Ethan O'Rourke is following his father's footsteps on a path to the WHL.
The six-foot-three, 175-pound 15-year-old forward, picked in the third round of the 2014 bantam draft (54th overall) by the Prince George Cougars, has signed a standard WHL contract with the Cats.
"Putting a pen to paper and signing my contract was a really cool feeling and I'm really excited to head to Prince George," said O'Rourke, in a team release.
"It's an honour to be drafted and even cooler to be drafted to a team in B.C."
O'Rourke's hometown is Penticton.
The Cougars sent 19-year-old forward Alex Forsberg to the Saskatoon Blades to get the third-round pick they used to select O'Rourke and also picked up 17-year-old forward Haydn Hopkins of Victoria in that deal.
O'Rourke scored 18 goals and added 17 assists in 58 games with the Okanagan Hockey Academy Tier 1 bantam team last season. He also played four games for Team B.C. in the major midget U-16 Western Canada Cup and scored two goals to help the team win the silver medal.
"Ethan O'Rourke is one of the biggest sleepers of the draft, a big power forward with skill and determination, who can skate," said Todd Harkins, the Cougars general manager who drafted O'Rourke. "For a bigger player he is able to skate really well, has skill around the net, and is able to compete in all three zones."
O'Rourke's father Steve is currently an assistant coach with the Red Deer Rebels. Steve played two full seasons in the WHL with the Tri-City Americans and was briefly with the Moose Jaw Warriors before he came home to play two seasons in the BCHL with the Penticton Panthers. He was drafted by the New York Islanders in 1992 and after attending the University of Lethbridge went on to a seven-year minor pro career in the English Premier, East Coast and United hockey leagues.
The Cougars have now signed their top three picks in the 2014 draft, including forward Justin Almeida (first round, fifth overall) and defenceman Max Martin (second round, 27th overall).
The Cougars training camp starts Aug. 22.
