He's been in Prince George for only a couple of weeks and Charles Inglis has already unofficially been nominated for a political position.
He's one of the leading candidates on the Prince George Cougars to wear a letter on his jersey this season.
"He's a gamer who likes to compete and he's a very vocal guy," said Cougars head coach Dean Clark. "With the (young) makeup of our team, that's something we really needed.
"We're going to wait until we get everybody back before we (name the captains) but certainly he brings something that would interest me in thinking about that, for sure."
In two seasons with the Blades he scored 30 goals and his offensive flair is desperately needed for a team that posted the second-lowest goalscoring total in the WHL last season with just 172 goals in 72 games.
"It is hard to find, and he's going to help us, there's no doubt," Clark said.
Inglis was invited as a free agent to the Phoenix Coyotes' rookie camp and was with the NHL team until last week. He spent a week practicing with the pros in Phoenix and in two rookie scrimmages picked up a couple of points.
"At first I thought I was going to be overwhelmed but then I realized I'm supposed to be there and I fit in and I could do the things that I do out here," said Inglis.
Inglis joined the Cougars in time for Saturday's game at CN Centre against the Kamloops Blazers. He's been a popular addition to the Cats' dressing room and the players have made that known to him.
"I was real excited when I got the call to come up here and when I came to the dressing room all the guys really embraced me and I felt like I was part of the family right away," Inglis said. "Guys seemed to take a liking to me. I like to go out and work my butt off and lead by example I just want to try to get the team on a winning stride this year. I believe we can be successful and we will be successful.
"I really like what we have in the dressing room, and it's really exciting. We get along so well and when you have a team that' so tight-knit like that, once it transfers over on the ice, you win games non-stop. I came from a winning team last year (in Saskatoon) and I'm trying to bring that mentality here."
Cougars fans are hoping that's the case. The team has just 12 wins all last season and ended up with the worst record in the entire CHL. If Inglis can keep up the pace he's set so far in his WHL he could well emerge as a 30-goal man in 2010-11. That should translate into points in the standings.
"I have a good shot and I like to use it," he said. "I'm not afraid of anybody and I'll get in the corners. I'm kind of a gritty player but if you give me a chance to get the puck in the net it's going to go in. I like to go out and take charge and I see myself as a really go-to guy."
Drafted fourth overall in the 2007 WHL bantam draft, Inglis moved with his family moved from Winnipeg to Saskatoon that year, allowing the Blades to closely monitor his progress playing midget hockey. In his WHL rookie season as a 16-year-old he collected 11 goals and 19 points, and upped those totals to 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points in 64 games with the Blades last season.
The Cougars acquired him Sept. 6 for a second-round bantam draft pick in 2011. Blades coach/GM Lorne Molleken told the Saskatoon StarPhoenix that Inglis "had broken some team rules (allegedly a curfew violation). It was a situation where he was warned and broke the rule again, so it was time for a change."
In his first action in a Cougars uniform, Inglis played the final preseason game Saturday against the Blazers, centring a line with Spencer Asuchak and Caleb Belter.
"I think he's going to be a real offensive threat and he's going to play a lot here and he'll put up some numbers," said 20-year-old Cats forward James Dobrowolski. "He brings a lot of energy, he's always fired up and ready to go and gets really excited to play and it's really fun to watch him play."
