[{"id":47894,"date":"2026-06-02T16:17:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/?p=47894"},"modified":"2026-06-02T16:17:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:17:12","slug":"north-dakota-bound-carels-could-return-to-cougars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/article\/north-dakota-bound-carels-could-return-to-cougars","title":{"rendered":"North Dakota-Bound Carels Could Return to Cougars"},"content":{"rendered":"

Article by Ted Clarke – PG Citizen<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are\u00a0317 kilometres of highway between Cypress River, Man., the hometown of Carson Carels, and Grand Forks, N.D., where he\u2019s signed to play hockey next season for the University of North Dakota.<\/p>\n

That shaves about 20 hours of steady driving time to connect from his current home on the farm in southern Manitoba to Prince George, Carel\u2019s hockey home for the past two seasons with the Cougars.<\/p>\n

If his new NCAA address comes into play next season that 2 1\/2-hour trip will make it a lot easier for his parents, Ryan and Stacy, and the rest of the Carels clan to make the trip across the border to watch his games playing defence for the Fighting Hawks.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s still a remote chance Prince George fans could see Carels back for another season in the WHL. It all depends on which NHL team picks him in next month\u2019s draft and where that team decides would be best for his development.<\/p>\n

Ranked as a top-six-overall pick on most draft lists, Carels is sure to be among the first handful of players chosen at the first-round draft proceedings Buffalo, N.Y. on June 26.<\/p>\n

It was announced May 18 that Carels has committed to North Dakota for next season, coming off a spectacular 17-year-old season with the Cougars in which he scored 20 goals and had 73 points in just 58 games and maintained a point-per-game pace in the playoffs with a goals and nine assists.<\/p>\n

It may seem inevitable that\u00a0he\u2019ll be joining his Cougars teammate Bauer Dumanski on that North Dakota team this fall. But Carels says if he signs this year with the NHL team that drafts him that could still mean he will be wearing a Cougar jersey again in 2026-27.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the draft still so undetermined there a chance I could sign and be back there (in Prince George), so you never really know, it\u2019s just a waiting game honestly,\u201d said Carels.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A CHL-NHL agreement specifies that signed NHL players aged 18 or 19 who do not make the active roster and play fewer than 10 NHL games must be returned to their junior team. They aren\u2019t allowed to play on any other pro team.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I sign with them and have an NHL contract then I\u2019ll play the games they allow me or try to make the NHL and obviously if I don\u2019t work out in the NHL I\u2019ll be sent back to Prince George and play there and have another great season with the team and try to bring it back to PG and go for it,\u201d Carels said.<\/p>\n

As a Cougars fan favourite, Carels led the team into the playoffs seeded third in the Western Conference. After dispatching the Spokane Chiefs in a seven-game opening round series the Cougars\u2019 season ended with a six-game series loss to the Penticton Vees.<\/p>\n

If he doesn\u2019t return for a third season he says he\u2019ll miss the thrill of stepping out onto the ice at a sold-out CN Centre to feel the chills running down his spine. The Cougars ranked second in the WHL for attendance during their 13-game playoff run and the fans made the rink an exciting place to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s why Prince George is probably the best hockey town in the WHL,\u201d Carels said. \u201cJust all the fans support us and know who we are and it\u2019s just a great fan base. It\u2019s a professional environment and it has that small-town vibe too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know where it will take me to next year but I hope it\u2019s somewhere I\u2019m appreciated as much as I was in Prince George,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d be more than happy to go back and do it for those fans and those people again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Victoria Royals lost five players to the NCAA during the off-season in 2025, including forward Cole Reschny (picked by the Calgary Flames 18th overall in the 2025 NHL draft) and defenceman Keaton Verhoeff (projected as a top-three draft pick this year). Both bolted to North Dakota. The Royals also were powerless to stop defenceman Justin Kipkie (Arizona State) and forwards Teydon Trembecky (Michigan Tech) and Nate Misskey (UMass-Lowell) from signing with NCAA teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the new life we\u2019re living, it really sucks,\u201d said Cougars head coach and general manager Mark Lamb. \u201cI have no idea what\u2019s going to happen, nobody does. When you don\u2019t have anything in your control you just have to play it out and let things happen and hope for the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Players who sign an entry-level NHL contract are ineligible to play in the NCAA, and that\u2019s what the Cougars are hoping will happen with Carels. At least then they\u2019ll have a shot at getting him back.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he\u2019s going to school he can\u2019t attend an NHL camp,\u201d said Lamb. \u201cWhat we need is a team that thinks he can play in the NHL right now and wants to see. Give him the nine games, that type of thing. Other than that, that\u2019s when the schools come in. They don\u2019t sign a contract, so they can\u2019t play pro.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carels was picked 15th overall by the Cougars in the WHL Prospects Draft and fit in right away when he joined the Cougars full-time from Pilot Mound Academy in Manitoba just before the playoffs in 2024. He played regular shifts as the Cougars advanced to the Western Conference championship, which they lost in six games to Portland.<\/p>\n

