Prince George Cougars aim for turnaround season — on the ice and on their balance sheet

The Prince George Cougars have been through tough times as of late. They have missed the playoffs in three of the past five seasons and haven't moved on to the second round since 2007.

For the most part, their lack of success was somewhat expected. In 2009 the Cougars made significant changes in their front office by hiring Dean Clark as their head coach and Wade Klippenstein as their assistant general manager and director of player personnel. The writing was on wall for a rebuild through the bantam draft.

"We made some major changes a few years ago and rebuilt the hockey side from the ground up with special emphasis on scouting and recruiting," says Rick Brodsky, the president of the Cougars. "We have been patient and steadfast in our plan and beliefs and feel we are on the right track. We have a long way to go, but we are definitely headed in the right direction."

The Cougars' lack of success on the ice has taken its toll on them financially. The northern British Columbia team only averaged 2,047 in attendance last year, the lowest in the WHL. Their ticket sales have dropped consistently with the odd hiccup since 1998-99, when they averaged 5,824 a game.

"Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out we have not been profitable the last few years," adds Brodsky.

Prince George hoped to take a major step into becoming a force down the stretch last year. They added overage goaltender Drew Owsley from the Tri-City Americans, No. 1 pick of the 2010 bantam draft Alex Forsberg made the jump, and several players seemed poised to breakout.

Their potential faded into disappointment, though. The Cougars took a step back rather than a step forward, finishing dead last in the Western Conference.

"We hoped that last year was going to be a big season for us," says general manager Dallas Thompson. "We ended up changing course halfway throughout the year. We started the year with eight 19-year-olds and finished the year with eight 16-year-olds. The big disappointment was not getting [Tampa Bay Lightning forward] Brett Connolly back [for his age-19 year]. We hoped that he would return and lead our offence. And [current Red Deer Rebel] Charles Inglis got a 10-game suspension early on in the year that really hurt us. We were counting on him to be there for us."

Although it is too early to tell for certain, the Cougars are indicating this could be their turnaround season. They have started 3-0-1, nabbing 7-of-8 possible points. On paper, they look like a team that could make some noise in the post-season.

Strength down the middle

The acquisition of Buffalo Sabres prospect Colin Jacobs from the Seattle Thunderbirds has revitalized the Cougars' offence. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound centre has notched four goals and nine points throughout his first four games. It seems the Texan is set to break out into a star in his fourth year in the league after struggling with injuries last season.

"Colin is very motivated this year to have a big year," says Thompson. "He has been a great older presence up front for us. I think Colin along with Alex [Forsberg] down the middle gives a great one-two punch up front."

Forsberg, who established himself with a 40-point rookie season, is also set up for a breakout season. The 5-foot-11, 184-pound centre, who has three goals and five points in four games on the season, is easily Prince George's top playmaker. He possesses impeccable hockey sense and vision.

"I think Forsberg will have a big year," says Thompson. "He had a great summer. He looks stronger and just a better overall player. Being his draft year, I think he will receive a lot of attention this year."

The Cougars are quite familiar with charter buses. The northern B.C. club travels more than any other team in the Dub and will cover 31,450 km on road trips during this season. So obviously, being mentally prepared for long days on the road is vital to the Cougars going onto the second season.

"We do travel a fair amount," says Thompson. "We have done everything we can to make our travel more relaxing including custom built bunks for our players. It is very comfortable."

The Cougars' far-flung home base is a two-way street. Thompson believes he can take advantage of this by racking up wins at home on teams that may be tired out from the long drive to Prince George.

"I think we can use our location as an advantage because teams have to come there as well. We want Prince George to be a tough place to play in."

Last year at the trade deadline the Cougars were sellers. They dealt Edmonton Oilers prospect Martin Marincin to the Regina Pats for draft picks. If the Cougars can turn their potential into wins, Thompson should be looking to add to his squad on Jan. 5 for a playoff run.

"This year should be the start to our turnaround," says Thompson. "We're starting to bear fruit from our past bantam drafts and it looks very promising. We need a winning season to get us on track to become the team I know we can be."

Kelly Friesen is a Buzzing the Net columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellyFriesen