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Logan Cooley

Coyotes, Logan Cooley Close To Entry-Level Contract

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It appears prized center prospect Logan Cooley will not be returning to the University of Minnesota for his sophomore season. Per a report from PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (backed up by this rather cryptic tweet from the team itself), the Arizona Coyotes are “gaining momentum” on signing Cooley to an entry-level contract and bringing him to the NHL in 2023-24. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman adds he’d be “very surprised” if Cooley does not sign within the next two days.

Cooley has been one of the more hot-button names in the Coyotes organization after he opted not to sign an entry-level deal earlier this offseason, a decision he partially attributed at the time to the team’s proposed arena plan in Tempe falling through. He acknowledged this to Morgan in an interview earlier this month but also said, “There’s still some things I want to accomplish in college before I make the step to the NHL. I’d say the arena played a little factor, but it wasn’t do or die like I’m not coming or anything like that.”

Arizona selected Cooley with the third overall pick in 2022, a pick that was somewhat controversial at the time with top prospect Shane Wright still available. They have to be excited with early returns, though, as Cooley led Minnesota all the way to a national championship loss with 22 goals and 60 points in just 39 games as a freshman. His points total was eclipsed only by fellow freshman and 2023 Hobey Baker Award winner Adam Fantilli, who went to the Columbus Blue Jackets at third overall last month.

Adding Cooley to a top-six forward group that’s already gained Jason Zucker in free agency suddenly gives the rebuilding Coyotes quite a formidable attack at the top of their lineup. Led by Clayton Keller, emerging as a true star after scoring 37 goals and 86 points in 82 games last year, Arizona’s offense is quickly resembling that of a playoff bubble team rather than a basement-dweller. They’re not likely to reach postseason play in 2024 with the state of their defense, but getting their best center prospect under contract is a big step in Arizona’s return to on-ice relevancy.

This certainly isn’t music to the ears of the University of Minnesota, who could unexpectedly lose their best player two months after he committed to rejoin the team. Cooley, along with Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies and St. Louis Blues prospect Jimmy Snuggerud, arguably formed the best line in college hockey last season. Only Snuggerud will remain in a Golden Gophers jersey next season.

Signing a three-year entry-level deal would keep Cooley under contract in the desert through 2025-26, after which he’d be a restricted free agent. While unlikely, he is eligible for assignment to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners this season.

West Notes: Bouchard, Stars, Cooley

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The Oilers are expected to have to sign Evan Bouchard to a short-term bridge contract to fit him within their cap structure.  On the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests that the deal might fall within the $3.5MM to $4MM range.  For comparison, Colorado’s Bowen Byram inked a two-year bridge deal with a $3.85MM AAV and Bouchard has more than twice as many games played as points as Byram.  The 23-year-old is coming off his second straight regular season of at least 40 points and led all NHL blueliners in playoff scoring with 17 points in just 12 contests.

More from the Western Conference:

  • The Stars haven’t given up on pursuing outside help defensively via the trade route, relays Saad Yousuf of The Athletic (subscription link). However, they are prepared to enter next season with what they have now with the hopes that Thomas Harley and Nils Lundkvist can take a step forward in their development to help bolster the depth of their unit.  Dallas has been quiet with their back end this summer with their only NHL-related moves being the trade of Colin Miller to New Jersey, the signing of Gavin Bayreuther, and the re-signing of Joel Hanley.
  • Coyotes prospect Logan Cooley told Jenna Ortiz of the Arizona Republic that he’s not putting a timeline on when he turns pro. The 19-year-old was the third-overall pick last year and had a standout first season at Minnesota, putting up 60 points in 39 games to finish second in NCAA scoring while also averaging two points per game at the World Juniors.  As it is, some feel that Cooley doesn’t have much left to prove at that level so while he’s not willing to put a firm expectation in place for when he turns pro, it certainly feels like that should be happening when his college season comes to an end either next March or April.

Logan Cooley Returning To University Of Minnesota

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Arizona Coyotes top prospect Logan Cooley will not be signing his entry-level contract this summer, as the University of Minnesota announced today that he’s returning to the school for his sophomore season.

After a standout rookie season in the Big 10 conference, finishing second in the entire NCAA in scoring behind 2023 draft prospect Adam Fantilli, many expected Cooley not only to sign with Arizona but play a prominent role there in 2023-24. Instead, the 2022 third-overall selection will try and build on those totals and shoot for a national championship with Minnesota, a feat they were only one goal away from achieving this season.

Cooley, a skilled and cerebral two-way center, will be a top-six pivot when he does opt to come to the NHL. It’s fair to speculate if the Coyotes’ lack of a concrete long-term solution to their arena issues played a role in Cooley deciding to push back his NHL debut by another year.

