Game Preview | Cougars vs. Warriors | 10/29/24
PRINCE GEORGE, BC – Tonight, at the CN Centre, the Prince George Cougars conclude their three-game home stand as they battle the defending WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors at 7:00 pm.
15 DOWN: The Prince George Cougars enter tonight with a 7-4-2-2 record (18 points) on the season after fifteen games. The Cats are 3-0-2-1 at home and 4-4-0-0 on the road so far this season. In 2023-24, the Cougars posted an 11-4 record after fifteen games.
LAST GAME RECAP: On Saturday, October 27th, the Prince George Cougars forced overtime late in the third period, and earned a point, despite falling to the Victoria Royals 5-4 in a shootout. Riley Heidt put together another multi-point performance, scoring twice, and was named the game’s first star. Viliam Kmec and Aiden Foster also added tallies in the setback.
THE 300 CLUB: On Saturday, October 27th, Riley Heidt became the first Prince George Cougar in team history to reach the 300-point plateau. After scoring two goals on Saturday against Victoria, the Saskatoon, SK product enters tonight with 93 goals and 207 assists in 232 games.
HOME COOKING: Entering tonight’s game, the Prince George Cougars have not been beaten in regulation in 283 days. The Cats’ last regulation loss in the regular season on home ice occurred on January 20, 2024, against the Portland Winterhawks. This season, Prince George is 3-0-2-2 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 has been named to Team CHL for the first edition of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota. The draft-eligible netminder enters tonight as the WHL’s league leader in wins with six. 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.
CHL TOP 10 RANKINGS: In the fourth week of the CHL Top 10 Power Rankings, the Prince George Cougars are ranked at number four. This marks the fourth consecutive week Prince George has been listed in the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10 rankings.
BIG BAD BORYA: Cougar 20-year-old forward Borya Valis has been on a tear to start his final season of junior hockey. The Denver, CO product enters tonight in the top ten in league scoring. Valis owns 21 points (6-15-21) in 13 games. Valis was acquired in January of 2024 from the Cougars from the Regina Pats. On Saturday, October 27th, Valis collected his 100th career assist.
CAN’T STOP JETT: It has been a start to remember for sophomore forward Jett Lajoie. The 2025 draft-eligible forward has collected 12 points in his first 15 games of the season. Those 12 points from Lajoie have already surpassed the 10 he owned in the 2023-24 season in 60 games played.
HE’S PLUS WHAT!?: Cougar over-age and import blue-liner Viliam Kmec has been a staple on the Cougar blue-line to begin the 2024-25 season. A signed prospect of the Vegas Golden Knights, Kmec owns a +12 rating which ranks fifth among all WHL skaters. On top of that +12, Kmec owns 13 points in his first 13 games of the season (3-10-13).
27+13=POINTS: Veteran forwards and NHL prospects Riley Heidt and Koehn Ziemmer continue to be point-producing machines in Prince George Cougar colours. The duo has combined for 31 points (14-17-31) through the first portion of the regular season. Heidt and Ziemmer are the two longest-tenured Cougars on their roster as they both enter their fifth seasons with the club.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Once again, 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 tonight against the Moose Jaw Warriors, the Cougars are fourth in the WHL at 81.2 on the PK. Prince George also leads in the WHL in short-handed goals with three. The power-play for Prince George has also been connecting consistently. The PP is fifth in the WHL at 26.3% and is second in the WHL in goals for with 15.
MILESTONE WATCH:
Riley Heidt – 92 career goals (8 away from 100)
Koehn Ziemmer – 97 goals (3 away from 100)
Koehn Ziemmer – 191 games played (9 away from 200)
Matteo Danis – 49 career points (1 away from 50)
Viliam Kmec – 193 career games played (7 away from 200)
Viliam Kmec – 93 career points (7 away from 100)
Hunter Laing – 87 career games played (13 away from 100)
Joshua Ravensbergen – 49 career games played (1 away from 50)
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
TICKETS: HERE
WHERE: CN Centre – Prince George, BC
WHEN: Tuesday, October 29th @ 7:00 pm PDT
LISTEN: 94.3 The Goat
WATCH: WHL Live
