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Top 100 Players 21 & Under — No. 25: Logan Cooley - Nov. 2, 2021 – Vol. 75, Issue 06 - Ryan Kennedy
25. LOGAN COOLEY
POS: C | AGE: 17
U.S. NTDP (USHL) | Draft: 2022
This might make you feel ancient, but 2022 draft prospect and Pittsburgh native Logan Cooley has never known a world in which the Penguins didn’t have Sidney Crosby in the lineup. The legendary Pittsburgh captain, of course, joined the franchise in 2005, when Cooley was still a toddler. Since then, Crosby has won multiple Stanley Cups and become one of the best centers in NHL history, providing a pretty good template for an aspiring young pivot. “It’s the little tricks he did with faceoffs and how he’s such a good two-way player,” Cooley said. “For sure that had a big influence on me.”
And while it would be easy to assume Cooley bled Penguins colors as a kid, the truth is a little more complicated: “I get a lot of hate for this, but I was actually a big Washington Capitals fan,” he said. “I’m a big Alex Ovechkin fan, but I also had a neighbor who was a big Caps fan and he had a lot to do with it. There were definitely a lot of heartbreaks, but after the Pens would beat the Caps, I’d cheer for Pittsburgh, so it was win-win.”
So clearly, Cooley is a fan of the best of the best, and as it so happens, he has become one of the top players in his age group, starring for USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program for the past year-plus. “He’s a really smart, intelligent hockey player,” said NTDP coach Adam Nightingale. “Pair that with his dynamic skating and he’s able to use his mind and skating to create offense and play well away from the puck.”
As the top center on this year’s NTDP under-18 team, Cooley got off to a great start, anchoring a line with fellow 2022 draft prospects Rutger McGroarty and Cruz Lucius. Cooley’s smarts have allowed him to force turnovers and transition those stolen pucks into instant offense, and he complements his wingers’ skill sets well. “It’s a great mix,” Nightingale said. “You’ve got a power forward who can make plays in Rutger McGroarty, while Cruz has a high hockey IQ and is very competitive, so those three together have found some great chemistry.”
Utah Mammoth Should Take Advantage Of Cap-Strapped Teams
The Utah Mammoth have a real chance to take advantage of cap-strapped teams before the 2025-26 NHL season gets going. With $6.6 million in projected cap space and their roster basically set, they could land an impact player from a team that's tight against the ceiling and needs to move someone out.
Since centers are the most coveted prospects, Cooley will likely be the first of the NTDP trio off the board at next summer’s draft in Montreal. Just how high he goes will be something to watch: while OHL superstar Shane Wright is practically locked into the No. 1 spot already for 2022, there is room to challenge for second overall, with an amorphous group of candidates lining up. At 5-foot-11, Cooley has enough size to be a top selection, and he’ll surely add muscle in the coming years, as he currently weighs 174 pounds. But one of the more promising early signs for Cooley’s trajectory came when he was called up to the under-18s from the NTDP’s under-17 squad last year.
The NTDP always calls players up at some point in the season, and those who have filled in as youngsters include top-five NHL picks such as Jack Eichel, Seth Jones and Jack Hughes. Cooley and McGroarty tied for the most call-up games last season with 19, which included duty at the world under-18s, the tournament the NTDP builds toward all season. Last year, the tourney took place in Texas, and while Team USA fell to Sweden in the quarterfinal (injuries took a toll on the roster), it only made Cooley’s passion for gold this year burn hotter. “It wasn’t the outcome we wanted, but it was definitely a good experience for me and the other younger guys that made it,” he said. “I can take that into this year’s tournament.”
Once his NTDP days wrap up, Cooley is slated to play at Notre Dame, where his uncle Tom Mooney played for four years (Cooley also has a brother at Ohio State and another formerly in the North American League). Based on his skill set, Cooley likely won’t be in South Bend long. With his responsible, 200-foot game and offensive firepower, the NHL will call sooner rather than later.
Key Dates To Watch In Mammoth's 2025-26 Schedule
The 2025-26 season schedule has been out for a little under a week now, and there are a few key dates to watch for. The Utah Mammoth have made some very good moves this off-season that should set themselves up for success. They also have some key dates that fans will be interested in viewing. With their improvements this summer, it should bring on more rivalry games, as well as more pressure-packed games down the stretch. Here are a few games to mark on your calendar as we slowly head toward the start of the NHL season.
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