While there may be little left to achieve in his pre-NHL development, the NHL isn’t always everything for players, either. Cooley’s desire to win a national championship, as well as the lower-stakes environment of college hockey, are also likely factors in his choice.

Neither Cooley nor the Coyotes have commented on his decision publically.

Snapshots: Ullmark, Cooley, Landeskog

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Goalie Linus Ullmark did not travel with the Boston Bruins to Philadelphia for their game against the Flyers on Sunday due to a lower-body issue, according to Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. The Bruins recalled Brandon Bussi from the AHL (along with four others) this morning to serve as the backup to Jeremy Swayman in Ullmark’s absence. Bussi has played in 31 games for the Providence Bruins this season, posting a spectacular 21-5-4 record with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.

This is the first time that Ullmark has been held out of the lineup due to injury this season, a good sign for the normally injury-prone netminder. He’s played himself right to the top of Vezina Trophy consideration this season, posting spectacular numbers even given Boston’s solid defense. His 1.89 goals-against average, .938 save percentage, and 39 wins all rank first in the league. While his absence so close to the playoffs beginning is a concern, the team will take every precaution possible with injuries during their few remaining games, given the President’s Trophy is already theirs.

  • Logan Cooley, undoubtedly the Arizona Coyotes’ top prospect, is reportedly taking a few days to think over his decision regarding whether to sign his entry-level contract this season, according to Joe Smith of The Athletic. The University of Minnesota freshman standout, unlike now-former teammates Brock Faber and Matthew Knies, has not decided on his immediate future after last night’s loss in the NCAA Men’s Tournament national championship.
  • According to Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar, it appears unlikely that team captain Gabriel Landeskog will play in any of the team’s four remaining regular season games. Bednar confirmed Sunday that Landeskog has not yet resumed practicing with the team and is unlikely to do so before the end of the regular season. A playoff return hasn’t been ruled out for Landeskog, who will miss all 82 regular season games with a knee injury.

Adam Fantilli Wins 2023 Hobey Baker Award

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It was a banner year for Wolverines center Adam Fantilli and he was rewarded for his efforts on Friday by winning the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top player in the NCAA.  He beat out Golden Gophers forwards Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies.

Fantilli’s freshman year was nothing short of dominant with Michigan.  The 18-year-old leads the NCAA in scoring this season with 30 goals and 35 assists in 36 games; he collected at least a point in all but three of his appearances.  That also helped him take home National Rookie of the Year honors earlier today.  Fantilli also suited up at the World Juniors for Canada where he picked up five points in seven contests.  His performance this season has him as the consensus second-overall selection in the upcoming draft in June.

Cooley was the third-overall pick by the Coyotes last summer and had a dominant freshman year, notching 22 goals and 38 assists in just 38 games for the University of Minnesota with one more contest to come tomorrow in the championship game.  That puts him second in college scoring this season behind only Fantilli.  Cooley also dominated at the World Juniors with seven goals and seven assists in just seven games and while that had no bearing on the voting for this award, the Coyotes have to be thrilled with the progression of their top prospect.  It’s possible that he’s a one-and-done player with a decision on that front to come likely early next week.

Knies, a second-round pick of the Maple Leafs back in 2021, has been one of the more prominent power forwards at the NCAA level while often playing alongside Cooley on the Golden Gophers.  The 20-year-old has 21 goals and 21 assists in 39 games this season, good for a tie for 15th in NCAA scoring, and can add to those totals tomorrow against Quinnipiac.  It’s widely expected that he will turn pro after Saturday’s championship game with his entry-level deal likely to begin immediately, giving Toronto a bit of extra depth heading into the first round against Tampa Bay later this month.

Fantilli becomes the third Wolverine to win the award since it was first handed out in 1981, joining former NHL players Brendan Morrison (1997) and Kevin Porter (2008).

Last year’s winner of the award was goaltender Dryden McKay.  An undrafted free agent, McKay eventually signed a two-year AHL deal with Toronto.  A full history of Hobey Baker Award winners can be found here.

Hobey Baker Award Finalists Announced

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The three finalists for this year’s Hobey Baker Award are Adam Fantilli, Matthew Knies and Logan Cooley, according to Steven Ellis of DailyFaceoff.

Fantilli, a freshman at the University of Michigan, is considered a top prospect for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, and led all NCAA scorers with 64 points (29G, 35A) in 35 games, finishing seven points ahead of Cooley for the top spot. Fantilli has been able to further cement his status as a likely lottery selection in the draft, and adding the Hobey Baker would only solidify that standing.

Cooley, the No. 3 overall pick by the Arizona Coyotes last summer, had 57 points (20G, 37A) in 37 games for the University of Minnesota. Cooley’s strong showing this season has given the Coyotes more reason to believe they have a potential No. 1 center in their organization. His 14 points in 7 games at the World Junior Championships for the US also showed he has an ability to perform in pressure situations. Cooley might be looking to join the pro ranks if he can claim this year’s Hobey Baker.

