The Prince George Cougars will have one of their top defencemen back in the lineup Friday night (7 p.m.) when they host the Kelowna Rockets.
Fresh from helping Canada Red win the silver medal at the U17 World Challenge in Sarnia, Ont., Carson Carels returns to the Cougars' lineup boosted by an influential endorsement that projects him as a top 10 pick in the 2026 NHL draft.
Carels is the No. 9 pick on Craig’s List, compiled by former NHL general manger Craig Button, The Sports Network’s director of scouting, who watched Carels in action at the eight-team Sarnia tournament.
“He is so good,” said Button. “IQ off the charts. He just makes the game look easy. He’s the player that could easily be higher.”
In his rookie WHL season with the Cougars, the six-foot-one, 175-pound Carels has racked up nine assists in 15 games and right from the get-go the 16-year-old native of Cypress River, Man., has looked like he belongs, taking on players as old as four years his senior.
The Cougars picked Carels 15th overall in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft.
The offensive-minded Carels played at Pilot Mound Academy in Manitoba last season and had 18 and 50 points in just 27 games. He also played seven WHL games with the Cats and picked up three assists.
At the U17s he had three assists in four games for Canada Red, which lost 3-1 to Canada White in Saturday’s gold-medal game.
Medicine Hat Tigers centre Gavin McKenna tops Button’s list of 2026 draft prospects. Coming off a 97-point season that led to WHL rookie-of-the-year honours, the 16-year-old McKenna currently leads the WHL scoring race with 19 goals and 11 assists for 37 points in 19 games.
“McKenna could’ve been the first pick last year, he’d be the first pick this year, and there’s no doubt who the first pick is next year,” said Button. “He is one of the very best players outside the NHL. What I see in him is an IQ off the charts and a brilliance that has no limits.”
Spokane Chiefs centre Mathis Preston holds down the No. 2 spot on Craig’s List. Button ranks Victoria Royals defenceman Keaton Verhoeff fourth and has Vancouver Giants blueliner Ryan Lin in the No. 6 slot.
The Cougars (11-4-3-2) are coming off an impressive weekend sweep of the Giants at CN Centre, winning 7-1 Saturday and 5-4 in overtime Sunday.
The BC Division-leading Cats are on a 6-2-1-1 run over their last 10 games but the Rockets (7-7-1-1, ninth in Western Conference) are sport an identical record over their 10 most recent games and will be tough to beat, led offensively by RW Andrew Cristall (9-19-28, Washington Capitals third round, 2023), D Caden Price (4-19-23, Seattle Kraken third round, 2023) and C Tij Iginla (11-11-22, Utah Hockey Club, first round, sixth overall, 2024).
Game time tonight is 7 p.m., Saturday game starts at 6.
