By Glen Erickson /
With a little less than a month remaining in the 2009/10 WHL campaign, the Prince George Cougars are well aware that their fate was sealed a few weeks ago. The young group has endured the school of hard knocks this season, coming out on the losing end many more times than naught.
The highs and lows of a youth movement have been evident in Prince George. The approach is geared to bear fruit in the future. However, there is a hint of frustration in the voice of general manager Dallas Thompson as the regular season schedule winds down.
“This year has been, well, I’ve used the word ‘bizarre,’ I’ve used the word frustrating, but at the same time we’ve made some pretty good strides,” Thompson said. “For the majority of the year, we’ve played ten 17-year-olds every night and those guys are starting to come along.
We’re excited about those guys for next year.”
Among the youngsters who have made an impression across the league are defenceman Jesse Forsberg, and forwards Brock Hirsche, Taylor Makin and Yaroslav Vlach. Thompson likes what he’s seen.
“Forsberg has been real good for us, especially during the second quarter of the season where he was very strong,” Thompson said. “He went to the World U17, then when he came back, he got injured. Jesse got better every game before the injury.
“We’ve played Brock Hirsche, Taylor Makin and Yaroslav Vlach together and they’ve been very good for us. They’re all 17-year-olds who are hovering around the ten goals area. So we hope those numbers can improve into next season.”
As far as veterans go, Thompson is very pleased with the contribution of 20-year-old forward Alex Rogers.
“I think it can be very frustrating for a veteran guy,” Thompson said. “He’s been a real leader here. He comes to us this year, we get off to a tough start and it looks like things are crumbling. Then at the trade deadline, we move two of our better players out and Alex is kind of left here. But you know, he’s only gotten better since the trade deadline. He didn’t hang his head and pack it in. He got better each and every night. Alex has been real solid.”
Through the remainder of the schedule, Thompson is adamant about his expectations.
“We have to get better each and every night and that doesn’t change from here on in,” he said. “We have to be enthusiastic and energetic. The coaches have made it pretty enjoyable here in a tough situation and the guys are playing for their coaches. That is really what you want and that’s the way we have to be the rest of the way.” |