Prince George Cougars facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prince George Cougars |
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| City | Prince George, British Columbia |
| League | Western Hockey League |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | B.C. |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Home arena | CN Centre |
| Colours | Red, bronze, white and black |
| General manager | Mark Lamb |
| Head coach | Mark Lamb |
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Website www.pgcougars.com |
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| Franchise history | |
| 1971–1994 | Victoria Cougars |
| 1994–present | Prince George Cougars |
The Prince George Cougars are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team currently members of the B.C. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The team is based in Prince George, British Columbia, and plays its home games at the CN Centre, formally known as the Prince George Multiplex. The Cougars were founded in 1971 as the Victoria Cougars, but later moved to Prince George in 1994, becoming the northernmost franchise in the Canadian Hockey League. On March 19, 2014, after months of rumours, a team of local investors led by Greg Pocock, along with NHLers Dan Hamhuis and Eric Brewer, agreed in principle to purchase the Prince George Cougars. The deal was approved by the WHL Board of Governors on April 30 the same year.
Contents
History
The Prince George Cougars played the 1994–95 season at the Prince George Coliseum, along the Tier II Prince George Spruce Kings, until the construction of the team's own arena was complete. The Cougars' logo for their first season in Prince George closely resembled that of the Victoria Cougars'. For the 1995–96 season, the Cougars moved into their new home, the Prince George Multiplex, since renamed the CN Centre. A new logo was also unveiled the same season.
The Cougars first made the playoffs in the 1996–97 WHL season under coach Stan Butler. The Cougars' most successful playoff run came during the 2006–07 season. Prince George achieved their first sweep of the Kamloops Blazers in a best-of-seven-game series, proceeded to defeat the top-ranked Everett Silvertips in six games and reached the Western Conference finals for the third time, which they ultimately they lost in five games to the eventual 2007 Memorial Cup champions, the Vancouver Giants.
2014 sale
After months of rumours, it was announced on March 19 that a team of local investors led by Greg Pocock, along with current NHLers and former Cougars Dan Hamhuis and Eric Brewer, had agreed in principle to purchase the Prince George Cougars. The price of the sale was undisclosed, and the official confirmation of the sale occurred on April 30 after approval from the WHL Board of Governors. Cougars owner Rick Brodsky and vice president Brandi Brodsky declined to comment at the time of the sale.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1994–95 | 72 | 14 | 55 | 3 | - | 229 | 392 | 31 | 7th West | Out of playoffs |
| 1995–96 | 72 | 17 | 53 | 2 | - | 219 | 340 | 36 | 7th West | Out of playoffs |
| 1996–97 | 72 | 28 | 39 | 5 | - | 238 | 287 | 61 | 6th West | Lost West Division final |
| 1997–98 | 72 | 43 | 24 | 5 | - | 311 | 236 | 91 | 3rd West | Lost West Division semi-final |
| 1998–99 | 72 | 34 | 32 | 6 | - | 255 | 264 | 74 | 4th West | Lost West Division quarter-final |
| 1999–2000 | 72 | 43 | 20 | 4 | 5 | 279 | 228 | 95 | 2nd West | Lost West Division final |
| 2000–01 | 72 | 31 | 33 | 4 | 4 | 242 | 266 | 70 | 5th West | Lost West Division quarter-final |
| 2001–02 | 72 | 34 | 27 | 9 | 2 | 244 | 215 | 79 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2002–03 | 72 | 26 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 257 | 317 | 57 | 5th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2003–04 | 72 | 30 | 34 | 7 | 1 | 214 | 236 | 68 | 5th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| 2004–05 | 72 | 26 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 158 | 223 | 57 | 5th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | GF | GA | Points | Finish | Playoffs |
| 2005–06 | 72 | 35 | 31 | 2 | 4 | 195 | 195 | 76 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2006–07 | 72 | 33 | 31 | 3 | 5 | 221 | 217 | 74 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference Finals |
| 2007–08 | 72 | 20 | 48 | 1 | 3 | 172 | 304 | 44 | 5th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| 2008–09 | 72 | 25 | 44 | 0 | 3 | 188 | 298 | 53 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2009–10 | 72 | 12 | 56 | 1 | 3 | 172 | 327 | 28 | 5th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| 2010–11 | 72 | 33 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 258 | 265 | 70 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2011–12 | 72 | 24 | 46 | 0 | 2 | 166 | 357 | 50 | 5th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| 2012–13 | 72 | 21 | 43 | 2 | 6 | 177 | 273 | 50 | 4th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| 2013–14 | 72 | 27 | 35 | 3 | 5 | 238 | 305 | 62 | 4th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| 2014–15 | 72 | 31 | 36 | 2 | 3 | 222 | 295 | 67 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2015–16 | 72 | 36 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 240 | 225 | 77 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2016–17 | 72 | 45 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 253 | 201 | 96 | 1st B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2017–18 | 72 | 24 | 38 | 5 | 5 | 217 | 295 | 58 | 5th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| 2018–19 | 68 | 19 | 41 | 5 | 3 | 152 | 237 | 46 | 5th B.C. | Out of playoffs |
| 2019–20 | 62 | 20 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 144 | 205 | 48 | 5th B.C. | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020–21 | 22 | 9 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 57 | 62 | 21 | 4th B.C. | No playoffs were held |
| 2021–22 | 68 | 24 | 39 | 4 | 1 | 177 | 240 | 53 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarter-final |
| 2022–23 | 68 | 37 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 290 | 241 | 81 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference Semi-final |
| 2023–24 | 68 | 49 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 316 | 187 | 102 | 1st B.C. | TBD |
Current roster
Updated March 30, 2024.
| # | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace | Drafted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 |  |
Arjun Bawa | LW | L | 19 | 2023 | Richmond, British Columbia | Undrafted |
| 21 |  |
Ondrej Becher | RW | L | 20 | 2022 | Ostrava, Czech Republic | Undrafted |
| 15 | |
Carson Carels | D | L | 16 | 2023 | Cypress River, Manitoba | Eligible 2026 |
| 14 | |
Matteo Danis | C | L | 19 | 2023 | Calgary, Alberta | Undrafted |
| 19 | |
Carlin Dezainde | C | L | 19 | 2021 | Calgary, Alberta | Undrafted |
| 24 | |
Keaton Dowhaniuk | D | L | 20 | 2019 | Star City, Saskatchewan | Undrafted |
| 2 | |
Bauer Dumanski | D | L | 19 | 2020 | Drake, Saskatchewan | Undrafted |
| 16 | |
Aiden Foster | LW | L | 17 | 2022 | Lloydminster, Alberta | Eligible 2025 |
| 17 | |
Zac Funk (A) | LW | L | 21 | 2023 | Vernon, British Columbia | 2024, FA, WSH |
| 27 | |
Riley Heidt (A) | LW | L | 19 | 2020 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 2023, 64th Overall, MIN |
| 30 | |
Brady Holtvogt | G | L | 17 | 2022 | Humboldt, Saskatchewan | Eligible 2025 |
| 6 |  |
Viliam Kmec | D | R | 20 | 2021 | Kosice, Slovakia | Undrafted |
| 11 | |
Hunter Laing | RW | R | 18 | 2021 | Kelowna, British Columbia | Eligible 2024 |
| 26 | |
Jett Lajoie | LW | R | 17 | 2022 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Eligible 2025 |
| 20 |  |
Nicholas McLennan | RW | R | 18 | 2021 | Anchorage, Alaska | Eligible 2024 |
| 3 | |
Ephram McNutt | D | R | 19 | 2020 | Red Deer, Alberta | Undrafted |
| 32 | |
Terik Parascak | RW | R | 18 | 2021 | Lethbridge, Alberta | Eligible 2024 |
| 4 | |
Chase Pauls | D | R | 21 | 2023 | Osler, Saskatchewan | Undrafted |
| 5 | |
Drew Peterson | D | R | 18 | 2021 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Eligible 2024 |
| 31 | |
Joshua Ravensbergen | G | R | 17 | 2023 | North Vancouver, British Columbia | Eligible 2025 |
| 8 | |
Oren Shtrom | LW | L | 20 | 2023 | Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec | Undrafted |
| 38 | |
Patrick Sopiarz | RW | R | 16 | 2023 | Edmonton, Alberta | Eligible 2026 |
| 12 | |
Hudson Thornton (C) | D | L | 20 | 2018 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Undrafted |
| 18 | |
Borya Valis | RW | R | 20 | 2023 | Denver, Colorado | Undrafted |
| 33 | |
Ty Young | G | L | 20 | 2019 | Coaldale, Alberta | 2022, 144th Overall, VAN |
| 13 | |
Koehn Ziemmer (A) | C | R | 19 | 2019 | Mayerthorpe, Alberta | 2023, 78th Overall, LAK |
NHL alumni
The following alumni of the Prince George Cougars have played in the National Hockey League.
- Blair Betts
- Alexandre Boikov
- Derek Boogaard
- Tyler Bouck
- Eric Brewer
- Dustin Byfuglien
- Zdeno Chara
- Dennis Cholowski
- Brett Connolly
- Jonathan Filewich
- Kyle Freadrich
- Brendan Guhle
- Dan Hamhuis
- Jansen Harkins
- Trent Hunter
- David Koci
- Joel Kwiatkowski
- Mike Leclerc
- Martin Marincin
- Chris Mason
- Vladimir Mihalik
- Ronald Petrovicky
- Justin Pogge
- Devin Setoguchi
- Nick Drazenovic
- Sheldon Souray
- Dana Tyrell
- Michael Wall
- Ty Wishart
Uniforms and logos
The Cougars colours are red, white and black. Home jerseys have a white upper portion, with a burgundy lower portion, separated by a diagonal black stripe. Away jerseys have a black upper portion, with a burgundy lower portion, separated by a diagonal white stripe. Prince George's third jersey features a redesigned logo (inset), on a burgundy jersey, with black, grey and white trim on the lower portion.
See also
- List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia
