2024 WHL Graduates – Prince George Cougars

Over the summer, the Western Hockey League will be celebrating the WHL Graduates from the 2023-24 season in a 22-part, team-by-team series. 

We continue with the graduating players from the Prince George Cougars.

Zac Funk (F)
Hometown: Coldstream, B.C.
WHL Career Stats: 228 GP – 119G-108A – 227 points
WHL Draft: 2018 – Second Round, 43rd Overall (Calgary Hitmen)
NHL Draft: 2024 – Signed (Washington Capitals)

Per Wikipedia, the term ‘late bloomer’ is classified as “a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual.” This season, the WHL’s late bloomer was none other than Prince George Cougars forward, Zac Funk. Selected in the second round, 43rd overall by the Calgary Hitmen at the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft, Funk called the Western League home for five seasons. He made his League debut on February 27, 2019, against the Swift Current Broncos, and scored his first career goal on March 13, 2021, versus the Medicine Hat Tigers. Funk, a product of Coldstream, B.C., spent parts of four seasons with the Hitmen, amassing 39 goals, 39 assists, and 78 points in 129 appearances. In January 2023, the forward was acquired by the Prince George Cougars in exchange for forward Carter MacAdams and three draft picks. It was in Prince George, B.C., where Funk’s game began to bloom. Traded midway through the 2022-23 season, the forward capped off his fourth campaign in the Western League by recording 26 points (13 goals–13 goals) in 31 games with the Cougars. When he returned for his fifth and final season in the League, Funk was nearly impossible to stop. Striking an instant connection with Cougars rookie – and eventual first-round selection by the Washington Capitals – Terik Parascak, the over-ager exploded onto the scoresheet, tallying up 123 points (67 goals–56 assists) in 68 games. Funk’s impressive performance throughout his farewell season left the 20-year-old second in League points, and first in League goals. His effort did not go unnoticed either, as he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals in March 2024.

Zac Funk is a 60-goal scorer. #ALLCAPS | @PGCougars pic.twitter.com/U4O7W9J92O

— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 9, 2024

Chase Pauls (D)
Hometown: Osler, Sask.
WHL Career Stats: 224 GP – 21G-48A – 69 points
WHL Draft: 2019 – Listed (Lethbridge Hurricanes)

Booming defenceman Chase Pauls finds himself exiting the Western League following a five-year campaign with both the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Prince George Cougars. After going undrafted at the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft, the recent graduate was listed and signed a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with the Lethbridge Hurricanes in 2019. Pauls made his League debut on January 4, 2020, and netted his first career goal just two games later – a 7-2 win over the Swift Current Broncos on January 11, 2020. The blueliner, who hails from Osler, Sask., spent parts of five seasons with the Hurricanes, racking up 55 points (18 goals–37 assists) in 190 appearances. In December 2023, Pauls was acquired via trade by the Prince George Cougars. Looking to bolster their depth for a deep run in the 2024 WHL Playoffs, Pauls became a familiar face on the Cougars’ blueline. In 34 regular season games with Prince George, the 6-foot-5 defenceman collected 14 points (three goals–11 assists). Pauls then skated in 15 post-season games, adding three more assists to his farewell campaign.

"The best four years of my life"

Defenceman Chase Pauls chats with the media following the conclusion of the 2023-2024 season.#ForTheNorth • #WHL pic.twitter.com/NA5X49orzZ

— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) May 7, 2024

Hudson Thornton (D)
Hometown: Winnipeg, Man.
WHL Career Stats: 207 GP – 56G-140A – 196 points
WHL Draft: 2018 – Second Round, 33rd Overall (Prince George Cougars)

For the first time in four years, Hudson Thornton will not return to the CN Centre in Prince George, B.C., having recently left the WHL as a graduating 20-year-old. Originally selected in the second round by the Prince George Cougars at the 2018 WHL Prospects Draft, Thornton’s departure from the League is one that stings for both the Cougars’ organization and its fanbase. Spending his entire career in interior British Columbia, the Winnipeg, Man. product grew to be a fan-favourite in Prince George. He was named assistant captain during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons and was eventually promoted to captain for the 2023-24 campaign. In 207 regular season games with the Club, Thornton boasts 56 goals, 140 assists, and 196 points. His junior hockey career is one filled with personal accomplishments, as he graduates from the WHL owning several records as a member of the Prince George franchise. His career-long 56 goals and 196 points place him first in all-time goals and points by a Prince George defenceman, while his single-season best of 74 points – set during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons – are also the most by any Prince George blueliner. At the conclusion of his fourth and final season with the Cougars, Thornton was also named the B.C. Division nominee for the WHL Defenceman of the Year award, and the Club’s Eric Brewer Defenceman of the Year. In April 2024, the Cougars captain signed a one-year, AHL contract with the Washington Capitals’ affiliate, the Hersey Bears – joining teammates Terik Parascak and Zac Funk in the Capitals’ prospect pool.

Oh captain, my captain!

Hudson Thornton picks up the extra point for the @PGCougars! pic.twitter.com/cU4QPPeO8L

— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 14, 2024