Prince George Cougars superstar Riley Heidt moved another huge step closer to his dream of playing hockey in the NHL.
The 18-year-old centre has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Minnesota Wild, the team that picked him in the second round, 64th overall in last year’s draft.
The news came to light hours before Heidt scored a hat trick to help the Cougars beat the Kamloops Blazers 5-2 to clinch the Western Conference title in the final regular season game for both teams.
Heidt is already established as the most prolific point producer in the Prince George Cougars’ 30-year WHL history.
“It’s super exciting for me and my family,” Heidt said.
“There has been a lot of hard work since I was a little kid. This is another step to reaching my dream. I can’t thank my teammates, coaches, and staff around me who have developed me as a player. That being said, there’s big things ahead right now with our team here and now I’m just focused on that.”
Heidt finishes the season ranked third in WHL scoring with 117 points, including 37 goals and 80 assists. Now in his fourth season with the Cats, through 221 regular season games the Saskatoon native has 85 goals, 195 assists and 280 points. In 12 playoff games, Heidt put up three goals and 11 points.
Touted as a potential first rounder leading up to the 2023 draft in Nashville, Heidt was the last player chosen in the second round and the Wild considered that a steal. Considering what he’s done to put the Cougars into first place in the Western Conference heading into their last game, it’s hard to argue that.
“It was only a matter of time,” Cougars general manager and head coach Mark Lamb said. “He’s a very motivated player who leads our team in many categories on and off the ice. He’s a special person who takes great pride in being the best he can be.”
