Adding to the foundation

Cougars to flex assets this offseason with intention of bolstering young lineup

May 4, 2022 | 9:09 AM

PRINCE GEORGE – While the ice has been cleared out of the CN Centre and the locker room sits vacant, the Prince George Cougars are already moving on from this past season and preparing for the Western Hockey League’s 2022-23 season.

Mark Lamb, the General Manager and Head Coach for the team admits he was happy with the performance of the team this season, noting the development and growth of the league’s youngest team.

“When I look back and reflect on the year, it was pretty gratifying. we had a really young team that had to go through a lot of growing pains,” said Lamb

Connor Bowie, Jonny Hooker, and Jonas Brondberg all leave the team, graduating from junior hockey, being a part of the foundation laid in Prince George to develop the Cougars into a competitor, and were there to aid and guide the youth of the team.

“I’m sure they’ll be the team to watch out for in a couple of years if not next year,” said Jonny Hooker during locker cleanout day last week. “I wish them the best of luck. I hope they learned a lot this year, took a lot from the playoffs, and when they get back to the playoffs next year in the first round, maybe they’ll have it the other way, they’ll sweep the team.”

However, with the number of valuable assets they have, Lamb said if there’s a need they feel they’re unable to fulfil internally, he’s willing to do what it takes to get what they need in order to put a competitor on the ice in September.

“We can get into the business of if there’s a hole that we think we can’t fill internally, we’ll just go out and get it,” said Lamb.