He thrived under coaching of Lamb and Jim Playfair who have been mouding him into a hard-hitting two-way defenceman.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was all the little habits (Playfair) wanted to focus on, it wasn\u2019t anything I was doing wrong or anything, it was just reminders and obviously he taught me the game and take care of my end zone and it helped be who I am as player today,\u201d said Carels.<\/p>\n

\u201cMark, too, has helped me in so many ways. He has so much experience and I earned so much from him. You can\u2019t get any better than those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carels leaps off the charts for his ability to make quick decisions to find open ice and thread bullet passes to open forwards and he\u2019s known for closing ground quickly in the defensive zone to defuse scoring chances.<\/p>\n

Carels, who turns 18 on June 23, finished high school a year early and is ready to step into the general studies program at North Dakota. With Dumanski, the former Cougar captain, also heading there, Carels won\u2019t have to go looking for a roommate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I do end up going there I\u2019ll be with my best bud and my roomie and I can imagine we\u2019re going to room together again and keep growing that connection,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019ll be real exciting and I\u2019m really proud of him, to play hockey and get an education at such a good school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carels, his brother and three sisters live on a 2,000-acre farm near Cypress River with 500 head of cattle to look after and now is calving season so there no shortage of chores to do. Aside from the NHL draft he\u2019s also looking forward to attending Canada\u2019s world junior camp that starts July 28 in Windsor, Ont. As a 17-year-old playing in a 19-year-old tournament, Carels helped Canada win the bronze medal at this year\u2019s championship in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be with my age group this year so I\u2019ll obviously have a bigger role with the team and we\u2019ll try our best to bring home the gold and kind of start getting on that winning streak for Canada,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Article by Ted Clarke – PG Citizen There are\u00a0317 kilometres of highway between Cypress River, Man., the hometown of Carson Carels, and Grand Forks, N.D., where he\u2019s signed to play hockey next season for the University of North Dakota. That shaves about 20 hours of steady driving time to connect from his current home on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":388,"featured_media":47895,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-47894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-437","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/06\/02153427\/PGC_7357-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/388"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":47890,"date":"2026-06-01T13:48:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T17:48:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/?p=47890"},"modified":"2026-06-01T13:48:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T17:48:43","slug":"carels-and-lemire-in-buffalo-for-2026-nhl-scouting-combine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/article\/carels-and-lemire-in-buffalo-for-2026-nhl-scouting-combine","title":{"rendered":"Carels and Lemire in Buffalo for 2026 NHL Scouting Combine"},"content":{"rendered":"

PRINCE GEORGE, BC –\u00a0<\/strong>Carson Carels and Kayden Lemire are two of 90 prospects that are in Buffalo, NY for the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine.<\/p>\n

The Combine, which will run June 1-6, provides the 32\u00a0NHL teams with physical and medical assessments of the top prospects ahead of the 2026 draft at KeyBank Center in Buffalo June 26-27.<\/p>\n

There will be 56 forwards, 29 defensemen, and five goalies attending the combine. All are listed in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings of North American and International skaters and goaltenders.<\/p>\n

Teams can have 1-on-1 interviews with prospects at KeyBank Center from June 1-5. The medical examinations will take place June 3, the Maximal VO2 bike test and isokinetic squat test, which is new to the Combine, will take place June 5, and the remaining eight of the 12 fitness tests will occur at HarborCenter on June 6 (standing height\/wingspan, horizontal jump, force plate vertical jumps, bench press, pro agility test, pull ups, 10-meter sprint, Wingate Cycle Ergometer test). The 10-meter sprint, also new to the Combine, will be conducted in conjunction with the pro agility test.<\/p>\n

Carson Carels (6-2, 198), No. 3 among North American skaters, finished with 73 points (20 goals, 53 assists) in 58 games with the Cougars this past season. He was a finalist for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as WHL defenceman of the year. Carels was also awarded the Eric Brewer Defenceman of the Year for the Cougars and was named a co-winner of the Dan Hamhuis Most Valubale Player Award (Carels and Josh Ravensbergen).<\/p>\n

