The Cariboo Cougars may be young but they are definitely capable of success in the 2014-15 B.C. Hockey Major Midget League campaign.
That's according to Cariboo Cougars co-coach and general manager Trevor Sprague.
Sprague and his staff trimmed the roster to 19 players - 12 forwards, five defencemen and two goalies - Sunday night as the squad gets set to open its season at home this weekend against the Valley West Hawks.
The team features only seven returnees, while the remainder are rookies.
"We have a lot of depth on all four lines," said Sprague. "I'm pretty excited about our firepower. There's a lot of speed. I'm not at all concerned about guys who haven't played in the league before. They'll adjust and play the Cariboo Cougars way. The guys who are new have bought into it."
The returnees include forwards Steven Jandric and Mitchell Williams from Prince George, Colton Thomas and Chase Dubois from Williams Lake and Brendan Moore from Smithers.
They'll receive help from Kitimat's Justin Almeida, the Prince George Cougars' first-round pick in the 2014 Western Hockey League bantam draft. Sprague said fans can expect to see Almeida on a line with Austin Gray and Jandric.
Gray and Thomas also got good looks during the Prince George Spruce Kings pre-season.
On the blueline, Zach Smith and Todd Bredo from Prince George are the lone veterans, but they'll have support from WHL Cougars pick Joel Patsey from Hazelton and Kolten Carpenter from Williams Lake, who had a tryout with the B.C. Hockey League's Chilliwack Chiefs.
It's an all rookie tandem in net with Griffen Outhouse from Williams Lake, who spent the last two seasons with the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna, and P.G.'s Dorrin Luding, a Saskatoon Blades draft pick.
"We have two legitimate netminders who will push each other," said Sprague. "They give us a lot of stability and confidence."
The Cougars host the Valley West Hawks Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 11:15 a.m. Both games are at Kin 1.
"They're a veteran group and a fast team that'll be hard to play against, similar to how we play the game," said Sprague. "But with our big ice surface it will be exciting."
