The Prince George Cougars have signed their top three picks from the 2015 Western Hockey League bantam draft to standard WHL player agreements.
The players - forward Jackson Leppard, defenceman Jonas Harkins and forward Tyler Ho - all hail from North Vancouver and were part of a North Shore Winter Club team that won the 2014-15 Western Canadian bantam championship.
With North Shore, the six-foot-one, 181-pound Leppard scored 46 goals and added 43 assists for 89 points. Harkins, six-foot-two and 190 pounds, put up 12 points (three goals, nine assists) and is known more as a stay-at-home blueliner. Ho, who checks in at five-foot-11 and 185 pounds, fired 30 goals and added 57 assists for 87 points.
Harkins is the son of Cougars general manager Todd Harkins and the brother of Cougars forward Jansen Harkins.
"The fact that all three players have chosen to sign with the Prince George Cougars so soon after the draft shows that we are continuing to head in the right direction," said Todd Harkins in a media release.
"These three players will be a major cornerstone of our success moving forward. We couldn't be happier with our 2015 draft as a whole, and we have the utmost confidence that there will be many others that we selected in 2015 that will go on to have successful junior hockey careers with the Prince George Cougars."
Cats holding media conference
The Cougars are expected to unveil their new logo and uniforms today at CN Centre.
A media conference has been scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Speakers will include team president Greg Pocock and vice president of business Andy Beesley.
Members of the public are welcome to attend.
A complimentary barbecue will be held after the announcement.