For Lemire, he also burst onto the scene in his sophomore season with the Cougars. The Edmonton, AB product owned 29 points (9-20-29) and played the full 68 game regular season. The 6’4 forward was ranked #58 on NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings.<\/p>\n

Carels and Lemire are two of five Cougars from the 2025-26 season that were named to NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings. Dmitri Yakutsenak, Brock Souch, and Arsenii Anisimov were also named to that list.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PRINCE GEORGE, BC –\u00a0Carson Carels and Kayden Lemire are two of 90 prospects that are in Buffalo, NY for the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine. The Combine, which will run June 1-6, provides the 32\u00a0NHL teams with physical and medical assessments of the top prospects ahead of the 2026 draft at KeyBank Center in Buffalo June…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":388,"featured_media":47891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-47890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-437","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/06\/01134747\/Combine-2026.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/388"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":47887,"date":"2026-05-29T13:55:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T17:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/?p=47887"},"modified":"2026-05-29T14:04:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T18:04:53","slug":"carson-janko-signs-whl-scholarship-and-development-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/article\/carson-janko-signs-whl-scholarship-and-development-agreement","title":{"rendered":"Carson Janko Signs WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

PRINCE GEORGE, BC \u2013<\/strong> The Prince George Cougars<\/span><\/span> are pleased to announce the signing of forward Carson Janko (2010) to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.<\/p>\n

Janko was originally selected by the Cougars eighth overall in the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft.<\/p>\n

The Highland Village, Texas product spent the 2025\u201326 season with the Dallas Stars Elite 16U AAA program, where he registered 34 points (10G\u201324A) in 50 games played.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarson signing a Development Agreement is a big step and a testament to where our organization is at,\u201d said Cougars Director of Player Personnel Bob Simmonds. \u201cCarson comes out of the Dallas Jr. Stars program and brings a lot of potential. We are excited to welcome him back to training camp and expect him to continue building on a strong season.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Prince George Cougars<\/span><\/span> would like to congratulate Carson and his family on this exciting achievement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PRINCE GEORGE, BC \u2013 The Prince George Cougars are pleased to announce the signing of forward Carson Janko (2010) to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. Janko was originally selected by the Cougars eighth overall in the 2024 WHL U.S. Priority Draft. The Highland Village, Texas product spent the 2025\u201326 season with the Dallas Stars…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":388,"featured_media":47888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-47887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-437","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/05\/29140150\/Janko-Website.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/388"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47887\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":47884,"date":"2026-05-26T14:31:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/?p=47884"},"modified":"2026-05-26T14:31:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T18:31:27","slug":"cougars-sign-william-thompson-to-whl-scholarship-and-development-agreement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/article\/cougars-sign-william-thompson-to-whl-scholarship-and-development-agreement","title":{"rendered":"Cougars Sign William Thompson to WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement"},"content":{"rendered":"

PRINCE GEORGE, BC \u2014<\/strong> The Prince George Cougars have signed 2011-born forward William Thompson to a Western Hockey League Scholarship and Development Agreement. Thompson was the Cougars\u2019 first selection in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft (2nd Round, 41st Overall).<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-1, 162-pound forward spent the 2025\u201326 season with the North Shore Warriors U15 Prep program, serving as team captain. In 50 games, he recorded 23 goals and 27 assists for 50 points, along with 46 penalty minutes. He also added seven points (3G, 4A) in three playoff games and earned a call-up to the North Shore U17 team, posting one goal and two assists in three appearances.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super excited to join such a great organization,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cThe coaching staff and general manager reached out after the draft. I\u2019m excited to meet the guys and get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill is a big body and a responsible two-way player,\u201d said Cougars Director of Player Personnel Bob Simmonds. \u201cHis defensive game is just as strong as his offensive ability. He has excellent detail for a young player and a lot of upside.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were surprised he was still available at 41,\u201d added Cougars Director of Scouting Leland Mack. \u201cHe\u2019s a talented two-way centre with size who fits well into our draft class. We\u2019re excited to see him at training camp.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PRINCE GEORGE, BC \u2014 The Prince George Cougars have signed 2011-born forward William Thompson to a Western Hockey League Scholarship and Development Agreement. Thompson was the Cougars\u2019 first selection in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft (2nd Round, 41st Overall). The 6-foot-1, 162-pound forward spent the 2025\u201326 season with the North Shore Warriors U15 Prep program,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":388,"featured_media":47885,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-47884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-437","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/05\/26142332\/Thompson-Signed.png",1920,1080,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/388"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":47880,"date":"2026-05-21T13:55:45","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T17:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/?p=47880"},"modified":"2026-05-21T13:55:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T17:55:45","slug":"former-cougars-set-to-battle-in-echl-eastern-conference-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/article\/former-cougars-set-to-battle-in-echl-eastern-conference-final","title":{"rendered":"Former Cougars Set to Battle in ECHL Eastern Conference Final"},"content":{"rendered":"

