A big year on the ice is expected from the Prince George Cougars this season.
The team took their first steps toward that goal with fitness testing at the Northern Sports Centre on Wednesday.
A lof of the core group of veteran players have taken big steps in their training according to Athletic Therapist, Craig Hyslop.
“Definitely a lot of our players 17 and 18-year-olds and even some of the 19-year olds coming back 10 to 15 pounds of more muscle than last.”
Head Coach, Richard Matvichuk, believes the early testing could prove to be a good indicator for some players wanting to fill roster spots.
“We’ve got some young kids that are coming in here and they’re showing their stuff, the first couple groups have been really successful with guys like Jonas Harkins and Ethan O’Rourke who have put in the work all summer to be ready to go.”
Speaking of Ethan O’Rourke, he fine tuned several facets of his game over the summer.
“Right from the start I worked on having more power and my speed so I can have the ability to keep up with all the players on the ice and power has been the biggest thing so far.”
Training camp starts on Friday with the Black and White game slated for Monday at 7PM from CN Centre.