There are many reasons why Cooley is a top prospect: his confidence in himself and his game, his ability to get past defenders much bigger than him, his speed, his skill with the puck, and his drive to be the best. All of these were on display not only this past season, but during the NHL Combine.
Cooley spent the last two years with USA Hockey's National Team Development Program in Michigan where he played not only in the USHL against older players, but also on the international stage against his birth year. This past season, the Pittsburgh native had 111 points (40G-71A) through 75 games played with the NTDP (both in the regular season and playoffs). On the international stage at the Under-18 World Championships, Cooley contributed 10 points (3G-7A) in six games played. He helped the U.S. take home a silver medal from the tournament where he was named on the All-Star team, was named the Best Forward at the tournament, and a Top-3 player for his country.
At 5-10, Cooley compares his game, both with size and skill, to former NTDP player and current Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane. It's a player Cooley has studied and tried to emulate particularly with moving through players as a 'smaller' player. But something the NTDP center wants teams to remember is that he's a player determined to win. For the forward, he plans on working on getting stronger and more explosive, things he's focused on at the NTDP and is continuing heading into his next season.
