Since being moved to the Coyotes first line alongside Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz, Logan Cooley has noticeably been playing better.
Coyotes coach André Tourigny made a big decision last week, putting Logan Cooley on the first line alongside Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.
While Cooley wasn’t necessarily playing badly prior to this line switch, his performance five-on-five was a little underwhelming.
The 19-year-old scored the vast majority of his points on the power play and was struggling to produce at even strength.
It may not have been too noticeable for the average fan but watching Cooley these past two games on the first line, he just looks confident and is playing with more aggression.
Through the past couple of games, Cooley has been comfortable with the puck on his stick, continuing to create and find his teammates in open space. He has been battling along the boards which is a valuable trait that Barrett Haytoon brought to the table.
Cooley’s best moment came on Saturday night when he fought for the puck behind the net and set up what ultimately was the game winning goal from Keller already showing the sort of impact this young rookie has on the team’s top line.
With more confidence, all Cooley has to do now is shoot the puck more because he has proven to be a very capable goalscorer in the past and possesses a great shot. That side of Cooley will eventually come as time passes this season and he continues to develop.
This is all just the start for Cooley who may fill in on that top line for a few more weeks as Hayton recovers from an upper-body injury.
It’s a fantastic opportunity for Cooley and fans should continue seeing him make strides on his individual game playing alongside Keller and Schmaltz.