By Kaytlyn Poberznick

Prince George Cougars

‘I just kind of grew up in the rink,’ says Cougars Captain, Hudson Thornton, on his love for hockey

Dec 29, 2023 | 5:00 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – You probably wouldn’t be surprised to hear that the Prince George Cougars, Captain Hudson Thornton, has been playing hockey since he learned to walk. The Winnipeg native grew up in skates and that was the beginning of what is a successful career.

“Being from Canada, any young kid obviously wants to play hockey, and I was fortunate enough to have two older brothers that played and just kind of grew up in the rink.”

– Hudson Thornton, Cougars Defencemen

Thornton’s junior career didn’t start with the Cougars, and for that he is grateful. Saying he wouldn’t have been as successful in the WHL had he come to Prince George right off the hop.

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“I think when I got drafted I was pretty undersized. I was only 5’7″ and 160 lbs. So, you know, a big thing for me in my family was if I was going to come to the Western League, there was going to be a time when I could step in and be an effective player right away.”

As much as the D-Man has made a mark in the city, Prince George has made a mark on him.

“Yunno, it’s funny. When I got drafted here, I remember the night before, people were like ‘Well, if anybody gets drafted to Prince George tomorrow, I feel bad for you.’ And I didn’t really pay too much attention to it. Obviously, I got drafted. And I just thought the moment I walked in here, those people were so far from the truth.”