PLYMOUTH, Mich. — Logan Cooley said he can’t wait to play for the United States at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton from Aug. 9-20, the start of a season that will continue at the University of Minnesota and could conclude with the Arizona Coyotes.
“I feel really good,” the 18-year-old center said at the National Junior Evaluation Camp at USA Hockey Arena last week. “My skills feel sharp. Skating feels good. I don’t feel tired at all. I feel ready to go.”
It has been a hectic few months for Cooley, and he’s just getting started.
He had one assist in a 3-2 win against Slovakia in the preliminary round Dec. 26, the United States’ lone game before the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship was canceled Dec. 29 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
He had 75 points (27 goals, 48 assists) in 51 games for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team last season.
The Coyotes selected Cooley with the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft on July 7, with general manager Bill Armstrong saying, “He is exactly what we need, and he’s got a chance to be a No. 1 center in the National Hockey League.”
Cooley said, “Obviously being drafted, especially a top-five pick, is pretty surreal, something that I’ve been dreaming of. But to have that moment with my family in Montreal, it was pretty special.”
Video: Cooley on Coyotes selecting him 3rd in 2022 NHL Draft
Cooley flew on a private jet from Montreal to Phoenix, where he sat at a press conference between Armstrong and Arizona’s other first-round picks: center Conor Geekie (No. 11) and defenseman Maveric Lamoureux (No. 29). Then he got a dose of reality at the Coyotes development camp, from the physical testing off the ice to the competition on the ice.
His biggest takeaway?
“I just think how hard it is to crack the lineup in the NHL, how hard guys go and how much stronger I need to get too,” Cooley said. “A year in college could really help. Just keep developing, and then I think I’ll be ready.”
Cooley (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) returned home to the Pittsburgh area and skated at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ practice facility in Cranberry, Pennsylvania. He shared the ice with several NHL players, including the Vancouver Canucks forward JT MillerNew York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck and Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson, who has shown Cooley how hard it is to score at the sport’s highest level. Cooley said Gibson leaves him hardly any net, then whips out his glove to make quick saves.
“Obviously goalies in the NHL are really good, so working on getting my shot a little harder, a little more accurate too,” Cooley said.
United States coach Nate Leman said Cooley made a lot of plays against Slovakia on Dec. 26, leading him to think Cooley would be relied upon by the end of the tournament, which has been rescheduled and will start fresh more than seven months later. NHL Network will provide complete coverage of the tournament.
Cooley made an impression starting at his first practice of the National Junior Evaluation Camp.
“He’s poised with the puck,” Leaman said. “He’s strong, can make a lot of plays, and he’s willing to defend too. He’s going to play a lot for us.”
Defenseman Luke Hughes, who was selected by the New Jersey Devils with the No. 4 pick of the 2021 NHL Draft and plays at the University of Michigan, said he and his future Big Ten opponent went after each other in battle drills after practice.
“I think he’s obviously a really highly skilled player,” Hughes said of Cooley. “He can skate. He’s got really good hockey sense. He’s bigger than expected. He’s pretty strong out there, and he’s got a strong stick, really quick. He’s a great player. It’ll be fun playing him at Minnesota.”
After world juniors, Cooley will return home for a few days, then head to Minnesota for his freshman season.
After that?
“Obviously, you know, I want to play in the NHL the fastest way possible,” Cooley said. “I had the chance to talk to Bill Armstrong a little bit, but it’s also going to come down to what type of season I have and how I do out there. The rest will take care of itself.”
Photos: Kelsey Grant/Arizona Coyotes
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