Cole Waldie hired as Prince George Cougars broadcaster

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The Prince George native grew up a Cougars fan and spent the last three seasons with the BCHL’s Spruce Kings

Cole Waldie grew up watching the Prince George Cougars play their home games in his hometown, and like other Cougar fans, he made a point of listening to their road games on the radio.

Now that he’s been hired to become the team’s game-by-game broadcaster and director of communications and public relations, Waldie won’t miss a minute of the on-ice action.

Waldie will be there behind the mic for all 68 games when the Cats return to the ice for the 2022-23 season.

“I couldn’t be happier to join the Prince George Cougars family…. it really is a dream come true,” Waldie said. “As a young kid who was a season ticket holder and witnessed the magical run of the playoffs in 2007. Working for this franchise, in this capacity, has always been a dream of mine and I have can’t wait to get started.

“I cannot thank Mike Hawes, Alex Evin, Kyle Anderson, David Keough and all the Prince George Spruce Kings staff and players for an incredible three years that I will never forget. I am forever grateful to be a part of such a great program.

Waldie, a Prince George native who grew up playing volleyball and baseball in high school, rose through the WHL ranks after leaving the Prince George Spruce Kings of the BC Hockey League. He joined the Spruce Kings as Director of Communications in September 2019 after several seasons calling games for the Cariboo Cougars and Vancouver Northeast Chiefs U18 teams in the BC Elite Hockey League.

The 25-year-old is a graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Broadcast Arts and Entertainment program.

“Cole is a talented young broadcaster who has local connections, and we think he will fit in well with our team,” Cougars general manager and head coach Mark Lamb said. “His enthusiasm and dedication shines through and we can’t wait to see him deliver an exciting product to our fans.”

Spruce Kings general manager Mike Hawes said Waldie’s move to the Cougars is in line with the community club’s philosophy and its ongoing efforts to advance players, coaches and staff to higher levels of hockey. .

“Cole comes from a solid background. I have known his family for many years and on that basis I was delighted when he joined us fresh out of school,” Hawes said. “He did an amazing job for us, not just with the broadcast but also in so many other ways. He was improving every season and was very proud to deliver our product to our fans.

“I feel like he’s risen through the ranks over the past few seasons and become one of the best play-by-play announcers in the BCHL. Combine that with the terrific job he has done with the communications side of his job and I’m not surprised this new opportunity has come his way. The Spruce Kings, and I personally, wish Cole nothing but success in this new endeavor. I know he’ll do just fine.”

Waldie replaces Fraser Rodgers, the voice of the Cougars for the past five seasons, who was hired by the BCHL’s Penticton Vees as vice president of communications and public relations for business operations. Rodgers, 34, was with the Vees for seven seasons as a play-by-play announcer, before joining the Cougars in 2017.

The Spruce Kings are now looking for a replacement to fill Waldie’s position. Prospective candidates are invited to send a resume, a demo reel including 5 minutes of continuous play and three content samples (minimum of one photo and one sample video content) to [email protected].

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