He is still looking forward to his first competitive game in the NHL, but Logan Cooley captivated hockey fans right in the opening preparations for the new season. The 19-year-old newcomer did not act like a rookie at all, on the contrary, he dazzled with an action in which he acted like a seasoned greaser.
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Logan Cooley’s great action in preparation for the NHL | Video: Associated Press
The game preparation before the new NHL season started with a match in Melbourne, Australia, where the Arizona hockey players defeated Los Angeles 5:3.
Over 13,000 spectators watched the premier match of the NHL teams in the southern hemisphere in the Rod Laver Tennis Arena.
And they were ecstatic, especially in the 32nd minute, when Cooley exchanged the puck with Switzerland’s JJ Moser in a flash, stretched around the goalpost, made two impressive turns and sent the puck behind Phoenix Copley’s back in the Los Angeles goal.
The great event excited fans and commentators, who called the native of Pittsburgh a “dancer”.
The American forward was the third pick in last year’s draft, but he spent last season with the University of Minnesota team in the NCAA college competition. In 39 games, he accumulated 60 points for 22 goals and 38 assists.
This year, the admirer of Russian forward Alexander Ovechkin won bronze at the World Junior Championships, where he had the same number of goals and assists in seven games and was the second most productive player and second top scorer of the tournament behind the celebrated Canadian mega-talent Connor Bedard.
At the end of July, he signed a three-year rookie contract with Arizona.
And a wonderful goal against the Los Angeles net should be the next step to the dream NHL.
Cooley made it 4-1 for the Coyotes in Australia, after a scoreless first period, the second period ended 4-3.
Czech goalkeeper David Rittich started the final period for the defeated Californian team, who missed three shots, and the Coyotes sealed the result on a power play into an empty net.
Connor Ingram caught the entire match for the winner, Karel Vejmelka remained on the substitutes’ bench.
On Sunday, Arizona and Los Angeles will meet at the same place for the second time.
2023-09-23 17:02:54
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