Cougars/Rebels Preview.

The Prince George Cougars will take the ice for the first time in pre-season play this morning at 10:00 AM local time. The Cats go head-to-head with the Red Deer Rebels who finished second in the Eastern Conference during the 2010-2011 Regular Season.

Since I am not in St. Albert this weekend, I don't have a first-hand look at Red Deer's lineup for the game. But one would think that the Rebels will be dressing a lot of younger players in order to showcase the future. During the regular season these previews will involve a detailed look at both squads, but for today and tomorrow I'm going to focus solely on the Cats and what we can hope to expect from their lineup.



Who's Up Front:

The Prince George Cougars have a bevy of young, talented forwards who will be on display this weekend in St. Albert. The obvious name to keep an eye on is Alex Forsberg. The 16-year-old is looking to be a full-time player in 2011-2012, and assuming he plays to his strengths he has a great opportunity to do so. Add the likes of Chase Witala, Jordan Tkatch and Jarrett Fontaine and Jake Mykitiuk to the mix, and you've got a lot of young players that can put the puck in the net.


Who's on D:

Defensively the Cats have some tough decisions to make, and those decisions will solely depend on the performance of certain D-Men throughout the pre-season. Marc McNulty gets his first chance to strut his stuff in a game situation since he signed a WHL contract with the team. He's hard to miss out there, standing 6'5." Michael Mylchreest, Raymond Grewal, Joseph Carvahlo and Jordan Harris are all younger d-men that the fans should keep an eye on.


Who's in Goal:

This weekend fans will get a chance to see Tyler Santos (94), Devon Fordyce (94) and Brett Zarowny (95). All three of these goalies had a great Training Camp, and all three (in my opinion) have a legit shot at cracking the opening night roster. Whoever plays the best and most consistent hockey during the pre-season will likely start the season as the backup for Drew Owsley.

X-Factor:

This weekend, a lot of attention is going to be paid to some of the 94 and 93-born players. Today I look for John Odgers to step up and play a big role. He's got some WHL experience, and will no doubt be given every opportunity to succeed. If he can play a gritty, "in your face" style he'll give the coaching staff a lot to think about.


I will be tweeting results from a far this morning, so make sure you keep checking my twitter feed for the latest details from St. Albert!