To the public eye, a fast hockey player that consistently pulls off dirty dekes will be seen as a good player. A player that records an excessive amount of points while exploding past the other team in the midst of all his dekes and moves will be seen as an elite player. For example, what makes Connor McDavid such a talented player?
Immediately your brain visually draws up his countless highlight reel goals where he just squeaks through teams without anyone being able to catch up for him. You think of him being arguably the fastest player in the NHL. You also think about his fast-paced motor hands which let him excel past any other player in the NHL, even the best defenders in league history.
Though the thing that people will never say he’s good for is his playmaking and puck distribution skills. To the regular fan, those little details and those intangibles are nothing important. It’s all about the dekes and the goals. But the truth is that those little movements and plays that either make or break the player are huge aspects to the game of ice hockey.
Today, we have one of the most entertaining prospects from the 2022 NHL draft class, Logan Cooley. Deemed as a player who can rush from zone to zone without being stripped of the puck using his speed and elite puck handling skills, he’s managed to make a name for himself as one of the best prospects in this year's draft. If you watch him play, you’ll understand that every time he’s on the ice he will try to dazzle you in one way or another.
But what about his negatives? Is it true that more is less sometimes with prospects? Can he properly develop or will his struggle areas hold him back? In today’s scouting report, we’ll take an in depth look at one of the most highly anticipated prospects in this year's class, Logan Cooley.
The best hands and puck handling abilities in the draft
I personally cannot see anyone in this draft class beating out Cooley for the title of “best puck handling skills”. Cooley’s entire brand is being able to smoothly use his hands to carry the puck out of his zone and into the offensive zone with so much ease.
Because of his hands and his speed, it makes him rushing through defenders look so easy. His ability to make the defense look horrible by simply beating them using those quick and nimble hands is outrageously stunning. You just know every time he’s got the puck on his stick and he’s heading without stopping right into the offensive zone that he will outplay and outsmart the defender to somehow generate a scoring chance.
We saw this on display when he would do it in every level of hockey he’s played. He’s done it with the USNDP, he’s done it in minor tournaments, and he’s done it on national grounds showing that no matter the case, no matter the day, and no matter who he’s playing, Logan Cooley has absolutely no hesitation to show off and use his hands as an advantage to escape high-pressure situations and get the puck to the net, or– depending on the situation– set up a play.
Our first clip is him toying with the defenders:
Immediately picking up the puck off of a faceoff tie-up, he starts his show without hesitation. Straight away he begins to softly stick handle through the defensive zone. He could have chosen to cut to the net, but the chances of him scoring in a tight area like that felt unlikely. So instead of rushing to the net like most players would, he uses his offensive instinct (which will be one of our highlights later), and he goes behind the net.
Now watch him go for the Michigan move. He didn’t actually pull it off because he realized that the defender was right on him, but his ability to pick it up into that sort of position so quickly while moving at top speed is outstanding.
Since he didn’t go for the Michigan, he held the puck on his stick to carry it higher in the zone. He avoids a tap using his stick handling and puck protection, and then he pulls off one of the nastiest in-between-the-legs moves to get away from any pressure that was on him. Continually stick handling across the ice using his edges to shield himself away from the defender, he sets up his teammate with a pass. This clip is the perfect definition of what type of a player Cooley is. He’s so much fun to watch, and even when there’s no goal, it’s entertaining to watch him bully the other team around using his puck handling moves.
Above is another scoring opportunity created from Cooley using his stickhandling skills. Joining the rush as the third man, Jimmy Snuggerud of team USA carries the puck past the blue line and hits Logan with a backhand pass. Cooley opens his stick up to catch the puck on his forehand, and then while catching the pass, he puts it in between his own legs (we’ve seen this move before) and cuts right by the defender. He doesn’t score, but he does get straight to the net and nearly scores thanks to his elite puck handling skills.
That’s proof that all of his dekes start with the initial touch. Managing to immediately create dangerous moves right off the pass is something many young players struggle with, but Cooley has perfected this move and that’s what makes him better than anyone else when it comes to these sorts of things. This is something that some NHL players even can’t do, but man, Cooley’s already doing it. Every. Single. Shift.
