Game Preview | Cougars at Giants | 11/24/24
LANGLEY, BC – Tonight, at the Langley Events Centre, the Prince George Cougars visit the Vancouver Giants as they battle for the fourth time this season. Puck drop is at 4:00.
THRU 23: The Prince George Cougars enter tonight with a 13-5-3-2 record (31 points) after 23 games. The Cats are 8-1-3-2 at home and 5-4-0-0 on the road this season.
LAST GAME RECAP: On Friday, November 21st, the Prince George Cougars concluded their six-game homestand with a 5-3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers at the CN Centre. Riley Heidt’s return to the line-up played a huge factor, contributing three points (2-1-3) in the win and was named the game’s first star. Jett Lajoie, Terik Parascak, and Arseni also found the back of the net in the win. For Anisimov, he netted his first WHL goal. Josh Ravensbergen picked up his 12th win of the season, making 19 saves.
CHL TOP 10 RANKINGS: In the eighth week of the CHL Top 10 Power Rankings, the Prince George Cougars are ranked at number six. This marks the eighth consecutive week Prince George has been listed in the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 rankings.
HOME COOKING: The Prince George Cougars have been no short of terrific at the CN Centre. The Cats have suffered just one regulation loss in the regular season at home since January 21, 2024. This season, Prince George is 8-1-3-2 at the CN Centre.
NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING: Three Prince George Cougars have been named to NHL Central Scouting’s Preliminary List. Goaltender Josh Ravensbergen and forwards Jett Lajoie and Aiden Foster were three Prince George Cougars named to the list. In total, 55 WHL players were named to the list. Ravensbergen was named an ‘A’ rating, which indicates the North Vancouver, BC product as a potential first-round selection. For Lajoie and Foster, they have them named a ‘C’ rating, which classifies the duo as a possible fourth or fifth-round pick.
RAVENSBERGEN TO CHL ROSTER: Cougar goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen is off to Ontario for the week as he has been named to Team CHL for the first edition of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota. The Prospects Challenge is a two-game series between the CHL and USA Hockey’s National Development Program (NTDP). The first game of the new event will take place Tuesday, November 26th, in London, ON, and the second contest will be Wednesday, November 27, in Oshawa, ON
LEONARD TO PG: On Thursday, October 31, the Cougars acquired defenceman Fraser Leonard (06) from the Calgary Hitmen in exchange for Drew Peterson (06) and a 2025 sixth-round selection. Leonard, 18, joins the Cougars after playing 59 games with the Hitmen and Saskatoon Blades. In those 59 games, the Cochrane, AB product owns four goals and five assists. In 2021, the 6’2 right-handed shot blue liner was selected in the fourth round by Saskatoon at 68th overall.
THE 300 CLUB: On Saturday, October 27th, Riley Heidt became the first Prince George Cougar in team history to reach the 300-point plateau. The Saskatoon, SK product owns 93 goals and 215 assists in 237 games.
HE’S PLUS WHAT!?: Cougar overage and import blueliner Viliam Kmec has been a staple on the Cougar blueline to begin the 2024-25 season. A signed prospect of the Vegas Golden Knights, Kmec has a +24 rating, which ranks third among all WHL skaters. On top of that +24, Kmec has 25 points in his first 21 games of the season (4-21-25), which ranks fourth among WHL blueliners.
27/13 CHASING HISTORY: Veteran forwards and NHL prospects Riley Heidt and Koehn Ziemmer are on history watch. For Ziemmer, he currently sits at 110 goals which is 10 behind current Cougars’ record holder Chase Witala (120). For Heidt, he is also on track for history. Heidt is 19 assists away from eclipsing Mark Morrison’s all-time Cougars record (VIC & PG) who owned 235.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Prince George Cougars’ special teams have been strong to start the season. The Cats PK opened with eight consecutive kills at home before allowing a goal. Entering today against the Vancouver Giants, the Cougars are second in the WHL at 83.0% on the PK. Prince George also sits third in the WHL in short-handed goals with four. The power-play for Prince George has also been connecting consistently. The PP is fifth in the WHL at 26.4% and is second in the WHL in goals for with 23.
HE’S SHUR-GOT IT GOING: Forward Lee Shurgot enters tonight with a five-game point streak. The former first-round selection of the Cats scored his first WHL goal against the Vancouver Giants on Saturday, November 9th.
MILESTONE WATCH:
Riley Heidt – 95 career goals (5 away from 100)
Riley Heidt – 216 career assists (20 away from record PG & VIC)
Koehn Ziemmer – 199 games played (2 away from 200)
Koehn Ziemmer – 110 career goals (11 away from all-time Cougar record)
Hunter Laing – 95 career games played (5 away from 100)
Terik Parascak – 91 career games played (9 away from 100)
Terik Parascak – 138 career points (12 away from 150)
Jett Lajoie – 82 career games played ( 18 away from 100)
Borya Valis – 175 career points (15 away from 200)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
WHEN: Sunday, November 24th, 2024
WHERE: Langley Events Centre – Langley, BC
LISTEN: 94.3 The Goat
WATCH: WHL Live
