Dean Clark can't help but feel excited about the Prince George Cougars and their prospects for 2011-12.
On the eve of the Western Hockey League preseason, his team appears to have its recruiting bases covered.
Armed with 18 returning veterans, including NHL prospects Brett Connolly, Martin Marincin and Charles Inglis, and 20-year-old goalie Drew Owsley (a proven winner acquired in an off-season trade with Tri-City), as well as a group of promising youngsters, Clark has plenty of cause for optimism as he prepares for his third season as the Cougars head coach.
"We went through a lot of trials and tribulations the first year with being young and being injured and this is our progression, what we kind of planned for [two years ago] when we had all those 17-year-old guys, of where we thought we would be this year, and I think we're on target," said Clark, whose team heads to Edmonton on Saturday for its first preseason action.
The most noticeable improvement in depth is the 19-year-old age group, which includes forwards Connolly, Inglis, Greg Fraser, Nick Buonassisi, Brock Hirsche and Taylor Makin, and defencemen Marincin and Dan Gibb.
"The first year, we kind of plugged holes with castoffs from other teams and these are our homegrown guys and that's a good luxury," said Clark. "We've also got a good group of young kids too, and they're pushing.
"That Black-White game [Monday] was probably one of the best-played intrasquad games I've even been in, probably because we had lots of veterans in there but also because a lot of it has to do with the talent of the young kids we have coming up."
WHAT'S ON DECK
That talent will be on display again when the Cats practice on CN Centre ice today and Friday at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. All practices sessions are open to the public.
Most of the older veterans, with the exception of Makin, will stay in Prince George while the Cougars are in Edmonton for preseason games Monday at 10 a.m. against the Red Deer Rebels and Monday at 10 a.m., when they play the Calgary Hitmen.
The Cats entertain the Edmonton Oil Kings in exhibition play at CN Centre, Sept. 9 and 10, then conclude the preseason Sept. 14 in Kamloops.
They return to Kamloops to start the season against the Blazers on Sept. 24. The Cougars open their home schedule against the Victoria Royals, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.
Connolly, ranked by The Hockey News as the Tampa Bay Lightning's top prospect, returned to Prince George Wednesday after spending a few days in Toronto at the NHL Players Association rookie showcase. The 19-year-old from Prince George will leave the Cougars again on Sept. 7 to attend the Lightning training camp in Florida.
Marincin, 19, leaves Sunday for the start of the Oilers' training camp in Edmonton, while Inglis, 19, will be heading to the San Jose Sharks' camp next Thursday.
The Cougars announced Wednesday they've signed 16-year-old defenceman Marc McNulty. The six-foot-five, 181-pound native of Medicine Hat was the Cougars' 10th round pick in the 2010 bantam draft.
