Potential future Capitals stars, Andrew Cristall and Terik Parascak, played against each other in the WHL on Tuesday night. While Parascak’s Prince George Cougars came out 5-3 victors, Cristall made some history in the process.
The 19-year-old factored in on all three Kelowna Rockets goals, scoring twice himself and providing the primary assist on the third. The three-point night (2g, 1a) gave him 335 career WHL points, pushing him past John Varga (333) for second on Kelowna’s all-time points list. Cristall is just 41 points shy of tying Brett McLean, who holds the record with 375.
Cristall scored his first goal in the game with 6:50 left in the first period. After collecting a long rebound from a point shot, he fired into a practically empty net.
Cristall tallied again five minutes into the second period to pass Varga. He used his speed to race around the back of Prince George’s net and beat Cougars netminder Joshua Ravensbergen with a wraparound.
Cristall has four points (2g, 2a) in two games since returning from Team Canada’s preliminary World Juniors camp. He was snubbed from his nation’s final roster for a second consecutive season. The 2023 second-round draft selection has 55 points (24g, 31a) in 23 games.
He is just five points away from tying Gavin McKenna for the WHL lead in points and has played seven fewer games than McKenna. Cristall’s 2.39 points per game is still the highest among all three CHL leagues.
Parascak, playing in his 100th career WHL game, got the last laugh though. He potted Prince George’s empty netter to seal the win, adding to a primary assist he recorded earlier in the game.
The Capitals’ first-round draft pick in the 2024 NHL draft has 44 points (16g, 28a) in 28 games. He is eighth in the WHL in points per game (1.57).
