Six forwards, three defencemen, and one goaltender.
That’s the haul of ten players picked by the Prince George Cougars in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.
The Cougars’ first pick of the day came in the second round, 41st overall, where the Cougars selected William Thompson, a forward from North Vancouver.
The 6’2″ centre recorded 50 points (23G, 27A) during the 2025-26 season, adding seven points in three playoff games with the North Shore Warriors U15 Prep program.
Welcome to Prince George, William Thompson! 🔥#ForTheNorth | #WHL pic.twitter.com/pBoeVNnCxe
— Prince George Cougars (@PGCougars) May 7, 2026
“We are thrilled to select Will,” said Cougars Director of Scouting Leland Mack.
“He’s a big, skilled two-way centre who plays with strong defensive detail. We’re excited about what he can bring to our organization in the future.”
The Cougars’ next pick came in the 4th round, 87th overall, when the Cougars selected Connor King, a 6’2″ defenceman from Corona, California.
King, a right-shot blueliner, notched 15 points (7G, 8A) in 47 games with the LA Jr. Kings 14U program.
The Cougars had two picks in the fifth round, taking Reed Sherry at 110th and Lachlan Vandall at 115th.
Sherry, a forward rom St. Malo, Manitoba, tallied 31 points in 28 games with the Eastman Selects U15 AAA program this season.
Vandall, a forward from Prince Albert, put up 56 points (21G, 35A) in just 26 games with the Prince Albert Pirates U15 AA club.
The Cougars looked south of the border in the sixth round, taking Grady Fuller of White Bear Lake, Minnesota at 133rd.
Fuller, a 6’1″ left-shot defenceman appeared in 17 games with the St. Thomas Academy this past season.
The seventh round yielded a pair of picks for the Cats.
With the 152nd pick, the Cats selected Jagger Korol, a forward from Regina, Saskatchewan.
With the Prairie Storm program in the Saskatchewan U15 league, Korol tallied 58 points (27G, 31A) in the 2025-26 season.
At 156th, the Cougars went between the pipes, picking up Blake Sutherlin, a towering 6’6″ goaltender from the San Jose Sharks 14U program.
Sutherlin, a product of San Jose, California, played 34 games in the 2025-26 season, posting a 2.24 goals against average.
Three picks were made by the Cougars in the eighth round, including one last name Prince George hockey fans may already know.
With the 172nd overall pick, the Cougars picked up forward Jagger Burns, son of Colorado Avalanche defenceman Brent Burns.
In 39 games with the Okanagan Hockey Academy 14U program, Burns tallied 24 points. (14G, 10A)
At 179th overall, the Cougars picked up Kolbie McColl from Redvers, Saskatchewan.
The 6’2″ right-shot defenceman recorded 15 points in 26 games with the Estevan Bruins U15 AA program.
The last pick the Cougars made on the day came at 180th overall, and was used to select Cruz Buchanan of St. Albert, Alberta.
In 33 games played in the St. Albert Sabres U15 program, Buchanan finished the season with 41 points. (17G, 24A).
Only one prospect from Northern B.C. had their name called in this year’s draft.
At 162nd overall, the Saskatoon Blades selected Brayden Lindsay, a 6’1″ forward from Tumbler Ridge.
The full draft results can be found here.
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