The Prince George Cougars head coach did not hesitate when asked after Saturday's 5-2 win over the Tri-City Americans how many of his injured players would be returning to action tonight to face the Kootenay Ice.
"None," was Mark Holick's assertive answer.
That means forwards Zach Pochiro (concussion), David Soltes (knee), Jari Erricson (knee), Brad Morrison (concussion), Brett Roulston (knee), defenceman Raymond Grewal (ankle) and goalie Brett Zarowny (groin) are still sidelined.
That's not a good scenario for a team that's won just three of its last 10 games at home. The Cougars (12-16-2-3) are six points out of a playoff position, trailing the eighth-place Vancouver Giants, who have just one regulation-time loss in their last 10 games.
Kootenay (16-15-2-0) is tied with Brandon for seventh place in the WHL Eastern Conference, and the Ice have been hit-and-miss of late, winning five and losing five of their past 10.
This will be the only chance for fans at CN Centre to see Ice centre Sam Reinhart, touted as a potential first-overall pick in the 2014 NHL entry draft. Reinhart, who has 16 goals and 50 points in 33 games, is due to report to Canada's world junior team camp in Calgary on Thursday. He centres the top line for the Ice with right winger Jaedon Descheneau (21-21-42) and left winger Tim Bozon (9-17-26), a Montreal Canadiens third-rounder who joined the Ice Oct. 22 in a trade from Kamloops.
"They're very structured and we have to be aware of their top line," said Holick. "They have D that move up the ice well and they have a good secondary scoring guy with [Luke] Philp and good goatending."
Eighteen-year-old goalie Wyatt Hoflin sports the WHL's 11th best goals-against average (2.73) and has a .909 save percentage, while 19-year-old Mackenzie Shapsie (3.03 GAA, .898 save percentage) is also available to the Ice tonight.
Holick served as head coach of the Ice for three seasons (2007-10) before he moved on to the AHL with Syracuse. The Ice, which joined the league as an expansion team in 1998, won the WHL championship in 2011 the year after Holick left, and have made the playoffs every year since 2003.
"I've got a lot of time for [Ice general manager] Jeff Chynoweth and the way he runs his operation, we had three really good years there together and we enjoyed our time in Cranbrook," said Holick. "It's no surprise that they have success year-in and year-out, the way he demands 'the Kootenay Ice way.' Player buy in and coaches buy in and it certainly has been working for them. Ryan [head coach McGill] has done a good job with them as well so we'll have our hands full."
Game time is 7 p.m.
This is the last home game of 2013 for the Cougars. They'll head to Washington state for weekend games in Tri-City on Friday and Spokane on Saturday, finishing off their trip with a Sunday game in Vancouver.