Our final clip for his stick handling is him and protecting the puck while crashing the net. Firstly, he gets the puck at the top of the offensive zone. Then, he chooses to use his explosiveness and his handling skills to crash right to the net. So he mohawks to the side of the wall and he forces the defender to chase after him. He holds onto the puck while getting slightly slashed, and then once he comes right to the net, he flips the puck to his forehand and shoots. Again, no goal was scored, but he did get to the net with so much agility and so much speed thanks to his elite dekes, hands, and his quick thinking.
To me, it’s no debate that his stick handling is the best aspect of his. It’s –by far– the best in the 2022 draft class. It makes him so much fun to watch, and I can promise you that whichever team drafts him, will fall in love with him because of those moves. He will be a fan favorite, and he’s already won me over with those tricks.
Explosiveness, Speed, and skating technique
A huge part of Logan being able to get through defenders like butter is his speed. His ability to explode right off the hop to join rushes and using his legs to act like a slingshot is something that stands out to me as well. You gotta give credit to his skating and his speed.
It all kicks off with his starts. Doesn’t matter if it’s right off a faceoff, a tight turn, or even a giveaway, but he manages to quickly explode right off of his initial step. As mentioned a second ago, his starts and jumps acts as a slingshot into his speed when he comes around the walls and through the zone. Without his explosive starts, it’s hard to imagine being that fast and that effective with his footspeed.
But even if he wouldn’t be as fast without his explosive starts, he would still be extremely speedy. His active legwork and his leg strength lets him fire right past others without them being able to catch up to him. It’s a huge plus to his game especially in the modern age of hockey, where speed is arguably the biggest and most important factor in game intensity.
To prove it, we have this clip above. As you can see, it all starts with his explosiveness. He walks in a bit deeper before making a spin move on the defender. Then, he uses that explosiveness to get away from any pressure that’s on him. That’s when that slingshot feeling comes in because he starts moving his legs right off the hop and he doesn’t stop moving them. He stick handles and keeps moving his legs while he’s being tracked down, and as he sucks in both forwards that are defending the power play, he sets up his teammate with a beautiful backhand pass.
His teammate goes top corner on a one-timer, and as much as the scorer deserves credit for the finish, this move wouldn’t have happened if Cooley didn’t use his elite speed and his explosiveness from the first step. Those are the types of plays that make you truly realize how beneficial his speed is whenever and wherever. That type of quickness in sharp movements shocks the opponent and it sets him ahead of anyone else.
Here’s a perfect example of him using that slingshot to gain a controlled zone entry while continually moving his legs to get away from any attacker:
It all begins with him picking up the puck and him gradually moving up the ice. As he keeps moving up and up, he surely gets faster. Once he starts to receive a bit of extra pressure he explodes into a fast stride. That fast stride doesn’t end as he avoids any stick contact. He gains the zone entry thanks to his quick feet and he starts an offensive play. That is why his footspeed is a huge key to whatever play he creates. Any play always involves his fast legs and it’s really hard to ignore it.
Here’s one last clip of him joining the rush, getting the puck on his stick, and entering the offensive zone with so much ease because of his active legs:
Thanks to his natural offensive instincts he plans out the play in his head while pursuing the puck. He gives his teammate a pass, he quickly rushes up the ice to get it back but higher, and then skates into the zone all in the span of less than 10 seconds. That right there, is pure speed.
As much as Cooley’s stick handling and puck movement makes him look amazing and talented, you cannot escape the fact that his skating and explosiveness plays a huge role in him gaining zone entries, making offensive plays, and scoring goals. It’s a huge aspect and that’s why I personally love the type of offensive game that Cooley has.
Elite Offensive Instinct
Connect the dots and you’ll understand what type of player Logan Cooley is. He’s your “basic” yet noticeable offensive, high-paced, action-packed forward that somehow shocks you all the time. He really reminds me of someone like Nathan MacKinnon or Kirill Kaprizov when it comes to distributing pucks in the offensive zone. That offensive touch of his makes him look so dangerous and so scary, especially when he’s rushing at you at full speed.
