For the first time all season, Todd Harkins doesn't have to pack his luggage to scout a hockey tournament.
He's got the Canada Winter Games men's under-16 tournament happening in his own backyard.
The Prince George Cougars general manager joined the hordes of major junior and pro hockey scouts who descended on CN Centre and Kin 1 for the first games Sunday.
"You're going see some very competitive hockey players, some great kids blossoming with their own age group who will play in our league one day and go on to the NHL," said Harkins. "You'll see a few lopsided games with the other provinces, but once you start to get to the medal round the cream rises to the top and it will be fun to watch."
Harkins will be keeping close tabs on four players the Cougars drafted last May - forward Justin Almeida of Prince George, defenceman Max Martin of Winnipeg, forward Ethan O'Rourke of Penticton, and forward Logan Mazerolle of Grande Prairie, Alta.
"The '99 birth year was a really good year for our draft last year and there are a lot of players who were drafted pretty high playing in this tournament, so it's a good opportunity for our fans to get out and see our four guys plus all the other guys drafted across Canada," said Harkins.
"There are some kids here you have to track and stay on, who were drafted by some other teams and it's a good opportunity to see some (2000-born players) in this tournament as well and see how they compare to the '99s. We also get to see some kids from up north, who we don't get see much of, and there may be some diamonds in the rough."
As a 15-year-old, Almeida is already proving the Cougars made a wise choice when they picked him fifth overall in the 2014 WHL bantam draft. He has 22 goals and 47 points in 35 games for the Cariboo Cougars major midget team, helping them win the Mac's tournament in Calgary. The native of Kitimat practices regularly with the WHL Cougars. He played two games for them and did not look out of place at centre. He's an assistant captain for Team B.C.
"He's a smaller player but he's very dynamic and thinks the game at a high level," said Harkins. "We just want him to be able to step in and contribute next season as a 16-year-old and that will depend on his strength and the commitment he puts into the weight room over the spring and summer.
"It's a bit of slow start for any kid who comes out of bantam and tries to play against 16- and 17-year-olds, and he had a bit of a slow start. I talked about that with Justin and his father, because I lived it with Jansen (now one of the top-scoring forwards for the WHL Cougars). I just said keep working hard and you'll get your opportunity and flourish, which he has."
Martin, a second-rounder in 2014, plays for the Winnipeg Wild of the Manitoba triple-A midget league and has six goals and 12 assists in 28 games. Manitoba opened the tournament Sunday against Ontario.
"From what we've seen and heard throughout Manitoba he's probably one of the best defenceman in the midget triple-A league," said Harkins. "He separated his shoulder right before Christmas, so he was out for a while, but he's the captain of Team Manitoba so that shows his leadership."
Mazerolle was the Cougars' eight-round pick in 2014 and now plays for the Grande Prairie midget Storm. He has 10 goals and 12 points in 29 midget games.
"I saw Logan play at the Mac's tournament and was so impressed with him," said Harkins. "As a young 15-year-old he scored a goal, he finishes every check and he plays the game the right way, honest and hard."
O'Rourke is a member of the Okanagan Hockey Academy midget prep Red team and in 54 games has 14 goals and 29 points. O'Rourke was picked by the Cougars in the third round in the 2014 draft. O'Rourke played one game for the Cougars this season and has plans to play next season with the Cariboo Cougars.
"It's just going to be his leg strength and his speed (that have to improve)," said Harkins. "Ethan's a big kid at six-foot-three and he just has to put on some weight. He played maybe eight shifts for us against Kelowna and didn't look out of place."
Alberta played Saskatchewan Sunday afternoon at Kin 2.
Another Cariboo Cougar, goalie Dorrin Luding of Prince George, is playing with Almeida and O'Rourke and Team B.C. After 18 B.C. Major Midget Hockey League games with the first-place Cougars, Luding sports a 2.25 goals-against average third-best in the league.
B.C. played New Brunswick in a late game Sunday night.
