Winger Radovan Bondra could be the odd man out as far as future employment with the Prince George Cougars.
As much as the Cougars would love to keep the multi-talented Chicago Blackhawks prospect around for his 20-year-old season in the Western Hockey League, the age and birthplace of the six-foot-five, 224-pound import from Trebisov, Slovakia, are weighing against him.
WHL teams are restricted to two import players and three overagers and if the Cougars decide to keep Bondra beyond the Oct. 15 deadline he would be taking up one spot in each category.
The age factor certainly favours the other two Europeans - New Jersey Devils draft pick Nikita Popugaev turns 19 on Nov. 20, and newcomer Vladisalav Mikhalchuk hits 18 on Oct. 16. Keeping them would allow the Cougars to offer jobs to three of the six 1997-born players still around as holdovers from last year's team.
If they do elect to take the two younger ones, Bondra could fetch a good price as trade bait, assuming the Blackhawks return him to the Cougars.
"We've got some decisions to make but they're really good decisions, they're positive decisions for our hockey club," said Cougars general manager Todd Harkins.
Bondra came over to the Cougars in January in a deadline deal from the Vancouver Giants for forwards Bartek Bison and Tyler Ho. His arrival gave the Cougars a strong presence playing the off-wing. He played 30 regular-season games for the Cats and picked up 13 goals and 32 points, close to his 19-goal, 31-point totals in 31 games for the Giants.
Picked in the fifth round of the 205 NHL draft, 151st overall, Bondra did not get a contract offer from Chicago, as he'd hoped. But because the Hawks selected him while he was still in Europe they still retain his rights for another two seasons.
"I was waiting for it, I had a good season last year and I thought they would sign me but they said no, they want to wait for the next one or two years," Bondra said.
Showing up last week for the Cougars' camp as he did was not the only hockey option for Bondra, who played five games at the end of the season in the AHL for the Rockford Ice Hogs. He could have turned pro in Slovakia.
"I had a choice to go play in the KHL for (Slovan Bratislava) but I think I have a good chance to get a contract here in the WHL so that's why I came back," said Bondra.
"I'm leaving for Chicago's main camp on September 6 so I will try my best and I will see if I can make an AHL team this year.
"I know I said I won't come back (to Prince George) for next year but I can stay here and play more than in the KHL. I never know if I would get much icetime in the KHL, so this is better for me."
Unless the Devils decide to place Popugaev on their NHL roster and keep him for more than 10 games, he will be coming back to the Cougars after his first NHL camp. The Devils can't send him to the minor pro ranks because it would contravene a CHL-NHL agreement.
Players drafted and playing for CHL teams are ineligible to play in minor pro leagues like the AHL or ECHL until they are 20 years old (by December 31st of the current year) or have finished four seasons of major junior hockey.
Popugaev has just three WHL seasons behind him and the same rules apply to him as any other player from North America because, unlike Bondra, he was drafted by the NHL after he was selected in the CHL import draft.
The Cougars acquired the six-foot-five, 210-pound native of Moscow, Russia, last January in a trade from the Moose Jaw Warriors, sending 1998-born import forward Yan Khomenko, 1999-born forward Justin Almeida plus a first-round bantam draft pick in 2017 and a second-round pick in 2018.
Originally projected as a potential first-rounder in the 2017 NHL draft, Popugaev's stock slid considerably and he went in the fourth round, 98th overall, to New Jersey. It didn't matter to Popugaev what round he was chosen. He was at the draft in Chicago when the Devils called his name.
"It was exciting to get drafted by an NHL team and I'm really excited to go there," said Popugaev.
"It was really good for me and good for my family, it's the dream of every guy to get drafted.
"We'll see how I do in rookie camp and hopefully I will make the main camp and I'll stay there as long as possible. Of course if I'm not going to make NHL for sure I'm coming back to Prince George. We're going to still have a pretty good team here with three good lines and a fourth line of young guys."
Cut from the same cloth as Evgeni Malkin, after scoring 22 goals and 51 points in 40 games with the Warriors, Popugaev's production tailed off and in 31 games for the Cougars he totaled seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points.
"It's always hard when you have to change teams, change your billet family and change the city and especially in a draft year it was hard for me to change all that," said Popugaev. "I feel pretty good and I'm just going to have fun and try to play my best."
Popugaev did what was necessary to stay in shape in the off-season, playing soccer and tennis with his friends in Moscow while also maintaining his hockey skills.
"He's fit, he looks fast and mobile and engaged, the same player that we saw last year at the beginning of the year when we scouted him," said Harkins.
"He's familiar with Prince George and one of the biggest things is he's billeted with the Russian coach of the UNBC women's basketball team (Sergey Shchepotkin) so we're trying to keep him more comfortable and feeling more at home here. He also can help Vladisalv Mikhalchuk because they speak the same language and that's going to be important."
The 1998-born Mikhalchuk was the Cougars' choice, 54th overall, in the 2017 CHL import draft in late June. He played last season for the Belarussian under-18 national team in January, a club that won the Mac's Midget tournament. He scored six goals and had three assists in the Mac's, and helped Belarus beat the Cariboo Cougars of Prince George 5-4 in the semifinal round.
The six-foot-two, 172-pound forward collected 14 goals and 35 points in 31 games for the U18 team and also picked up four assists in 13 games with the under-20 national team.
"Mikhalchuk is just a very dynamic offensive player with a late birthday (born after Sept. 15) so he's just going into his draft year," said Harkins. "I think if he ends up playing with us this year he'll end up an NHL draft pick."
The Cougars are down to 40 players as they head to Red Deer to start their preseason schedule. Four goalies are still with the team, including Tavin Grant, 19; Taylor Gauthier, 16; Isaiah DiLaura, 17; and 20-year-old former Saskatoon Blade Brock Hamm. The Cougars signed DiLaura, a native of Lakeville, Minn., this week.
"He's just had a great camp, very steady," said Harkins. "Sean Murray, our goalie coach, likes him and our coaching staff likes him and we think he's performed really well. He fills a gap between birth years between Tavin and Taylor and he's going to be given every opportunity to make the team.
"Brock is kind of here in a mentoring position to help the young guys and he's a great kid and we want him to have the opportunity to be seen in our league as well."
The Cougars also signed centre Brendan Boyle, who scored a goal in the Black-White intrasquad game on Monday. The 16-year-old native of Calgary, who now lives in Vernon, played last season for the Pursuit of Excellence Elite 15s.
Cole Beamin, a 16-year-old defenceman, hurt his knee in training camp and was sent home to Saskatoon for rehabilitation.
The Cats play this afternoon against the Edmonton Oil Kings, followed by a Saturday afternoon date with the Calgary Hitmen. The team will then return to Prince George for training camp sessions at CN Centre before heading to Langley to play the Vancouver Giants on Sept. 8. They also face off in Langley against the Everett Silvertips (Sept. 9) and Victoria Royals (Sept. 10).
The Cats host the Kamloops Blazers on Sept. 15 at CN Centre to wrap up the exhibition season.
Their season-opener is on Sept. 22 against the Spokane Chiefs. On that night, the Cougars will hoist their first WHL banner to the rafters at CN Centre to commemorate last season's B.C. Division championship.