A big part of that dangerous look is his offensive instinct. What is an offensive instinct? It’s actually a number of things, but here are some keys of it:
The player in question is always finding ways to get himself and/or the puck to score a goal– no matter if it’s greasy or nice, the player will do anything in his will to bring the puck right to the net.
He pre-plans and visualizes offensive plays that help his team set up to score goals. That means the player in question single-handedly finds a way to put himself in a position to find a way to score goals.
He always knows where his teammates are to either use them as an advantage as a fake, or he can pass the puck to them for some sort of scoring chance. A lot of the time the player with the offensive instincts doesn’t even need to look when he makes the passing play because it’s almost like he has eyes on the back of his head.
The player finds a way to get open using the most creative and innovative ways possible. If the player can’t find a way to get open, he’ll either continue to battle for a way to get open, or he’ll use the defender as a way to distract the goalie using screens and other tools of that sort.
Those four aspects are only some of the things that offensive “geniuses” master, but those are the standouts with Logan Cooley. In every game you watch where appears in, you will see him exemplify all four aspects of being the ideal offensive-minded player.
Here’s the first example of him having an elite offensive instinct:
In the clip above he shows off point 2. Grabbing the puck at his own blue line, he uses that speed we’ve talked about to gain offensive area. Once he comes into the zone, he sets up his teammate with a great pass. He continues to go to the net while his teammate sends it back to him, and since it was an odd-man rush into the offensive zone, his teammate gives him an easy pass across and Cooley finishes it off with a goal.
It was a beautiful play and it shows us how he managed to think of a play in his mind from the start at such a high pace. He loves to make these sorts of moves and that’s what makes him such a special player in the offensive zone.
In the clip above he showcases point 3. This basically goes word for word with the no-look pass. As he holds the puck away from an attacker on his forehand, he doesn’t even need to look back to realize that his teammate will be coming down the middle. He passes the puck back and he finds the scorer without even looking. The teammate fires it and scores, and Cooley deserves all the credit. He managed to fake out every single player on team Latvia, including the goalie. He managed to create an amazing goal thanks to that offensive instinct to know where his teammate would be.
Our last clip below shows off a mixture of points 1 and 4:
As the Pittsburgh native comes down deep into the offensive zone from the top of the blue line, he finds himself in an area where he isn’t covered by anyone. Every defender has been caught up high, forgetting about Cooley completely, and as he gets open he receives the puck on his stick.
He gets in front of the net, and his inner showman comes up as he goes fancy attempting to score a Matthew Tkachuk-like goal. There was no goal, but he positioned that puck perfectly to make sure there would be a rebound. His teammate pots it in.
In the clip he figures out a play in his head, finds himself in an open spot, gets the puck to the net, and does all of that while proving how much fun he is by going in-between his legs. Sort of the cherry on top.
These three clips showcase the four basic traits to an offensive-minded player, and that should give you the vibe that Cooley is that type of guy. Logan is the perfect offensive player that will always be determined to score a goal or set his teammates up with a nice scoring chance. That offensive touch allows him to do so much more than anyone else, and that only furthers the point that he is arguably the most entertaining player in the 2022 draft class.
Things Logan can improve on
Aah, the dreaded improvements. For an offensive god like Logan Cooley, you’d be surprised with how many holes he has in his game. Even though a lot of them can be fixed (and likely will be), there are still quite a few issue areas which do need to be improved on sooner than later.
The first being his defensive incosisnecy. Far too often you’ll see Logan Cooley make a great defensive play which is later followed by a total face-palm moment. One of the biggest issues to Cooley’s defensive inconsistency is his constant want of going behind the net in high-danger situations.
Like in the clip above, he’ll tend to make some sort of clutch defensive play before completely giving up. Here he makes a nice stick lift to stop a goal from being scored, but then follows up by lazily watching the puck as he backs away from the traffic. He skates behind the net and the opposing team scores. A lot of the time you’ll watch him do the bare minimum in the defensive zone and then simply call it a day. It isn’t nearly enough for a centerman, especially in the modern age of hockey.
