Logan Cooley | increasing

(Buffalo) On paper, Logan Cooley is listed at 5’10 inches tall and 174 lbs. So we expected a young man, relatively frail (for a hockey player), but a boy with good bones who presented himself for the interview, in a downtown hotel lobby.

Clouds Lifrancois
Journalism

“There are guys out there who are still growing up to their 20s. I wish I could take an inch or two and get to 6 minutes, but Patrick Kane is still in control and he’s 5’10!

Ken’s mention is interesting. Fifteen years ago, he became only the sixth American striker to be selected for the first time in the National League draft. There have been two more since then – Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes – and Cooley now hopes to add to that shortlist. NHL Central Scouting lists it as 2^e Ranking the North American hopefuls, Cooley develops at the center, where the Canadian needs help, and the team considers him interesting enough to invite him to dinner on Thursday night.

What if we were seated in front of the player that the Canadian around him would try to coordinate his recovery?

Product of penguins

Cooley’s journey began in Pittsburgh, in the lands of Sidney Crosby. The Penguins had an equipment donation program for several years to introduce children to hockey, and it was through this program that Cooley got his first skates.

“I was on ice with Sidney Crosby, he recalls, still suspicious. But I was 5 years old, I don’t have many memories! I knew who he was, but I was very young, I was just trying to balance on my skis!”

The stories of the top picks are often the stories of players who have flown through the competition their whole lives, and who have been the best wherever they are. Not a coli.

Whether with the Penguins Elite (his small hockey organization) or with the US National Development Program, Cooley was never the best striker on his team, at least until the end of the season.

Another example: In December 2019, International Scouting Services published their list of Top 10 Hopes for the 2022 draft. It is a list dominated by Shane Wright, but not named Logan Cooley.

“It wasn’t even in Top 50 At that time! His agent, Brian Bartlett, interacts. He always had intelligence, work habits, and talent, but he was young. Even in the NDP, he was probably the fourth or fifth striker on the team.

“So he’s shown steady progress since that time. That explains why people think his potential is higher than Wright’s. Wright has always been seen as the best prospect of his day. It’s not the same kind of progression. Logan worked hard.”

What happened to her during this progression? A striker that many see as the most dynamic of the 2022 edition. Cooley may be a supporter of the Washington Capitals, and he admires Crosby and tries to draw inspiration from him in certain aspects of his game.

However, Cooley realizes that he still needs to get bigger if he is to excel in the NHL. That’s why he says he’s ready to spend next season at the University of Minnesota.

“I want to play in the NHL as soon as possible, but I also want to make an impact. It can be tough for a young newcomer, especially matches abroad. If you need a year in college to grow and gain muscle, that’s okay. But if The team wanted me right away, that would be it. It will depend on what happens in the draft.”

Dinner with the Canadian

Cooley’s name comes up from time to time when it comes to players who are likely to come out in 1^Verse Class on July 7. But it still works as a negligent.

As a benchmark, Elite-Prospect lists the ratings for 13 nominees, from NHL Central Scouting to those of analysts like Bob McKenzie, Craig Button and Sam Cosentino. There is no choli place in 1^Verse Rank ; All but one ranked 2^e or 3^e.

Except that Cooley is on the Canadian radar, and he’s one of about 15 teams interviewed this week at the Hopes Assessment Camp. And that’s not just because he was once a classmate of Jack Hughes, Kent’s son. “I know Jack well, but I’ve never met Kent,” he told us on Tuesday. Our meeting took place a few minutes before the aforementioned interview.

“You know Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes, they’re very friendly guys,” Brian Bartlett recalls on Wednesday. Logan and the two Canadians described the meeting to me as a good, flowing conversation. »

Conversation will continue this Thursday, at dinner, without Kent Hughes, though, since he left Buffalo. For Colley, this will be the second meal on a team’s arm this week. The Arizona Coyotes, who are clearly not bothered with spending even though they will be playing the next three seasons in the neighborhood yard, also invited him on Tuesday. they have 3^e Cucumber.

What should we explain from this call? Simple shuffle strategy? A pre-emptive meeting if a Canadian receives an irresistible offer to give up a rank or two?

Brian Bartlett warns, “We shouldn’t overestimate the scope of these dinners. Canadians are going to invite some guys to dinner this week, and Logan is going to have dinner with a few teams. You know, these people have to eat somehow. You might as well find an excuse to put that At the expense of the company! »

lost hope

A team that designs a well-established player in a European league usually has four years to work out a deal with, before losing their negotiating rights. So Wednesday was the deadline for the 2018 draft hopes, and thus the Canadian officially lost his rights to Jacob Olofsson, the striker who claimed the team in 2^e Tower (56^e in total) in 2018. Olofsson has 6 points in 25 Swedish first division matches this season and has played 20 matches in the second division. The Canadian thus loses its hopeful second round rights for the second year in a row, after Johnny Ikkonen (58.^e in 2017) last year. This is clearly not an ideal outcome for an organization. But in Al-Kindi’s defense, this 2018 draft does not appear to be in depth at the moment. Only four players have been drafted after Olofsson has reached 50 NHL games so far.