Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Big rookie makes Cougar debut

Colin Schmidt wasn't on the Prince George Cougars' radar until one cold February morning in he middle of a snowstorm when team scout Bill Horton took general manager Todd Harkins on a treasure hunt.
SPORTS-Cougars-Young-Guns.jpg
With defenders on his tail, a player from Team Betts drives hard to the net during the Young Guns game on Friday, as part of the 2015 Prince George Cougars Training Camp at the CN Centre. Citizen Photo by James Doyle August 29, 2015

Colin Schmidt wasn't on the Prince George Cougars' radar until one cold February morning in he middle of a snowstorm when team scout Bill Horton took general manager Todd Harkins on a treasure hunt.

They headed northwest of Minneapolis to Maple Grove, Minn., to watch Schmidt play with his bantam team and Schmidt didn't disappoint that day.

The Cougars showed their appreciation a few months later by picking him in the 11th round of the 2015 WHL bantam draft and on Friday at the Cougars Young Guns game at CN Centre, the six-foot-four, 203-pound Schmidt showed why Horton chose to single him out.

"We were sitting in the rink freezing and I said to Bill, this kid better be really good," said Harkins. "And then when this big guy stepped on the ice who could skate and had good hands and I went, 'wow.' I knew I had a gem because there weren't many WHL teams who had seen this kid play."

The Young Gun Schmidt was a standout at right wing for Team Betts in a 4-2 win over Team Connolly. The 15-year-old was held off the scoresheet but showed some deception with his puck movement and created a couple of golden scoring chances while casting a long shadow on the ice.

"I just tried to do my best and play my game and keep it physical and not let anybody mess with me," said Schmidt. "We had a great game as a team, especially for not playing together before this. I try to keep it a mix as a physical player and a finesse player and I think that gives me a good advantage against my opponents."

Schmidt picked up 32 goals and 64 points in 51 games for his bantam team. He'll play this season for Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minn.

"It's very exciting being here, everything is top-notch," he said. "It's really amazing to see all the facilities and all the great coaches they have here."

The Young Guns game offered the 15-and 16-year-old prospects in the organization a chance to impress the Cougar coaches, scouts and owners, who were getting their first look at a lot of them.

Team Connolly centre Justin Almeida, 16, showed the Cougars last season as a midget callup he's capable of adjusting to the WHL style of play. He nailed a crossbar and set up Tyler Ho from the second goal for Team Connolly.

Another 16-year-old, defenceman Max Martin, will also get an extended tryout with the Cats in September. Martin played midget triple-A last season in Winnipeg and didn't get a chance to audition with the team during the season, but he'll get serious consideration from the Cougars' brass in his attempts to earn a spot on the blueline. He jumped into the rush and scored the first goal for Betts in the first period.

"Max and Justin are going to push for spots and their time to shine isn't right now in the Young Guns game, their time to shine is in training camp when our seven guys go to NHL camps," said Harkins. "They're going to be thrown into the line of fire throughout the preseason and our coaching staff is going to look to them to do big things."

Centre Jackson Leppard, 15, taken eighth overall in the WHL draft in May, suited up for Team Betts and will begin his first WHL camp training today. He'll play for the Vancouver Northwest Giants, who hold his major midget rights. He banked a shot in off the side boards for an empty-netter late in the game.

Friday's game also showcased the talents of defenceman Jonas Harkins (second round, 2015), right winger Ho (third-round, 2015) and Reid Perepeluk (sixth round, 2015), all of whom are destined for the major midget Cariboo Cougars.

"It was very exciting playing this game, it's awesome to finally be here," said Ho, a native of Surrey. "I've been waiting since the draft and I'm just excited to get everything going in camp. At the beginning I was a bit nervous but as the game progressed I felt more comfortable playing. I thought I worked hard."

With a name like Harkins, a lot of eyes will be watching Jonas the next couple weeks. He's not flashy with the puck like his older brother Jansen but he has a smart stick and carried himself on the ice with obvious poise. Friday's game was basically a no-hitter but Harkins showed he's not afraid to use his six-foot-two, 190-pound bulk to create some space. Harkins has a 2000 birth year but because of his Dec. 26 birthday won't be NHL draft-eligible until 2019.

Team Connolly defenceman Joel Patsey, 16, is old enough to stick in junior hockey and he's trying to make the jump after a season with the Cariboo Cougars. The only other Prince George boy in Young Guns action was Betts defenceman Brennan Malgunas, 15, the son of former pro Kevin Malgunas, who played bantam Tier 1 last season.

Ethan deJong and Kyle Wiltshire also scored for Betts. Liam Ryan (fifth roud, 2015) was the other Connolly goalscorer.

The rest of the Cougars get into scrimmage mode starting today at 10 a.m., with sessions continuing until 9:15 p.m. Camp resumes Sunday at 10 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. The Black versus White intrasquad game is set for Monday at 7 p.m., at CN Centre. All scrimmages are open to the public. Close to 100 players are involved.