Part 2 of 5
The sky’s the limit for Prince George Cougars playmaking centre Riley Heidt.
Sixty games into the season he collected his 60th assist to break Jansen Harkins’ Cougar record for most assists in a single season record and Heidt didn’t stop there, adding 11 more assists to finish one shy of Connor Bedard for most in the WHL this year.
Heidt also put up 25 goals to cap a 96-point season, fifth in league scoring. No wonder he’s got NHL teams wondering if the 18-year-old from Saskatoon will still be available when it comes their turn to pick in the first round at the draft table in June.
“We’re a pretty exciting team to watch, with a lot of skill up front and from the back end as well. If we bring that speed and the physical play and our work ethic we should be good.”
The Cougars open the playoffs Friday at home against the Tri-City Americans, the first-ever postseason matchup between the teams. The Cougars are going in as one of the hottest teams in the WHL, having won eight of their last 11 while gaining at least a point in all 11 games.
“We bring a lot of aspects to the game and we’re a tough team to play against,” said Heidt. “Everybody knows we’ve got that skill, but we’re a hardworking team and we play a good system. When we’re playing our system that’s when we’re at our best and then we just let our special teams take care of themselves and we’ve done that all year.
“The fans who have watched us all year know what they’re getting into and it should be fun. Obviously we want as many fans out here supporting us in the playoffs, we’ll obviously play better if more people are supporting us.”