PRINCE GEORGE, BC – <\/strong>The road to the Kelly Cup Final will feature a strong Prince George connection.<\/p>\n

Former Prince George Cougars players Taylor Gauthier and Cole Moberg are set to face off in the ECHL Eastern Conference Final, as Gauthier\u2019s Wheeling Nailers take on Moberg and the Florida Everblades in what promises to be an exciting series.<\/p>\n

Gauthier, who spent parts of five seasons with the Cougars, has continued to build his professional career between the pipes. Known for his athleticism and compete level during his time in Prince George, the Calgary, Alberta product has become a key part of Wheeling\u2019s playoff run.<\/p>\n

\"\"On the other side, Moberg has played an important role on the Everblades blue line. The towering defenceman suited up for the Cougars from 2019-2022 and quickly became a fan favourite with his physical style, steady defensive presence, and offensive ability. Florida enters the series looking to continue their pursuit of another Kelly Cup championship.<\/p>\n

\"\"

S<\/p><\/div>\n

To celebrate the exciting alumni showdown, the Cougars are also launching a new game-worn auction featuring a game-used Taylor Gauthier blocker and glove from his time in Prince George.<\/p>\n

Fans looking to own a unique piece of Cougars history can place their bids now HERE.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former Prince George Cougars teammates Taylor Gauthier and Cole Moberg will face off for a trip to the Kelly Cup Final as the ECHL Eastern Conference Final gets underway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":388,"featured_media":47883,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"article","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":false,"class_list":["post-47880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-437","description-off"],"acf":[],"featured_image":["https:\/\/media.chl.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2026\/05\/21135527\/BCP_5402-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"hide_from_app_feed":false,"video":false,"gallery":null,"ht_game_id":0,"target_video":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/388"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47880"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47880\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":47874,"date":"2026-05-13T15:47:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T19:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/?p=47874"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T19:54:10","slug":"william-thompson-excited-for-future-with-the-prince-george-cougars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chl.ca\/whl-cougars\/article\/william-thompson-excited-for-future-with-the-prince-george-cougars","title":{"rendered":"William Thompson Excited for Future with the Prince George Cougars"},"content":{"rendered":"

PRINCE GEORGE, BC – <\/strong>Prince George Cougars fans are getting their first look at a highly competitive and skilled forward after the club selected Will Thompson with the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.<\/p>\n

The 6\u20191\u201d forward captained the U15 North Shore Warriors this past season and put together an impressive offensive campaign, recording 50 points (23 goals, 27 assists) in 30 games. Beyond the numbers, Thompson prides himself on being a dependable two-way centre with a strong hockey IQ and relentless competitiveness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a centre who can score and has a high hockey IQ,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cI\u2019m very competitive and work very hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Thompson, hearing his name called by Prince George was a moment he will never forget \u2014 even if he almost missed it entirely.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I was actually on the ice when it happened,\u201d Thompson laughed. \u201cI had a practice, so as soon as I got off I had like 100 missed calls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the excitement settled in, the newest Cougars prospect quickly realized what kind of organization he was joining.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super excited to go to such a great organization,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cThe coaching staff and the GM all reached out. It seems like a great organization. I\u2019m super excited to meet the guys and get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson\u2019s season with the Warriors showcased steady growth and development. While the year began slowly, both he and his team found another level as the season progressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a bit of a slow start, but as the season went on we got more comfortable and picked it up,\u201d he explained. \u201cNear the end of the year we did really well in one tournament and that kind of flipped the switch for us. We had a way better end to the year. It was kind of the same for me \u2014 I got more comfortable and just kept improving more and more through the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leadership was another major part of Thompson\u2019s season. Serving as captain for the second time in his young career, he embraced the responsibility and helped guide a close-knit Warriors group throughout the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an honour this year,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cI enjoyed it with our team. We were like a family and brothers, so it honestly wasn\u2019t too hard. We pushed each other to be better every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

When describing his game, Thompson points to one of the NHL\u2019s premier two-way forwards as a player he models himself after.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say probably Anze Kopitar,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like my game resembles a lot of his. A two-way centre that can make things happen and also has a very high hockey IQ.\u201d<\/p>\n