The more things change, the more things stay the same. One year ago, I wrote the following:

 

“It’s opening weekend in the WHL and all 22 teams, including the Prince George Cougars, will give hockey fans the proverbial line about how excited they are to get the season started. Will this spin create sufficient excitement in Cougarville to increase a well-documented declining fan base?

 

My beliefs have not changed in that I feel similar to 52 weeks ago. Yes, I felt this just prior to the Cougars 08/09 season, which eventually saw the Cats finish 8th out of 10 in the Western Conference
and a quick exit in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the Vancouver Giants. 

 

Nevertheless, this 09/10 season, does bring some intrigue that could help this franchise gain needed respectability:

 

·        Hometown excitement… 17-year-old right-winger Brett Connolly, is a local boy coming off an awesome rookie year, with a chance at being the highest PG player ever selected in the NHL entry draft. His stock will have to drop significantly for him not to be a first round draft pick.      

 

·        Finally, some experience…..Head Coach, Dean Clark, comes with a great background in the league and more importantly an impressive record in 12 seasons behind the benches of Calgary, (96-01) Brandon (01-03) and Kamloops (03-07). Clark’s 382 wins is 12th most in WHL history and ranks sixth all-time in league playoff wins with 61. In taking over from Wade Klippenstein, Clark has a five-year contract, which should translate to a long-term tenure behind the bench. If he can mesh with the key personnel in the Brodsky family run business, (maybe not as easy as it sounds) then perhaps this is a marriage that can work.

 

·        Europeans…Another area that the Cougars appear better than the past is with their imports. While 17-year-old forward Jaroslav Vlach of the Czech Republic is, an unknown, 19-year-old forward Marek Viedensky looks like a front line player and should be a factor on many of Connolly’s goals and assists. (I doubt German Jerome Flaake, selected by the Cats 9th overall in the 2008 CHL Import Draft, remains a possibility but you never know)

 

·        A youth movement…And then there are younger players, which includes 16-year-old defencemen (former first round bantam pick) Jesse Forsberg and Shane Pilling. There is also a whopping eleven 17-year-olds, including defenceman Daniel Gibb of PG, who played with the Cariboo Cougars last season. In addition, there are five 18-year-olds, which includes Captain
Art Bidlevskii and defenceman Tyler Miller of PG, who suited up for the Westside Warriors
last season. Even if just a few of the younger players blossom, then perhaps this team could challenge down the road.

 

·        Bigger and Stronger…Size and toughness will be a factor. Just four of the 26 players on the roster are under 6-feet and 16 of the 26 are over six feet.

 

So, why do I think this will be another mediocre year for the Cats? I have several reasons including a lack of experience (11 rookies), a lack of secondary scoring, a lack of established top-notch WHL defencemen, a lack of high end 19 and 20-year-olds and a lack of a proven front line stopper.

 

18-year-old goalie James Priestner will be suiting up on his third WHL team. He played 29 games for Brandon last season, going 17-7-1-1 with a 3.08 goals against average with a save percentage of just 88.3%. The Edmonton product has only 57 regular season and playoff games under his belt with Brandon and Kamloops. 17-year-old goalie Michael Salmon is a rookie.

 

For the Cats to vault into the upper echelon of the Western Conference, many of the aforementioned concerns will need attention. Of course, there is a chance the team may have another Brett Connolly in the making, as there are always surprises and unexpected storylines. Surprises, however, do not always work out for the better.

 

From my vantage point, based on the information that lies in front of me, I predict that the Cougars will be a playoff team that will finish in the bottom half of the Conference. AS previously stated, one can change the coach, change the players, change the uniforms, but with the not so glowing history of this team, (now entering its 16th season in PG), changing the results is a lot easier to say than to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

 

 

 

 

Comedy writer Jerry Perisho http://monologuewriter.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

Comedy writer Jim Barach of WCHS-TV in Charleston, W.Va (http://jokesbyjim.blogspot.com/)

 

Contributor Derek Wilken of Calgary (http://smacksport.blogspot.com/)

 

 

 

Contributor Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California (www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com)

 

 

Comedy writer Marc Ragovin of New York

 

 

Kevin Gleason of the Middletown (N.Y.) Times Herald-Record, on the fan who streaked during a New York Mets game resulting in him receiving a lifetime ban from Citi Field.