura, Iginla, Riggall, Gerrior

2009-born players (2) - Byrks, Chorney

Last Time Out:

-The Cougars collected their third straight win with a 5-1 victory

-Carson Carels, Jett Lajoie, Arsenii Anisimov, Riley Ashe, and Dmitri Yakutsenak scored in the win

-Josh Ravensbergen recorded his second straight, making 31 saves on 32 shots

-Prince George registerd 50 shots for the second time in their last three games

Previous Meetings vs. VAN This Season:

November 2: The Cougars got an impressive performance from Josh Ravensbergen but the Cats were edged 2-1 to the Giants in Langley

January 18: The Cougars used a 50 shot performance, five different goal scorers, and 31 saves from Josh Ravensbergen to help PG to a 5-1 win.

The Carson Show

- Since returning from the 2026 World Juniors, draft-eligible defenceman Carson Carels has collected at least a point in the eight games he has been back.

- Carels has points in eight straight games and points in 13 of his last 14 games

- Carels is ranked as the #3 skater on NHL Central Scouting's Mid-Season Rankings ; That makes him the top NHL draft prospect in the CHL.

Back at Home

-The Cougars return back to home ice for the first time since Jan. 11.

-The Cougars own 12 of their 26 wins at home, which ranks T-4th in the Western Conference

-The Cougar power-play has been dynamite at CN Centre, rankings first in the West at 34.2%

In Net:

- After both being rested for the week ahead of the weekend, we could defintiely see either Josh Ravensbergen or Alex Levshyn start tonight. Both goaltenders picked up wins on the last road trip with Levshyn coming in relief on Friday, Jan. 16 in KAM and then Ravensbergen picked up a pair of wins on Jan. 17 at KEL and Jan. 18 at VAN.

More on the Cougars:

Tonight's Jerseys:

- Tonight marks Real Canadian Superstore Fan Designed Jersey Night

- The Cats will don speciality black jerseys designed by 13-year-old Olivia Wilkin

- These jerseys are up for Auction now with 100% of the proceeds going towards the President's Choice Childrens Foundation which helps feed over one million kids each year

- The Jersey Auction is live HERE.

On the Other Side:

- The Giants enter tonight with three wins in their last 10 games

- Vancouver is 6-15-0-2 on the road this season

- Up front, Jakob Oreskovic paces the Giants (currently healthy) - with 27 points

- The Giants are without their two-headed monster in draft-eligibles Ryan Lin and Mathis Preston - the duo combines for 26 goals and 59 assists

-In goal, New York Islanders prospect Burke Hood has appeared in the teams last three games, making over 30 plus saves in each of them

-Hood sports a 15-11-1-1 record, along with a .898 save percentage and a 2.70 goals against averegae

After Tonight:

- The Cats conclude the double-header with Vancouver tomorrow at 6:00 pm

Next Game: Saturday, January 24 vs. Vancouver - 6:00 pm | TICKETS

Check out the Prince George Cougars Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from January 23, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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