Austin Gray has his hockey future mapped out, and for next season all roads lead to Portland.
The 17-year-old Cariboo Cougars centre from Prince George has signed his first Western Hockey League contract with the Portland Winterhawks.
"That was my goal to play in the WHL and to finally make a decision is really exciting," said Gray, who leads the B.C. Hockey Major Midget League in scoring with 20 goals and 17 assists for 37 points in 19 games.
Gray has also played three games of junior A in the BCHL this season for the Prince George Spruce Kings.
"The plan is for me to stay here [in Prince George] for the remainder of the season," he said. "They're [the Winterhawks] a very good organization and I'm excited for the future."
The Cougars (17-2-1) hold a four-point lead over the Vancouver Northwest Giants for top spot in the MML. Gray and the Cougars will be in action at Kin 1 against the Thompson Blazers in a two-game series Saturday at 7:15 p.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
Cougars forwards Steven Jandric (9-24-33) and Colton Thomas (16-13-29) rank third and fifth respectively in the league scoring race and the Cats have the two highest-ranked goaltenders. Dorrin Luding and Griffen Outhouse both sport 2.00 goals-against averages, tied for best in the league. The Cougars have led the league from the start of the season and Gray attributes his individual success to playing for a great team.
"It's my teammates around me and we're pretty competitive," Gray said. "We've had quite a bit of success. Our team's goal is to be up there in the standings."
The Cougars will play the North Island Silvertips at home Dec. 13-14, then travel to Richmond for a two-game set against the Greater Vancouver Canadians, Dec. 20-21. From there, they'll head to Calgary to play in the prestigious Mac's tournament, which starts Dec. 26.
