Todd Fiddler was sent to the Prince George Cougars from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
For the stunning impact he has had with the Cats, he may as well have come from heaven.
Fiddler, a 20-year-old winger, is on his way to finishing in the top 10 in the Western Hockey League scoring race, something no member of the Cougars has done in 14 years. Back in the 1999-2000 season, Trent Hunter ended up seventh with 46 goals and 95 points in 67 games.
Right now, Fiddler -- with 36 goals and 76 points in 53 outings -- is also seventh. Thirty-four of his goals and 66 of his points have come since his arrival in Prince George.
Fiddler made his debut with the Cats Nov. 8 in Kelowna and went scoreless in a 5-2 loss to the Rockets. He also failed to hit the scoresheet the next night in Vancouver, where the Cougars fell 5-1 to the Giants. But, in an 8-7 win the following evening in Kamloops, he erupted for three goals and two assists and hasn't looked back since.
Fiddler has been a huge success story for the Cougars, and kudos to general manager Dallas Thompson for taking a chance on him after he was cut loose by the Warriors for not being "the right fit," according to Moose Jaw GM Alan Millar. Thompson takes heat in Prince George for a lot of his decisions, but he deserves a tip of the cap for this one.
Thompson gambled on Fiddler even though this was a player who had already skated for four other WHL teams -- the Medicine Hat Tigers, Prince Albert Raiders, Spokane Chiefs and Warriors.
With those clubs, Fiddler was enigmatic to say the least. Some nights he was brilliant, others he was missing in action. He scored 23 goals for Prince Albert in 2010-11 and dropped to 12 the next season, which he split between the Raiders and Chiefs. In a full 2012-13 campaign with Spokane, Fiddler fired 42 goals. But the Chiefs had issues with him and made him a healthy scratch in a do-or-die playoff game against the Portland Winterhawks, a game that turned out to be his last with the organization. At the time, Spokane coach and former Prince George resident Don Nachbaur said he only wanted players who were "on board" with the team.
The Chiefs dealt Fiddler to Moose Jaw in May of 2013 but he didn't fit in there either. At the end of his short tenure with the Warriors, he was twice a healthy scratch and it seemed like his WHL career was over. Dropping down to junior A hockey looked likely for Fiddler but then the Cougars picked him up for a fifth-round bantam draft pick in 2015.
Here, Fiddler has found that old magic again. The Meadow Lake product has scored in bunches and his offence has been especially welcome on a club that has been without injured sniper Chase Witala since early January.
Fiddler, WHL player of the month for January, has done everything the Cougars could have hoped, and not just with his powerful, NHL-style shot. He has become a leader on and off the ice and has truly taken advantage of the opportunity Thompson and head coach Mark Holick have given him.
A perfect ending to Fiddler's Cinderella story would be for him to lead the Cougars into the playoffs, a place they haven't been since 2010-11. Right now, the Cats are five points back of the Tri-City Americans, who hold the final spot.
As a 20-year-old, Fiddler will be done with junior hockey whenever the Cougars are done. Don't be surprised, however, if he gets a shot as a pro.
Natural goal-scorers are hard to find and Fiddler has shown that, in the right circumstances, he can be lethal.
