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November 6, 2016

Host Spotlight: Cougars having a blast in 2016-17

2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series Prince George Cougars

Prince George, BC hosts Game 1 of the 2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series on Monday November 7th at 7:00pm PT/10:00pm ET on Sportsnet. The hometown Cougars are enjoying renewed success this season, off to their best start in franchise history.

There’s a buzz in the Canadian Hockey League’s northernmost market. The Prince George Cougars are off to a ferocious start, coming out of the gate with a 14-3-2-0 record to lead the ever-competitive B.C. Division through 19 games.

The Cougars, who haven’t won a playoff round in nine years, have brought a rejuvenated group to the ice under new head coach Richard Matvichuk, a Saskatoon Blades graduate who spent 13 years in the NHL, winning a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars in 1999.

After leading the Central Hockey League’s Allen Americans to back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014, Matvichuk was named the ECHL’s Coach of the Year with the Mid-Missouri Mavericks last season and has brought his winning brand to Prince George where the Cougars are currently the CHL’s third-ranked team.

“Everyone is close here, we’re a family,” said Cougars 19-year-old centreman Jansen Harkins, a second round pick of the Winnipeg Jets. “We’re winning, and we’re having a lot of fun doing it. Everyone here, the players, the staff, we’re all committed and working together and when everyone is on board it makes it a lot of fun.”

Harkins and Cougars teammate Brad Morrison, who were both first round WHL Bantam Draft picks by the club in 2012, will represent the Western Hockey League as the CIBC Canada Russia Series returns to Prince George for the first time since 2010.

Harkins, whose father Todd is in his third season as general manager of the Cougars, has enjoyed his time playing in Prince George, a city of over 70,000 people approximately 800 kilometers north of Vancouver. While road trips are lengthy, the camaraderie formed on those long drives through all matter of terrain is unique.

“It’s tight-knit, a good hockey city,” Harkins said. “Yeah, we log some good bus time, but I think guys know that when they come here and we get through it together. Playing in Prince George is a great experience with great fans and good people.”

The CN Centre hosts Game 1 of the 2016 CIBC Canada Russia Series on Monday as Harkins and Team WHL get their first look at a Russian team that features a number of NHL prospects.

Harkins scored a pair of goals over two games against Russia in last year’s event as Team WHL claimed wins in Kelowna and Kamloops.

“It’s fast-paced and they’re going to be fresh on Monday, so a quick start will be important for us,” he said. “The intensity is high whenever Canada and Russia play each other and I don’t expect that this will be any different.”

The Russian squad will feature WHL talent in draft eligible winger Nikita Popugaev and Washington Capitals prospect Dmitry Zaitsev of the Moose Jaw Warriors along with Swift Current Broncos defender Artem Minulin and Regina Pats rearguard Sergey Zborovskiy.

The Russians feature high-end talent in Philadelphia Flyers first round pick German Rubtsov as well as 2016 CHL Import Draft first overall pick Klim Kostin, a 17-year-old currently playing professionally in the KHL.

Monday’s contest will be the 27th ever meeting between Team WHL and Russia, with the former holding an 18-6-2 record in past encounters.

Don’t miss a second of the action! See Monday’s game live from Prince George, BC on Sportsnet at 10:00pm PT/7:00pm ET.

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