So far this season, good things have been happening in abundance for the Prince George Cougars.
Ten games into what has been dubbed The New Ice Age, the Cats have skated to a 6-4 record in the Western Hockey League and have won four in a row at their home rink.
Speaking of CN Centre, game nights there are starting to feel a bit like they did during the heydays of the late 1990s and early 2000s. There's a buzz in the building before puck-drop (the super-cool laser light show sure helps) and once the games are on, there's more noise and energy in the seats than there has been at any point in the past decade.
The fan experience in general is so much better than it was in the latter years of the Brodsky regime. Having a dedicated anthem singer in the person of Wil Fundal was a smart move by the new ownership group and so was the addition of live organist Curtis Abriel. The prize-dropping blimp is also a nice touch. All in all, the Cougars now have the feeling of a professionally-run franchise. How incredibly refreshing.
In terms of positives on the ice, there has been the play of 17-year-old forward Jansen Harkins, who is living up to his billing as an offensive star. Harkins, chosen second overall by the Cougars in the 2012 bantam draft, has 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) in his team's 10 games and is a plus-nine to boot. Then there's 19-year-old forward Chase Witala (five goals, nine assists), who has returned to his scoring pace of last season, which was shortened considerably by back problems. The six goals by import forward David Soltes have also been a pleasant surprise. Soltes, after all, was somewhat of an unknown quantity after a knee injury limited him to just 15 games in 2013-14, his rookie campaign in the WHL.
But the best thing about the new season?
Seeing Jari Erricson back in uniform, thriving in a leadership role.
At this time last year, Erricson was on the long, hard road to recovery after being severely concussed in a Sept. 22 fight with Jessey Astles of the Tri-City Americans. For three months after the incident, Erricson wasn't able to do much of anything. During that time, he suffered through blurred vision, sensitivity to light and persistent headaches. Even leaving his house was difficult.
For a while, things were so bad that Erricson thought about ending his hockey career. Pretty tough notion for a 19-year-old kid who had dedicated so much of his life to the game and was in a position to be a huge contributor to his hometown team.
But, in his heart, Erricson knew he wanted to be back on the ice for his 20-year-old season. With that in mind, he did everything he possibly could to get better, including seeing Burnaby chiropractor and concussion specialist Stefan Sigalet. With Sigalet's assistance, Erricson was able to free himself of his headaches, and his overall outlook improved greatly. By the end of January, he was doing moderate exercise and by May he was back into his regular training routine.
Erricson - who had suffered concussion symptoms twice before in his major-junior career - was in his gear for the start of Cougars training camp and was a welcome sight indeed. Now, a month into the regular season, he looks like he never missed any time at all.
Quite simply, Erricson is playing the best hockey of his life. In the Cougars' 10 games, he has struck for a team-high seven goals and has added four assists for 11 points. He has been playing with fire in his eyes and equally-blazing speed in his stride. Watching him, it's clear he's thrilled to be back in the game and is taking nothing for granted.
Here's hoping everything continues to go Erricson's way. After what he has been through, he deserves to enjoy his final year of junior hockey to the fullest.
