Another member of the Prince George Cougars has signed a pro contract.
Hudson Thornton is joining the AHL’s Hershey Bears for the 2024-25 season, the top minor-league affiliate of the Washington Capitals.
The 20-year-old became the Prince George Cougars all-time points leader among defencemen (196) and also set the single-season mark for points by a blueliner in a regular season with 74.
Thornton is the fifth Cougars player to sign a pro contract this season.
We’ve signed defenseman Hudson Thornton to an AHL contract for the 2024-25 season. He is the captain of the @PGCougars and posted 74 points this season.
— y-Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) April 10, 2024
Last month, the Capitals signed fellow Cats overager Zac Funk to an entry-level contract.
He led the WHL in goals with 68.
On March 23rd, Riley Heidt inked his entry-level deal with the Minnesota Wild. The Wild selected Heidt in the second round, 64th overall in the 2023 NHL draft.
Fellow sniper, Koehn Ziemmer agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Kings in November of 2023. The Mayerthorpe, Alberta product was taken in the third round, 78th overall last summer.
Lastly, Cougars goaltender Ty Young put pen to paper with the Vancouver Canucks at the beginning of the 2023-24 WHL regular season. Young was selected in the fifth round, 144th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Only standing-room tickets remain for the Cougars’ second-round opener against the Kelowna Rockets on Friday, and there are less than 150 tickets for Game two on Saturday.