Cooley has quickly become one of the Coyotes’ top prospects.
The 2022–23 season is fast approaching. Here at Five For Howling, we’re looking at this year’s 25 best Arizona Coyotes players under the age of 25.
After losing another lottery, the Arizona Coyotes had the third overall pick at the NHL Entry Draft. At the draft, they saw Shane Wright, who many expected to be the consensus first-overall pick, drop into their hands. But instead of drafting the Burlington native, the Coyotes elected to select Logan Cooley.
Logan Cooley
2021–22 League: USDP, USHL
Regular Season Games Played: 51, 24
Regular Season Goals: 27, 13
Regular Season Assists: 48, 23
Highest Individual Ranking: 3
Lowest Individual Ranking: 3
Last Year’s Ranking: Not draft
The decision to draft Logan Cooley over Shane Wright will be one of the most significant decisions of the Coyotes’ rebuild and General Manager Bill Armstrong’s time with the Desert Dogs. But for now, it looks like the Coyotes made the right call. Cooley looks great and seems to want to be in Arizona.
It didn’t take long for Cooley to show what he could do. Early in the tournament, he came close to getting a lacrosse-style goal and finished with two goals and four assists in five games.
Coyotes fans got their first look at Cooley at the prospect development camp, and he impressed. He is still at least a season away, but the Coyotes may finally have the number-one center they have been looking for for years.
Cooley is already off to a great start with the University of Minnesota. In his first four games, he has two goals and three assists and was named the first star of the Big Ten.
It took a lot of pain for the Coyotes to draft Logan Cooley, and expectations for him will be high. However, his strong start suggests that Cooley’s highlights will be a crucial part of coping with another tank season.