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 chl.ca/whl-cougars |
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| Franchise history | |
| 1971–1994 | Victoria Cougars |
| 1994–present | Prince George Cougars |
The Prince George Cougars are a major junior ice hockey team from Canada. They are based in Prince George, British Columbia. The team started in 1971 as the Victoria Cougars. In 1994, they moved to Prince George. This made them the northernmost team in the Canadian Hockey League. The Cougars play in the B.C. Division of the Western Conference in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Their home games are held at the CN Centre.
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Team History: From Victoria to Prince George
The Cougars began as a junior hockey club in Victoria in 1971. They joined the Western Canada Hockey League that year. They were one of three teams from British Columbia to join the league. This helped the league have teams in all four Western Canadian provinces.
The Victoria Cougars won one league championship in 1981. But by 1994, they were having trouble. Not enough fans were coming to games, and travel costs were high. So, the team was sold and moved to Prince George. This move made the Cougars the most distant team in the entire Canadian Hockey League (CHL). Sometimes, they had to drive more than seven hours for away games.
The Prince George Cougars played their first season in 1994–95. They started at the Prince George Coliseum. Their new arena, the Multiplex (now CN Centre), was ready for their second season.
Cougars' Journey: Ups and Downs
The Cougars did not make the playoffs in their first two seasons. But they improved under coach Stan Butler. They reached the Division finals twice in the next four years. However, the team missed the playoffs many times between 2003 and 2014. Fan attendance dropped, and the team was almost sold and moved again.
In 2013, the owner, Rick Brodsky, decided to sell the team. A local investor, Greg Pocock, wanted to keep the team in Prince George. He teamed up with former Cougars players Dan Hamhuis and Eric Brewer. They formed a group to buy the team. The WHL approved the sale on April 30, 2014.
The new owners worked hard to make the team better. They improved the team's facilities and worked with the community. On the ice, the team won its first B.C. Division regular season title in 2016–17.
Record-Breaking Season: 2023–24 Success
The 2023–24 season was the team's best ever. The Cougars set new team records with 49 wins and 102 points. They entered the playoffs as the top team in the CHL. This was the first time they finished first in the WHL's Western Conference.
Two forwards, Zac Funk and Riley Heidt, broke the team's scoring records. Funk set a new record with 123 points and 67 goals. Heidt set a record with 80 assists. In the playoffs, the team reached the Western Conference final. This was their first time since 2007. They played against the Portland Winterhawks. The Cougars lost the series in six games. The last game went into double overtime, making it the longest game in Cougars history. After the season, coach and manager Mark Lamb was named the WHL's coach and executive of the year.
Team Look: Uniforms and Logos
The Cougars' main colors have always been red, white, and black. Their logo usually shows a cougar in different designs. After the team was sold in 2014, they got a new logo. It featured a cougar shape within the letter C. Their new uniforms also added gold to the color scheme.
Like many junior teams, the Cougars sometimes wear special jerseys. In 2024, they wore a jersey inspired by Indigenous art. It was designed by local artists.
Season-by-Season Performance
Here's a look at how the Prince George Cougars have performed each season:
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 | Did not qualify |
| 1995–96 | 72 | 17 | 53 | 2 | - | 219 | 340 | 36 | 7th West | Did not qualify |
| 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 semifinal |
| 1998–99 | 72 | 34 | 32 | 6 | - | 255 | 264 | 74 | 4th West | Lost West Division quarterfinal |
| 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 quarterfinal |
| 2001–02 | 72 | 34 | 27 | 9 | 2 | 244 | 215 | 79 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2002–03 | 72 | 26 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 257 | 317 | 57 | 5th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2003–04 | 72 | 30 | 34 | 7 | 1 | 214 | 236 | 68 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2004–05 | 72 | 26 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 158 | 223 | 57 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 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 quarterfinal |
| 2006–07 | 72 | 33 | 31 | 3 | 5 | 221 | 217 | 74 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference final |
| 2007–08 | 72 | 20 | 48 | 1 | 3 | 172 | 304 | 44 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2008–09 | 72 | 25 | 44 | 0 | 3 | 188 | 298 | 53 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2009–10 | 72 | 12 | 56 | 1 | 3 | 172 | 327 | 28 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2010–11 | 72 | 33 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 258 | 265 | 70 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2011–12 | 72 | 24 | 46 | 0 | 2 | 166 | 357 | 50 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2012–13 | 72 | 21 | 43 | 2 | 6 | 177 | 273 | 50 | 4th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2013–14 | 72 | 27 | 35 | 3 | 5 | 238 | 305 | 62 | 4th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2014–15 | 72 | 31 | 36 | 2 | 3 | 222 | 295 | 67 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2015–16 | 72 | 36 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 240 | 225 | 77 | 4th B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2016–17 | 72 | 45 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 253 | 201 | 96 | 1st B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2017–18 | 72 | 24 | 38 | 5 | 5 | 217 | 295 | 58 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 2018–19 | 68 | 19 | 41 | 5 | 3 | 152 | 237 | 46 | 5th B.C. | Did not qualify |
| 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 held due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021–22 | 68 | 24 | 39 | 4 | 1 | 177 | 240 | 53 | 3rd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
| 2022–23 | 68 | 37 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 290 | 241 | 81 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference semifinal |
| 2023–24 | 68 | 49 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 316 | 187 | 102 | 1st B.C. | Lost Western Conference final |
| 2024–25 | 68 | 41 | 21 | 4 | 2 | 251 | 222 | 88 | 2nd B.C. | Lost Western Conference quarterfinal |
Players Who Made It to the NHL
Many players from the Prince George Cougars have gone on to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). Here are some of them:
- 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
Team and Player Records
Here are some of the best records set by the Prince George Cougars as a team and by individual players.
Team Records for One Season
| Statistic | Total | Season |
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| Most points | 102 | 2023–24 |
| Most wins | 49 | 2023–24 |
| Longest point streak | 19 | 2023–24 |
| Most goals for | 316 | 2023–24 |
| Fewest goals for | 158 | 2004–05 |
| Fewest goals against | 187 | 2023–24 |
| Most goals against | 392 | 1994–95 |
Individual Player Records for One Season
| Statistic | Player | Total | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most goals | Zac Funk | 67 | 2023–24 |
| Most assists | Riley Heidt | 80 | 2023–24 |
| Most points | Zac Funk | 123 | 2023–24 |
| Most points, rookie | Terik Parascak | 105 | 2023–24 |
| Most points, defenceman | Hudson Thornton | 74 | 2023–24 |
| Most shutouts (goalie) | Josh Ravensbergen | 6 | 2023–24 |
| Goalies = minimum 1500 minutes played | |||
Career Records for Players
| Statistic | Player | Total | Career |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most goals | Chase Witala | 120 | 2011–2014 |
| Most assists | Riley Heidt | 195 | 2020–2024 |
| Most points | Riley Heidt | 280 | 2020–2024 |
| Most points, defenceman | Hudson Thornton | 196 | 2020–2024 |
| Most games played | Greg Gardner | 338 | 2003–2008 |
Awards Won by Cougars Players and Coaches
Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (WHL player of the year)
- Dan Hamhuis: 2001–02
Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (WHL rookie of the year)
- Brett Connolly: 2008–09
Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy (WHL top defenceman)
- Christian Chartier: 2000–01
- Dan Hamhuis: 2001–02
Brad Hornung Trophy (WHL most sportsmanship)
- Trent Hunter: 1999–00
Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy (WHL coach of the year)
- Mark Lamb: 2023–24
See also
- List of ice hockey teams in British Columbia
