Cooley Ready to Showcase His Skills at IIHF World Junior Championship

It may be the dog days of summer, but it sure feels like Christmas is coming early.
The 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship kicks off today, a strange feeling considering the tournament generally runs from late December into early January. This year's was postponed on Dec. 29 following a COVID-19 outbreak and is set to begin with a clean slate this week.
Coyotes fans have a few prospects to keep an eye on, highlighted by Logan Cooley, the third overall pick in July's NHL draft. He made the cut the first time around as a "double under-ager," and the then-17-year-old recorded an assist in the club's only game of the tournament.

Now 18, Cooley is still one of the youngest members of Team USA, though that's nothing new for one of Arizona's most exciting prospects.
"With the original tournament getting cancelled it was pretty sad, so for it to get rescheduled and for me to have the chance to go and represent my country, it's the best feeling ever," Cooley said. "I'm really looking forward to it."

Cooley centered Team USA's second line in December alongside Maple Leafs prospect Matt Knies and Red Wings prospect Carter Mazur, and all three are also on the updated roster. He and Knies, who are currently rooming together, will also play together this upcoming season at the University of Minnesota.
Much like the upcoming college season, World Juniors gives Cooley an opportunity to play against older competition. The super-competitive forward said he also knows what the task ahead of him entails, especially considering he's been a part of the United States National Development Program since the 2020-21 season.
He recorded
10 points in six games
for Team USA at the U18 World Championship in May, earning a silver medal in the process. Against older competition, though, Cooley knows it's a different beast altogether.
"You can kind of get away with not playing at your best when you're amongst your own competition, but the older guys and the stronger guys, the guys that have been around for a bit, they bring it every night," he said. "You have to bring it, too, especially when the bright lights are on you."
Arizona general manager Bill Armstrong said World Juniors offer a great opportunity for the club to evaluate how its top prospects handle the pressure.
"There's only so many chances in your lifetime to win a championship," he said. "I always call it the last youth hockey tournament that those guys will ever play, and it's the best youth hockey tournament that they'll play. It gives them a chance to be on center stage, so it's something that can really help your prospects grow, and it presents tremendous, tough situations in a small period of time."
In addition to Cooley, defenseman Maksymilian Szuber, who the Coyotes drafted 163rd overall in July, will represent Team Germany. As luck would have it, Team USA's first opponent is Germany, pitting two of Arizona's recent draft picks against each other.

Szuber's inclusion on Team Germany's roster came as no surprise to Armstrong.
"I always saw the good in him and expected him to make it, so, that's really a good feather in his cap to be a part of it and get that experience," he said. "I think coming to rookie camp and seeing how we train and how we work, and getting a piece of that, and then going into that tournament is going to be great for him."
Cooley and Szuber got to know each other a bit during the Coyotes' rookie development camp immediately following the NHL draft, though any pleasantries will pause when the two face each other at World Juniors.
"That will be pretty fun going against a familiar face, a guy that I could possibly play with on the Coyotes," Cooley said. "It's going to be fun to compete against him, but hopefully USA comes out on top."

Not every eligible Coyotes prospect is available to participate in the tournament, though.
Dylan Guenther, Arizona's 2021 first-round selection (No. 9) in the NHL Draft, was on the original version of Team Canada last December, but he will not play as he continues to recover from an injury sustained during the WHL Final in June.
The injury also prevented the 19-year-old from playing in the Memorial Cup later that same month, but Armstrong is hopeful the Canadian winger will be ready to go when camp rolls around in September.
"I'm a big believer that things happen for a reason," he said. "He's going to work his butt off this summer and get in great shape.
"The first stage for him is getting healthy, the second stage is getting into the best shape for camp, and third one is to come into our rookie tournament, be the best rookie there, and earn himself a spot to compete in the exhibition games."
Due to NCAA restrictions Cooley won't be at camp, and instead will head to Minnesota in late August following the World Junior Championship. The opportunity he had to participate in the Coyotes' rookie development camp, though, was an "eye-opener" for him, given the quality of talent, especially from older prospects.

That's an experience he's carrying with him to not only the world stage, but also into his freshman year with the Golden Gophers, where he also has big aspirations.
"Coming in, competing every day, and being at your best is something that I'm going to keep with me, and something that I took from development camp]," Cooley said. "My focus is on Team USA right now, but once I'm done with this, go back home, settle for a few days, rest up a little bit, and then I have to go to school.
"Once I get there, it's strictly focusing on Minnesota, and hopefully winning a national championship."
The complete World Juniors schedule
[can be found here
, and all games will be shown on NHL Network.