Brad Morrison and Tate Olson weren't on NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings of draft eligible players released in January.
But after turning it on in the second half of the season, the two Prince George Cougars got the notice they deserve.
Morrison, an 18-year-old 1997-born right winger, is the 124th-ranked North American skater in NHL Central Scouting final rankings, released on Wednesday.
The five-foot-11, 161 pound Prince George minor hockey product scored 23 goals and totaled 50 points in 67 games and led the Cougars in playoff scoring with seven points in five games, including two goals.
"Brad didn't play a lot in this league as a 16-year-old and he was able to mature as a player throughout the fall and the coaching staff developed him into a player," said Cougars GM Todd Harkins. "For a player with that much skill to be able to play at that level and all of a sudden arrive on Central Scouting's list is a tribute to Brad and all the effort he's put into developing into a two-way player."
Olson, a six-foot-two, 180-pound defenceman, also turned it on in the playoffs with a team-high three goals. But it wasn't his scoring talents that put him on the NHL's radar but his ability to prevent goals with his tough style of defensive play manning the Cougars' blueline.
In 68 regular season games, the 18-year-old from Saskatoon picked up five goals and 19 assists for 24 points in his second WHL season. He's ranked 146th.
"Tate has matured as a player who can play solid minutes on defence," said Harkins. "To have the 19-year-olds we had to be able to mature a 17-old like Tate, my hats off to the older defencemen we had on the team (Josh Connolly and Joe Carvalho) who mentored Tate and showed him the way."
As expected, centre Jansen Harkins was the highest-ranked Cougar, moving up three spots as the 15th-ranked North American skater (see other story). The 17-year-old native of Cleveland, Ohio is projected as a first-round pick in the NHL draft in June.
