The Prince George Cougars and Regina Pats have swapped defencemen.
The Cougars acquired 18-year-old Corbin Vaughan in a deal with the Pats that sent 19-year-old Ephram McNutt and a second-round pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft to Regina.
Vaughan had four goals and 10 assists in 98 WHL games since joining the Pats in 2022 from RINK Hockey Academy in Kelowna. The Pats selected him 30th overall in the Prospects Draft in 2021.
“I am so pumped to join the Cougars," said Vaughan. "I am excited for a new start, to make new relationships, and to do whatever I can to help the team win. It's a first-class organization that I have heard nothing but good things about and I cannot wait to get going.”
“I like to think I am a very reliable defenceman in all zones. I love to hit and play the game hard. I can add some offence if the opportunity presents itself, and I love to fire up the crowd.”
Vaughan has been awaiting a trade since being suspended indefinitely by the Pats over a hockey-related matter. On Nov. 18, the Pats traded his twin brother Jaxsin, a forward, to the Everett Silvertips for former Cougar forward Corbin Brown and a first-round pick in 2025.
Listed at six-foot-two, 198 pounds, Vaughan is a physical defenceman who plays a punishing style and Cougars head coach and general manager Mark Lamb figures the Merritt product will be a perfect fit on the blueline.
“He (Corbin Vaughan) is a throwback player that plays the game hard and physical with good puck skills and skating ability,” said Lamb. “He will be a great fit for our team.”
The Vaughan brothers, members of the Lower Nicola Indian Band, were named co-winners of the Pats community service award last season.
Corbin was ranked by NHL Central Scouting as the 155th North American skater in the final rankings ahead of the 2024 draft. Elite Prospects wrote about him in a pre-draft scouting report:
“When Vaughan steps on the ice, expect violence. The 6-foot-2 defender loves to line up opponents with crushing open-ice checks and gladly takes any opportunity to get the extra shot in. He throws reverse hits, wins positioning, and traps opponents along the cycle. When combined with his ability to angle opponents and time poke checks, he’s a formidable defender in just about every situation.”
Vaughan was not selected in the draft but was invited to the Los Angeles Kings development camp this past summer, where he met Cougars forward Koehn Ziemmer. He also knows Cougar forwards Borya Valis and Hunter Laing.
Vaughan had three assists in 13 games with the Pats this season.
McNutt played 134 games for the Cougars and produced six goals and 27 assists for 33 points. This season he had two goals and eight assists in 15 games. He hasn’t played since suffering a hand injury in a game Oct. 26 against Victoria. He was selected by the Cougars in the fifth round of the 2020 Prospects Draft.
