Terik Parascak had four points and notched his second career WHL hat trick in the Prince George Cougars’ 4-2 victory over the Victoria Royals on Wednesday.
“Parascak was unbelievable,” Mark Lamb, the Cougars’ general manager and head coach, said, per the team.
The Capitals’ 2024 first-round pick didn’t take long to make his presence felt, scoring 13 seconds into the first period shortly after the opening faceoff. One-on-one against a Royals defender, Parascak peeled down the left wing and went backhand-forehand before shooting the puck through Ethan Eskit’s five-hole.
“We talked about exits out of the zone as a big key factor for us, and obviously that was a perfect play out of the corner,” Parascak said. “My linemates made good plays, and fortunate enough to get a breakaway there and finally be able to put one in the net. So, yeah, felt good.”
He added his second goal of the night 8:01 later. Parascak beat an icing call during a Courgars power play and then sent a centering pass that ricocheted off two Royals defenders and in.
His most impressive point was his only assist of the night. During the team’s second man advantage, Parascak took a slingshot pass and rushed into the Royals’ zone with speed. He put the puck through the legs of the defender before hitting Brock Souch with a pass at the far post for a layup.
The tally put the Cougars up 3-0 and gave Parascak points on all three goals before the game was even 10 minutes old.
“Obviously, a goal for the team is a goal,” Parascak said. “To be on the side of dishing him out, it always feels good, and obviously Souchi’s been such a big part of our group this year, and for him to get one there feels good.”
Parascak would then score an empty-net goal to complete the hat trick with 1:59 remaining to seal the team’s victory.
The performance would earn him First Star of the Night honors and this nice tweet from the WHL.
Parascak now has 30 points (15g, 15a) in his first 18 games played this season.
Parascak’s only previous hat trick came during the 2023-24 season when he notched four goals and recorded six points in an 11-2 win over the Royals on September 29, 2023. His four-point night on Wednesday was his second-biggest outing of the season. Parascak had five points (2g, 3a) in a 9-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans on October 18.
The performance shot Parascak up the WHL leaderboard, where his 15 goals put him second only to Capitals’ 2025 first-round pick Lynden Lakovic, who has 17. His 30 points place him third in the league, trailing only JP Hurlburt (35) and Jaxon Jacobson (32).
The 19-year-old Parascak said that he has been meeting with the Capitals off and on to review his play as he prepares for the next step in 2026-27.
“Yeah, I mean, definitely every few weeks, for sure, every couple weeks (we talk),” Parascak said. “Starting to kind of ramp up a little bit more as the season goes on, a little bit more talk, and trying to get me ready for pro hockey for hopefully next year, but, yeah, lots of communication with them, just trying to help me out, whether it’s video, they’re just showing me little clips, or just kind of workouts helping me out. They’re awesome, and I’m so fortunate.”
