The Prince George Cougars have signed their two first-round picks from the 2018 Western Hockey League bantam draft to standard WHL player agreements.
The Cats inked goaltender Tyler Brennan on Tuesday, one day after they got forward Craig Armstrong's name on the dotted line.
Brennan, selected 21st overall by the Cougars in the draft, played last season for the Winnipeg-based Rink Hockey Academy, part of the Canadian Sports School Bantam Hockey League. In 16 games, he posted an 11-3-1 record with a league-best five shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.53. Brennan stands six-foot-three and weighs 178 pounds.
"We're thrilled to add a goaltender of Brennan's size and ability to our organization," said general manager Mark Lamb in a media release. "He's got the tools to be a very good goalie at this level and we look forward to watching him progress over the next year."
Armstrong, meanwhile, was the ninth-overall pick in the draft. The Airdrie, Alta., product has high-end offensive skill. Last year with the Airdrie Xtreme in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League he had a team-high 23 goals and 54 points in 34 regular-season games. In the playoffs - won by the Xtreme - he again led his club with 14 goals and 24 points in 13 contests.
Armstrong later skated with Airdrie in the Western Canadian bantam championship and notched three goals and four assists in five games. He helped get the Xtreme into the championship game, where they fell 2-1 in double overtime to the Seafair Islanders. This spring, Armstrong competed in the Alberta Cup and was on the gold-medal-winning team. Against the elite players in his age group, he put up four goals and 11 points in five outings.
"It's exciting for our organization to have our top pick sign," Lamb said. "Craig has a very bright future ahead. He's a player with a high skill set that's complemented by an excellent work ethic."
Brennan and Armstrong will both play midget hockey this season. They are also permitted, as underagers, to play in a maximum of five games for the Cougars.
Cougars' training camp continues today with the Black vs. White game, set for 6 p.m. at CN Centre.
