Arizona Coyotes forward Logan Cooley has transformed into a totally new player from the start of the season. 20240219_Tourigny_Postgame_FTP Cooley was drafted with the third overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft by the Coyotes. Cooley’s fast skating and impressive offensive talent had scouts and media raving about what he can do at the NHL level. After playing a year at the University of Minnesota, the 19-year-old was ready to take the jump into professional hockey. Expectations were sky high for Cooley going into his rookie campaign. It wasn’t easy for the young forward at the beginning of the year though. While he showed flashes of tremendous play, Cooley had some trouble adapting to the NHL level which is completely normal for any rookie. Cooley would oftentimes get knocked off the puck easily and struggled defensively, leading to a shortage in minutes. Over time though, some of those problems have seemed to disappear or at least be a diminished form of what they once were. While the Coyotes have lost their past ten games, Cooley’s recent play has been excellent as he continues to get accustomed to life in the NHL. There is no easy way to explain it, but Cooley is just playing with more confidence that has translated to all aspects of his game. He is utilizIng a more physical brand of hockey that is helping him at both ends of the ice and offensively Cooley is really hitting his stride. Cooley has been on a line with Dylan Guenther and that has really added a different dimension to his game. These two young forwards have incredible chemistry with each other and continue to be one of the lone bright spots for the Coyotes through this difficult stretch. In 55 games, Cooley has eight goals, 19 assists and 27 points. It hasn’t even been a full season yet and Cooley has already progressed this much as a player, so it’s only a matter of time before he truly blossoms into something special.
