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A Cool-ey Calder Winner?

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Arizona Coyotes rookie Logan Cooley looks to be a top-six player on the desert squad as the preseason continues and regular season is in-sight.

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But, with the regular season looming, is there a chance that he can win the Calder Trophy for being the NHL’s Rookie of the Year?

Here is a deep-dive into Logan Cooley, his start with the Coyotes and who will rival him for best rookie in the NHL this season:

About Cooley

Being drafted third overall by the ‘Yotes in the 2022 NHL Draft, he decided to take his talents from the United States National Team Development Program to the University of Minnesota last campaign.

In Minnesota, the playmaking center would score 22 goals and 38 assists for 60 in 39 games.

Cooley would finish second in the Hobey Baker, NCAA Hockey’s Player of the Year, race as University of Michigan’s Adam Fantilli won the title last year.

Questions were asked why Cooley wasn’t drafted #1 overall in his draft class after the impressive season.

With the first pick, the Montreal Canadiens selected power-forward Juraj Slafkovsky and the New Jersey Devils grabbed Simon Nemec second.

Slafkovsky only played 39 games last season and recorded 10 points for the ‘Habs before suffering a lower-body injury.

As for Nemec, the Slovakian defensemen gathered 34 points in 65 games for the Devils American Hockey League affiliate, the Utica Comets, but has yet to make his New Jersey debut.

Turning Pro

After Cooley finished his first season with the Golden Gophers, it was announced that he was going to return to Minnesota for a sophomore season by the university on May 19th.

As the past summer came and went, however, Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong made important upgrades to the roster as the “rebuild” was slowly dissipating  as the team looks, on paper, like its in a position to compete for playoff spots in the not-to-distant future.

Acquiring defensmen Matt Dumba and Sean Durzi while adding veteran winger Jason Zucker were just some of the new additions that Armstrong brought in for the Coyotes to be more competitive this season.

Out of nowhere, the Coyotes announced that Cooley signed a 3-year entry-level contract with the Arizona club and would eliminate his supposed-return to Minnesota on Jul. 27.

Cooley’s Preseason Debut

Then, last weekend, he headed down to Australia for two preseason NHL Global Series games and his stock skyrocketed even more.

Both the Coyotes and their opponent, the Los Angeles Kings, brought the majority of their NHL rosters to the “land down under.”

In the first game on Sept. 22, Cooley was stationed in the middle of a line with Zucker and fellow Coyotes prospect Dylan Guenther.

After a first period tied up at zero, the Coyotes were up 2-1 with not even half of the 20-minute time frame completed.

Coyotes winger Lawson Crouse scored at 11:19 in the second period and just 21 seconds later, Cooley scored arguably the best goal of the NHL preseason will have in only the first game.

Cooley turned and gained acceleration as he was leaving the defensive zone before a give-and-go sequence with Arizona defenseman JJ Moser.

As the rookie center crossed the blue line, Cooley span past two Kings defenders and corralled the puck to avoid a third.

Surprisingly, as he went towards the goal, Cooley was tripped.

However, Cooley contained the puck and ripped it past Kings goalie Pheonix Copley to add to the Coyotes lead, 4-1.

The fans around the world were shocked with how Cooley was able to not just score, but keep hold of the puck.

With Logan Cooley’s resume and a bigger audience now keeping an eye on after “that” goal than before, who are the other players that can win the Calder Trophy?

Calder Competition

Even though the list of NHL rookies like Cooley and Fantilli are up for contention, the overwhelming favorite to win the Calder is Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago’s #1 overall-pick in the 2023 draft, Bedard, has been labeled as a “generational talent, as well as being compared to Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, who is regarded as the best player in NHL.

But, what makes him so special and how is Bedard heavily-favorited over the other rookies, including Cooley?

As a 16-year-old, Bedard put up 51 goals and 49 assists for exactly 100 points in only 62 games during the 2021-22 season with his Western Hockey League junior team in Canada, the Regina Pats.

Glaringly, Bedard crushed his competition in the WHL even more as he had 71 goals and 72 assists for a grand total of 143 points in just 57 games at only 17-years-old.

Now, after leaving juniors, Bedard joins a Blackhawks team that is in a major rebuild and he will be the main focal point for the franchise moving forward.

Will Cooley Win the Calder?

For the Coyotes, Logan Cooley is on the better team as Arizona and Chicago are vastly different in terms of strength.

Bedard being on the first line will give him more opportunities to score and hence increase his chance of being named the best rookie.

Cooley, on the other hand, may have his odds reduced based on what line he will center.

Last year, Barrett Hayton was the center on the first line with Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.

The trio was back together in the two preseason games in Australia, so it looks like it will be the same line going forward.

He could find himself on the first line before the regular season ends, so there is a chance Logan Cooley wins the award.

Time will tell with how both players will develop in two different environments, but don’t be shocked if Bedard snags the Calder instead.

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Alec Cipollini is a journalist covering the Arizona Coyotes and Phoenix Rising for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his new X account @CipolliniBCS

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