Logan Cooley talks about managing expectations following his first preseason goal. Since scoring a goal that sent shockwaves to the rest of the NHL world in the Arizona Coyotes first preseason game in Australia last week, the expectations for Logan Cooley have definitely risen substantially. For a normal 19-year-old, this sort of media attention and pressure would be too much to handle but for Cooley, it's nothing new. “I've always had high expectations for myself,” Cooley said. “I want to be the best player that I can be every day and I want to get better every day. So yeah, I don't think the expectations or anything like that bother me. I've always had expectations for myself and it's gonna continue being like that.” A player’s mental toughness is often measured by how they handle themselves in high-pressure situations. Cooley has been through a lot in his young career thus far including playing at the World Juniors for team USA and this past season leading the University of Minnesota all the way to the NCAA Championship Game. Despite all the experience Cooley already has, he couldn’t help but be a bit starstruck and in awe playing against some professional hockey players that he grew up watching. “I still feel like a young kid playing Triple-A Hockey back in Pittsburgh but it's finally here,” Cooley said. “There's still a lot of work to be done and obviously playing guys like Kopitar and Doughty you're like wow it’s actually here. So yeah, like I said it’s been an awesome experience.” For young players, confidence is crucial and all it takes is one goal for that confidence level to rise which is what happened for Cooley. “Obviously it does give you a little bit of confidence scoring that goal,” Cooley said. “It gets you going a little more for the regular season and it’s just a taste of what I can do out there.” Be prepared to see more Cooley through the rest of this preseason as he continues to get adjusted to NHL play.