Knies, a 2021 second-rounder by the Toronto Maple Leafs, finished tied for 19th in NCAA scoring with 41 points (21G, 20A) in 38 games playing alongside Cooley at Minnesota. Knies, a sophomore, built on a strong freshman campaign that saw him record 15 goals and 18 assists in 33 games. As a member of an organization annually tight with the salary cap, Knies has begun to develop into a player who could make an impact in the NHL while on an entry level contract. It remains to be seen when Knies will decide to turn pro, but winning the Hobey Baker could accelerate that process.

The winner of the Hobey Baker Award will be announced on Friday, April 7.

College Notes: Farrell, Boston University, Minnesota, Gibson

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John Buccigross of ESPN reports Sean Farrell is going to sign with the Montreal Canadiens in the next few days. The skilled left-winger was a fourth-round draft pick of the Canadiens in 2020, and could add some scoring punch to a struggling offence in the near future.

The 21 year old just wrapped up his second college season and it was an impressive showing. Though his Harvard squad bowed out rather meekly in a 8-1 drubbing at the hands of Ohio State, Farrell was phenomenal all season. He had an assist in that NCAA Regional Semi-Final, and it gave him 53 points in 34 games, a big improvement from his 28 points in 24 games in 2021-22.

Farrell is a smart player with incredible vision, who had 33 assists in 34 games this season. Add in his 20 goals and he has the second best points-per-game average in college hockey, trailing only Adam Fantilli of Michigan.

Though it is just his second actual college season, it counted as Farell’s junior campaign because the 2020-21 counted as his freshman season even though Harvard did not play due to Covid restrictions. So, Farrell could choose to return for one more season and then become a free agent in August of 2024, but it sounds like we will not get that far as Buccigross suggests the Canadiens could get his name on an entry-level contract soon.

  • Also in college hockey, Boston University punched its ticket to the Frozen Four national semi-final with a 2-1 win over Cornell. Wilmer Skoog scored his 16th goal of the season to give BU a second period lead and Ethan Phillips scored the game’s winning goal in the third period on his own rebound. Dalton Bancroft scored in the final minute for Cornell, but BU was able to hold them off and advance to the Frozen Four in Tampa Bay on April 6.
  • BU will face Minnesota who also advanced to the Frozen Four today. Minnesota was led by Logan Cooley, the Arizona Coyotes third overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, who had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over St. Cloud State. Jackson Lacombe, an Anaheim Ducks prospect also had a goal and an assist, as did undrafted Jaxon Nelson who sealed the game with an empty net goal.
  • Tarik El-Bashir of The Athletic reports one of Farrell’s teammates is close to signing as well. Goaltender Mitchell Gibson was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft and just saw his Harvard hockey career come to a close. The 23 year old’s final NCAA game was not flattering as he allowed seven goals before being pulled in that blowout loss, but he had a stellar college career. He finished this season with a 2.25 GAA and a .919 SV% in 27 games. He would add some youth to the Capitals goaltending pipeline as they have been relying on 27 year old goalies Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard at the AHL level.

Top-10 Finalists Announced For 2023 Hobey Baker

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With the end of collegiate hockey calendar approaching, the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award have been announced. The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country and has an impressive line of winners. In 2014, Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, Cale Makar, and Cole Caufield have all taken it home over the last decade, with each going on to star at the professional level.

Goaltender Dryden McKay, last year’s winner, is currently playing with the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL, after a history career at Minnesota State-Mankato. McKay posted a .932 save percentage and 26 shutouts across 140 college games, winning 113 of them.

The award also has several top NHL alumni in its small fraternity, including Neal Broten, Tom Kurvers, Paul Kariya, Chris Drury, Ryan Miller, and Brendan Morrison. With that group behind them, this year’s winner is certainly not someone to take lightly.

Earlier this year, 87 players from the NCAA ranks were nominated for the award, and today that number has been reduced to just ten. These ten players will be narrowed to just three, a process that anyone can be a part of by participating in the fan vote. Votes will be added to the decision from a selection committee to produce three finalists, from which a winner will be crowned.

The top 10 finalists are as follows, with the NHL organization that owns their draft rights in parenthesis:

Logan Cooley, University of Minnesota (Arizona Coyotes)

Adam Fantilli, University of Michigan (2023 draft eligible)

Sean Farrell, Harvard University (Montreal Canadiens)

Collin Graf, Quinnipiac University (undrafted)

Lane Hutson, Boston University (Montreal Canadiens)

Matthew Knies, University of Minnesota (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Devon Levi, Northeastern University (Buffalo Sabres)

Yaniv Perets, Quinnipiac University (undrafted)

Blake Pietila, Michigan Tech University (undrafted)

Jason Polin, Western Michigan University (undrafted)

USA Hockey Announces Preliminary 2023 WJC Roster

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The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship is rapidly approaching, with things set to kick off on the afternoon of December 26 with a match between Switzerland and Finland. Team USA will start their tournament later that day against Latvia. Today, the organization released the preliminary roster for the upcoming camp.

