Courtesy: Prince George Cougars

By Ethan Ready

Born to be Wild

Former PG Cougar modelling game after Iowa teammate Cody McLeod

Feb 17, 2021 | 6:00 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – It was shortly after the unprecedented completion of the WHL’s 2019-2020 regular season when the Prince George Cougars’ captain and leading scorer Josh Maser signed a professional hockey contract with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League.

“It’s always been a goal of mine to play pro hockey ever since I was young. I remember talking about it with my parents and that was the end goal to eventually make it pro and give myself an opportunity to eventually make it to the NHL.”

The product of Houston BC said he took a lot out of last year in preparing for his first season of professional hockey, chasing down a final playoff spot with the Cougars before the season was shut down as Prince George was carrying a three-game winning streak before hitting the road for their remaining six games.

While his pro career is still young, longevity is already top of mind for the 22-year-old, making the most of a new-struck friendship with teammate Cody McLeod, one who’s played 775 games in the NHL in a career stretching over 15 seasons.

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“You just have to keep it simple out there. He has shown me how to do that. He has played a lot of games in the NHL. I think the reason he’s been able to do that is he keeps things simple out there. He’s never overcomplicating things like over-stickhandling. He’s always making the right play out there, finishing his hits, whatever it might be, he’s doing it right.”

Maser admits he’s wanting to model his game after McLeod’s, hoping that in doing so that it would transition into a long and healthy career playing pro hockey.

The forward says it’s easy to model his game after McLeod, both playing similar roles in how they tend to stick their body in front of the net and bring the physical aspect to those battles in front of the opposing goalie.

While he’s found a vet to look up to, Maser also acknowledged the opportunity where he’s surrounded by a group of guys all ranging in age for the first time in his career.

“That was one thing that was tough to adjust to out there was just how everyone is always in position and always doing right. They’ve been playing pro for a couple of years now. Those people who have been able to play for a few years know how to play the game right and do what their coaches tell them to do.”

Moving on from Prince George, the forward says he truly enjoyed his time as a Cougar. In two games played with the Wild this season, last year’s leading scorer for the Cats has already put his name on the scoresheet, tallying his first pro career goal in his first pro game.