Cougars Search South of the Border
Feature Stories
Apr 16 2008
Cougars Search South of the Border by David Michaud
Anaheim, California isn’t exactly a hockey hot-bed, and it certainly isn’t the place you would expect to find a slew of WHL General Managers with just a couple of weeks to go until the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft. But, that is exactly what you will find at Anaheim Ice, the official training centre of the NHL Anaheim Ducks from April 18-20th as the WHL holds it’s 3rd Annual U.S. Prospects Camp. The number of U.S. born players participating in the WHL has doubled in the past 5 years. This season32 U.S.- born players were on WHL rosters and they aren’t just role players. Some of the WHL’s top prospects were born south of the border. They include Vancouver’s Jonathan Blum, Spokane’s leading scorer Drayson Bowman, and Kelowna Rockets sniper Colin Long who narrowly missed out on being the first American born player to win the WHL scoring title. The Prince George Cougars are no longer strangers to California born hockey players thanks to Parker Stanfield and Marcus Watson, who both made their WHL debuts for the Cougars this past season. Stanfield who hails from Orange County, California scored 14 goals in his rookie season and Watson who is from San Jose scored 6 goals and added 10 assists. Other American-born Cougars include Alex Poulter who hails from Broomfield, Colorado and Plano, Texas native Colin Haas. Poulter posted 16 goals and 21 assists, while Haas had 3 goals and 5 assists in his rookie season. The WHL U.S. Prospects Camp will feature 76 of the top rated players in the 1993 and 1994 age categories from throughout the western United States. Prince George Cougars General Manger Dallas Thompson will no doubt hope to identify the next wave of young American players to make an impact in the WHL. The 2008 WHL Bantam Draft will take place in Calgary, Alberta on May 1’st.
|
