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Cougars make Almeida their top choice

His hometown is listed as North Vancouver, but Justin Almeida was born and raised in Kitimat and next season Prince George will be his hockey home.
Ted Clarke
Justin Almeida
Justin Almeida is the Prince George Cougars' first-round draft pick for 2014.Ted Clarke

His hometown is listed as North Vancouver, but Justin Almeida was born and raised in Kitimat and next season Prince George will be his hockey home.

That will give the Prince George Cougars plenty of opportunities to watch the development of the 15-year-old centre they selected in the first round, fifth overall in Thursday's Western Hockey League bantam draft.

Prince George hockey fans who showed up to watch the Tier 1 bantam provincial championship at Kin 1 back in March will likely remember Almeida for the impact he had in helping the North Shore Winter Club Winterhawks win the B.C. title. Twice he scored game-winners that defeated the archrival Burnaby Winter Club Bruins, including the deciding goal in the third period of the tournament final. Almeida has signed to play in the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League next season with the Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars.

"Justin has a very high hockey IQ," said Todd Harkins, the Prince George Cougars head scout and director of player personnel. "He's very quick around the ice and likes to go to the net and make plays. We're excited to have him as a member of the Prince George Cougars."

The five-foot-seven, 130-pound Almeida totaled 80 goals and 67 assists for 147 points and 190 penalty minutes in 70 games for North Shore. He picked up five goals and seven points in leading the Winterhawks to the Western Canadian bantam championship.

The Brandon Wheat Kings used their first overall selection to pick centre Stelio Mattheos of Winnipeg. Jordan Bellerive, Almeida's linemate with North Shore, went second overall to the Lethbridge Hurricanes, while the Kamloops Blazers selected North Shore defenceman Nolan Kneen third overall.

In the second round, 27th overall, the Cougars picked offensive-minded Winnipeg defenceman Max Martin. In 32 games with the Winnipeg Monarchs, Martin collected 18 goals and 41 assists for 59 points and continued that production in the postseason with two goals and 15 points in eight playoff games for the Monarchs.

"He's a strong puck-moving defenceman who competes hard and he has excellent vision," said Prince George Cougars senior scout Bob Simmonds. "He's the type of player who could one day quarterback our power play and also adds some bite.

"We were thrilled that Max Martin was still available to us in the early stages of the second round."

The Cougars did not have a third- or fourth-round selection but did make a trade Thursday to acquire the Red Deer Rebels' third-round pick, 54th overall, and used it to select six-foot-three, 175-pound forward Ethan O'Rourke of Penticton. O'Rourke contributed 17 goals 33 points and 24 penalty minutes last season with the Okanagan Tier 1 bantams.
“Ethan is a big strong forward who plays a heavy game,” said Simmonds. “He can play both centre and wing, and most importantly he wins his battles.”
The original third-round pick of the Cougars was traded in January 2013 to the Edmonton Oil Kings in the deal that brought forward Klarc Wilson to the Cougars. The Oil Kings later sent that pick to Everett, who used it Thursday to select winger Bryce Kindopp of Lloydminster 49th overall. The Cats' fourth-rounder in 2014 went to Spokane in the October 2012 trade to acquire goalie Mac Engel. Spokane used that pick to take defenceman Jake Harrison of West Kelowna, 71st overall.
 
Last year the Cougars picked defenceman Josh Anderson in the first round, third overall. In previous years their first-round choices included -- 2012: forwards Jansen Harkins and Brad Morrison; 2011: defenceman Jordan Harris (traded last year to Swift Current for defenceman Zack Gonek); 2010: forward Alex Forsberg; 2009: defenceman Joshua Smith (released by the Cougars in January); and in 2008: forward Brett Connolly.