Ty Young has moved one step closer to his goal of locking up a job stopping pucks in the Western Hockey League.
The 16-year-old goaltender has signed a standard player agreement with the Prince George Cougars, the team that picked him in the eighth round of the 2019 WHL draft, 158th overall.
Young, a six-foot-three, 180-pound native of Coaldale, Alta., has been playing this season in the Alberta Elite Hockey League for U-18 Triple-A Lethbridge Hurricanes and in three games he compiled a 1-0-2 record with a 2.33 goals-against average and .926 save percentage.
“Ty is another goaltender in our system that has a great mix of size and athleticism and has the potential to be a top-level netminder in our league,” said Cougars’ Director of Scouting Bob Simmonds, in a team release.
“He has a great work ethic and has shown a lot of growth in his game over the last two seasons.”
As a 15-year-old with the Hurricanes, Young posted a 10-5-2 record along with a 2.54 average and .913 save percentage. He also had one playoff shutout last season.
The Cougars have now signed six of the 10 players they drafted in 2019, including first-rounders D Keaton Dowhaniuk (third overall) and F Koehn Ziemmer (fourth overall), and second-round picks F Kyren Gronick (26th) and D Jarin Brinson (36th).
LOOSE PUCKS: The Cougars are going ahead with plans to play a 24-game WHL season, operating in a bubble with all games played without fans in the stands in either Kamloops or Kelowna. Pending approval from the provincial health office, the latest proposal would have the Cougars and Kamloops Blazers based at Sandman Centre in Kamloops and players on both teams would live at the nearby Sandman Signature Hotel.
The Kelowna Rockets and Victoria Royals would play their games at Prospera Centre in Kelowna and would be housed at the Coast Capri Hotel. The WHL has yet to announce the bubble living arrangements and home rink for the Vancouver Giants.
B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is expected to announce an update on the current restrictions on sports team activities in her Friday afternoon news conference.
Heath authorities in Alberta and Washington state have approved similar bubble plans for respective Central and U.S. divisions. The Alberta teams plan to open the season Feb. 26.