For a player like Cooley, he should have lifted the stick and re-engaged in the action by getting the puck back. Instead he skated around the net (like he does a lot of the time– it’s quite noticeable) which will hurt him a lot at the NHL level. You don’t want to be the centerman who gets caught puck watching rather than playing a solid defensive game.
Here’s the thing, though; Cooley is more than capable of playing a fantastic two-way game. So why doesn’t he? To be honest, that’s something for him to figure out. One thing everyone gets annoyed with is an inconsistent player. And when you have a centerman who struggles with consistency in the defensive zone, it isn’t a lot of fun to watch. His offensive game should not be canceling out his defensive game. Especially based on his draft ranking.
The clip above proves that he does have defensive skill and that he is capable of so much more. As the puck gets caught up in a battle along the wall, Cooley quickly jumps onto the ice and rushes into the middle of the ice. There, he covers two different players at once who could possibly have a good scoring chance if it weren’t for Cooley. Standing at the top of the circle carefully monitoring what the players he’s guarding do, he actively looks around and spreads himself out to make sure team Sweden cannot gain possession. Suddenly, the puck is flung right at him, and using his quick reaction time to catch the puck on his stick, Then, he tries to hit his teammate up with a long pass.
That clip is a perfect representation of how he is capable of playing a skillful and responsible two-way game. He just needs to find his consistency and he needs to learn how to manage to play it for three periods. If he wants more trust from his coaches, he needs to realize that he has to play consistently on the back end.
Another issue of Logan’s is his aggressiveness and his will to play physical hockey. Look, the game of stick and puck isn’t as heavy hitting as it once was, but that doesn’t mean that the sport isn’t physical. A lot of the time that you’ll watch Cooley you’ll realize that he isn’t fond of dealing with lean and physical situations. A lot of the time he’ll sit behind watching for the puck to slip out so that he could pick it up. It would be nice to see him be more active and be more willing to get down and dirty.
In the clip above Cooley loses the puck off of a zone entry and he is suddenly forced to retrieve it. Instead of battling and willing to get hit, he waits for something to happen while he taps away at the battle with his stick. Because of his useless tapping and him getting away from the battle, he gets his stick caught in the battle and takes a tripping penalty.
Cooley showed little to no initiative to fight for the puck and it cost him big with a penalty. If he were to come in deeper and if he wasn’t scared of the hit, there wouldn’t have been a penalty and his teammates would have possibly won the board battle cleanly.
Another example of him getting scared of contact is this clip. He gets the puck along the boards, and as soon as he sees a defender coming up on him, he panics and throws the puck away instead of using his speed or taking in the hit. The puck went down the ice and we’re back at square one.
Logan Cooley really does need to learn that in hockey, he has to take a hit to make a play at some points. It sucks to get hit and of course you don’t want to get injured, but in a contact sport like hockey, Cooley does need to toughen up a little bit so that he could take the hit and not make a dumb play like that one shown. If he can fix his defensive game and get a little bit more involved in physical situations, it’ll make him a triple threat in all three zones and every single player in the NHL will be scared to play against him.
I do believe that he will fix these issues and I do think that he will improve greatly. That’s why I have him ranked second overall in my rankings. He’s got potential to be an amazing player, but he does need to polish up those troubled areas before he can finally reach that potential.
Logan Cooley is probably one of the most entertaining players to watch out of every 2022 draft prospect and that’s because of his elite offensive touch, his top tier stick handling and movement, and also his explosiveness and speed. WIth all of these offensive tools that Cooley has, it’ll be a ton of fun to watch how he develops and what type of player he does become in the future.
One of my favorite players in this entire draft class, Logan Cooley has shown off his play style and has made us realize that he will likely be one of the most entertaining players in this draft, and that no matter where he gets picked, the fans and his team will grow to love him as an offensive juggernaut.
Photo Credit: TSN
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