Jansen Harkins has so far lived up to the hype as the Prince George Cougars' franchise player.
Drafted second overall in the 2012 WHL bantam draft, Harkins has had a breakthrough sophomore season that has landed him on the NHL radar as a projected first-rounder in the June draft.
It's hard to imagine where the Cougars would be without the 17-year-old centre from North Vancouver, but it would be safe to say they wouldn't be in the playoff hunt had he not been part of the team.
Heading into Friday's pivotal game against the Kamloops Blazers, Harkins leads the team in scoring with 20 goals 59 assists and 79 points through 68 games.
He set a new Cougars record for assists, breaking Quinn Hancock's former record of 58, and is averaging 1.16 points per game, tops on the team. Harkins has also been Mr. Dependable.
The only games he's missed this season were the two the Cougars played while he was with Team Orr at the CHL Top Prospects Game. Already on Hockey Canada's list as a member of the under-18 national team which won gold in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament in August, Harkins is showing signs he's a legitimate prospect for Canada's world junior team next season.
As good as Harkins has been on offence with his speed and playmaking ability, he's also is exceptional in his own zone as a checker and penalty-killer, a skilled face-off specialist who rarely gives up the puck.
Considering all his attributes as a leader, Harkins has stood out as this year's winner of the Dan Hamhuis Award as the Cougars most valuable player.
This year, among the numerous changes made by the new Cougars ownership group, the player awards have been named after prominent Cougar players who have gone on to make significant achievements in the hockey world and beyond the rink.
"We contacted the alumni association, Tyler Brough and also Dan Hamhuis and Eric Brewer, and asked them to put forth some names we could utilize to name the trophies we give out at our year-end awards (which were presented Friday)," said Cougars majority owner Greg Pocock.
The Eric Brewer Award goes to the defensive player of the year (defenceman Sam Ruopp). The Troy Bourke Award is for the offensive player of the year (centre Zach Pochiro).
The Dr. Jeff Zorn Award, named after the former Cats defenceman who went through medical school and is now working as a urologist, was handed out to the top scholastic player (defenceman Shane Collins).
The Brett Connolly Award is for the rookie of the year (winger Jared Bethune).
The Chris Mason Award is for the player with the most points gathered through the three-star selections (goalie Ty Edmonds).
The Dorothy Johnson Memorial Award, named after a longtime team volunteer, is set aside for the team's fan favourite as determined in a poll of the fans (winger Chase Witala).
The Michael Fogolin Memorial Award, named after the Cougar defenceman who died in his sleep at age 17 in May 2004, goes to the player who best exemplifies positive qualities of being a Cougar on and off the ice, as selected in a secret ballot of the current team's players (winger Tyler Mrkonjic).
Ruopp, the just-turned 19-year-old team captain, is the heart of the Cats' defence, known for his thundering checks.
With 26 points in 63 games, he's one of only two Cougars whose plus/minus is on the plus side (plus-1).
Pochiro, 20, re-joined the Cougars in late November and has been on a point-per-game pace in the 40 games he's played with 19 goals and 42 points.
In 39 games as a 16-year-old defenceman, Collins has made use of his icetime, contributing a goal and five assists with a plus-1 rating. He's an A-student in Grade 11 at Prince George secondary school, which merited his scholastic award.
Bethune, 18, made the jump from high school hockey to the WHL, joining the team in October. In 59 games he has six goals and 20 points.
Edmonds, 18, has played well enough in his second WHL season to warrant consideration as the Cougars' MVP.
He's played in all but 15 of the first 70 games, compiling a 27-24-32-3 record and 3.69 goals-against average and .890 save percentage while making 1,618 saves (fourth in the WHL).
Witala, an 18-year-old Prince George native, leads the Cougars in goals (38) and is second to Harkins in points (69), averaging 1.05 points per game through 70 games.
Mrkonjic, 19, is one of the hardest-working Cougars, playing right wing on the checking line.
He's the only Cougar to play all 70 games to start the season and has eight goals and 19 points as a WHL sophomore.
