During the Arizona Coyotes development camp, fans showed up to Ice Den Scottsdale with hopes of seeing top prospect Logan Cooley before he went off to another season at the University of Minnesota.
Drafted third overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, Cooley became the organization’s widely-touted prospect and had already delivered excitement during his freshman season. The only drawback was the expected wait for when Cooley would play for the Coyotes after he said he’d return to Minnesota in May.
But Cooley delivered a welcome surprise to the Coyotes and signed a three-year entry-level contract on Thursday.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about all summer and have been trying to figure out what the best fit,” Cooley said. “There was a ton of different factors, it wasn’t a specific point where I was leaning one way or another. I took the pros and cons of both and I ended up thinking that going to the Coyotes is the best fit for me right now.”
On top of displaying elite skill at Minnesota, Cooley amassed 60 points (22 goals and 38 assists) in 39 games as a freshman with the Golden Gophers. Cooley even pulled off “The Michigan,” a lacrosse-style goal, against Arizona State and nearly secured the Hobey Baker, the top honor in NCAA hockey.
Cooley had initially decided to return for his sophomore season at Minnesota because he didn’t feel he was at the point where he felt ready for the NHL. However, he didn’t completely close the door on going pro during development camp earlier this month.
By the end of the five-day camp, Cooley stood a head above his peers, despite being 5-foot-10 on a squad filled with players above 6 feet. His decision-making with the puck and away from the puck stood out, along with his crisp skating abilities.
“Anytime you can put the NHL jersey on and compete against the other prospects and see where you’re at against them, it was super special. That’s kind of when I knew I was ready for the next step,” Cooley said.
Cooley, along with Dylan Guenther, represents the incoming group of talented forward prospects set to lead the Coyotes in the future. With all the pressure that can come with taking the Coyotes to a new phase in the rebuild, Cooley has been able to lean on, Clayton Keller, someone who was once in his position.
“He’s helped guide me through some little things over the summer, which I’m very grateful for,” Cooley said. “Anytime you get a chance to play with a player like him would be very special. He is a player I loved to watch growing up and I tried to play like too. I’d love to be able to play with him someday.”
The Coyotes have been productive this offseason, trading for defenseman Sean Durzi, adding free agents Jason Zucker and Alex Kerfoot, and re-signing Matias Maccelli. But the team has also dealt with uncertainty regarding the team’s future in Arizona after the arena proposal in Tempe was voted down.
While the team’s future in Arizona is unclear, it hasn’t stopped players from signing with the organization.
“I don’t really pay attention to that stuff too much,” Cooley said. “I know what’s in the inside with what the coaching staff thinks and the ownership and the players. It’s kind of focused on what’s inside with the Coyotes and the things that actually matter. Stuff like the outside noise, it doesn’t really affect my decision on whether to go to the Coyotes or anything like that.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Logan Cooley signs three-year deal with Arizona Coyotes