The group will be pared down closer to the tournament but currently includes:

F Jackson Blake (CAR 109th overall, 2021)
F Gavin Brindley (2023 draft eligible)
F Tyler Boucher (OTT 10th overall, 2021)
F Kenny Connors (LAK 103rd overall, 2022)
F Logan Cooley (ARI 3rd overall, 2022)
F Jack Devine (FLA 221st overall, 2022)
F Dylan Duke (TBL 126th overall, 2021)
F Cutter Gauthier (PHI 5th overall, 2022)
F Noah Laba (NYR 111th overall, 2022)
F Ryan Leonard (2023 draft eligible)
F Samuel Lipkin (ARI 223rd overall, 2021)
F Chaz Lucius (WPG 18th overall, 2021)
F Cameron Lund (SJS 34th overall, 2022)
F Rutger McGroarty (WPG 14th overall, 2022)
F Red Savage (DET 114th overall, 2021)
F Will Smith (2023 draft eligible)
F Jimmy Snuggerud (STL 23rd overall, 2022)
F Charlie Stramel (2023 draft eligible)

D Sean Behrens (COL 61st overall, 2021)
D Shai Buium (DET 36th overall, 2021)
D Seamus Casey (NJD 46th overall, 2022)
D Ryan Chesley (WSH 37th overall, 2022)
D Aidan Hreschuk (CBJ 94th overall, 2021)
D Luke Hughes (NJD 4th overall, 2021)
D Lane Hutson (MTL 62nd overall, 2022)
D Luke Mittelstadt (undrafted)
D Jack Peart (MIN 54th overall, 2021)
D Ryan Ufko (NSH 115th overall, 2021)

G Trey Augustine (2023 draft eligible)
G Kaidan Mbereko (undrafted)
G Tyler Muszelik (FLA 189th overall, 2022)
G Andrew Oke (undrafted)

The camp will be held in Plymouth, Michigan between December 12-17, at which point a 23-man roster will be selected.

Team USA Announces 2022 World Juniors Roster

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The World Juniors are a little under 48 hours away and slated to kick off their tournament Tuesday night at 10:00 pm ET, Team USA had to make its final round of cuts for the tournament. Today they did just that, USA Hockey announcing its final roster for the tournament, cutting two players to bring the group down to 25. Frank Nazar (CHI) and Aiden Hreschuk (CBJ) were the final two players cut from the USA roster. The final group is as follows:

Goaltenders

Remington Koepple (2023 draft eligible)

Kaidan Mbereko (2023 draft eligible)

Andrew Oke (2023 draft eligible)

Defensemen

Sean Behrens (COL)

Brock Faber (MIN)

Luke Hughes (NJD)

Wyatt Kaiser (CHI)

Tyler Kleven (OTT)

Ian Moore (ANA)

Jack Peart (MIN)

Jacob Truscott (VAN)

Forwards

Brett Berard (NYR)

Thomas Bordeleau (SJS)

Logan Cooley (ARZ)

Matt Coronato (CGY)

Riley Duran (BOS)

Dominic James (CHI)

Matt Knies (TOR)

Carter Mazur (DET)

Hunter McKown (2023 draft eligible)

Sasha Pastujov (ANA)

Mackie Samoskevich (FLA)

Red Savage (DET)

Landon Slaggert (CHI)

Charlie Stramel (2023 draft eligible)

Of note for this USA team, it features 17 of the 25 players who were on the roster for the original 2022 WJC before it was ultimately cancelled and postponed due to COVID-19. Four of these 25, including Berard, Faber, Kleven, and Slaggert, were also on the 2021 team that won Gold. Team USA General Manager John Vanbiesbrouck had this to say about the difficult selection process:

“We had a great week of camp followed by a pair of good pre-tournament games to help us finalize our roster. We had some spots to fill from December and we filled them in well. These are hard decisions, but we believe these are the 25 best players to achieve our goal.”

Team USA’s coaching staff is made up of Head Coach Nate Leaman, Assistant Coaches Grant Potulny, Kris Mayotte, and Steve Miller, as well as Video Coach Theresa Feaster. The team will be captained by Faber, along with alternate captains in Bordeleau and Slaggert. USA will open the tournament with a preliminary round game against Germany Tuesday evening at 10:00 pm ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, where the entire tournament is being held.

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