Prospect Info: 2022 Draft: 3OA - Logan Cooley, C

[PainForShane]

I’m not clear on what dimension you think is one-dimensional at. Can you expand?

Specifically? Hmm. I feel like Hayton's not unlike Nick Schmaltz, imo both 1-dimensional offensive players.

More specifically, I think Hayton sees the ice well (offensively), decent playmaker / passer and I haven't noticed his shot either way for better or worse. Good enough in forward transition in the neutral zone. Also, really good stick in terms of multiple things like creating turnovers, poke-checking, deflections etc. Best trait in my view is he's always looking up-ice to score, every few games he'll try some crazy deke / move and he doesn't embarrass himself, sometimes it even works out.



Defensively imo he's weak. In the D zone his positioning isn't great and he's too small to box out anyone, it's not due to lack of effort / skating he just doesn't know what he's doing yet (understandable given he's only played 90 games). Ok on faceoffs (just checked, he was 48% last year), but I always get scared when he takes defensive draws against actual offensive talent because he always ends up chasing the play. I've also seen him make multiple turnovers in the D zone (taking too long to make a breakout pass, trying to force a home-run pass etc). Basically I don't want to see him on the ice if we're protecting a lead in the 3rd.

To be clear I don't think Hayton's bad, I just don't view him as a core player to build around the way you'd hope a 5OA would be. I think a lot of other guys bring more to the team (Keller, Crouse, Chych, etc) and other prospects (Guenther, Cooley) will probably be better offensively. And if we're bad again next year and are able to draft another top tier forward (or sign Matthews), then the top 6 is (Keller - Matthews or 2023 draft pick - Schmaltz / Crouse - Cooley - Guenther and also maybe Geekie somewhere), then where do you put Hayton, as of now he doesn't really have a bottom 6 skillset like some of our other guys like Jenik or Liam O'Brien.

Does that answer your Q? Long response but hopefully specific enough. Apologies for the length but whatever, detail is good sometimes

 

[PuckLife]

Specifically? Hmm. I feel like Hayton's not unlike Nick Schmaltz, imo both 1-dimensional offensive players.

More specifically, I think Hayton sees the ice well (offensively), decent playmaker / passer and I haven't noticed his shot either way for better or worse. Good enough in forward transition in the neutral zone. Also, really good stick in terms of multiple things like creating turnovers, poke-checking, deflections etc. Best trait in my view is he's always looking up-ice to score, every few games he'll try some crazy deke / move and he doesn't embarrass himself, sometimes it even works out.



Defensively imo he's weak. In the D zone his positioning isn't great and he's too small to box out anyone, it's not due to lack of effort / skating he just doesn't know what he's doing yet (understandable given he's only played 90 games). Ok on faceoffs (just checked, he was at 48% last year), but I always get scared any time he takes defensive draws against actual offensive talent because he always ends up chasing the play. I've also seen him make multiple turnovers in the D zone (taking too long to make a breakout pass, trying to force a home-run pass etc). Basically I don't want to see him on the ice if we're protecting a lead in the 3rd.

To be clear I don't think Hayton's bad, I just don't view him as a core player to build around the way you'd hope a 5OA would be. I think a lot of other guys bring more to the team (Keller, Crouse, Chych, etc) and other prospects (Guenther, Cooley) will probably be better offensively than Hayton projects. And if we're bad again next year and are able to draft another top tier forward (or sign Matthews), then the top 6 is (Keller - Matthews or 2023 draft pick - Schmaltz / Crouse - Cooley - Guenther and also maybe Geekie somewhere), then where do you put Hayton, as of now he doesn't really have a bottom 6 skillset like some of our other guys like Jenik or Liam O'Brien.

Does that answer your Q? Long response but hopefully specific enough. Apologies for the length but whatever, detail is good sometimes

Thanks. I’ve followed him since his days in the Soo, and I’d assess that he is really defensive minded, sometimes to his detriment offensively. I’ll look at your perspective next season. I still think he’s got top line upside. We’ll see if he can string together a healthy season with consistent line mates.

 

[XX]

Specifically? Hmm. I feel like Hayton's not unlike Nick Schmaltz, imo both 1-dimensional offensive players.

Defensively imo he's weak. In the D zone his positioning isn't great and he's too small to box out anyone, it's not due to lack of effort / skating he just doesn't know what he's doing yet (understandable given he's only played 90 games). Ok on faceoffs (just checked, he was 48% last year), but I always get scared when he takes defensive draws against actual offensive talent because he always ends up chasing the play. I've also seen him make multiple turnovers in the D zone (taking too long to make a breakout pass, trying to force a home-run pass etc). Basically I don't want to see him on the ice if we're protecting a lead in the 3rd.

Don't agree at all personally. Hayton is 6'1 200+ pounds and absolutely loves to use his backside to separate the puck or seal off the boards. He has an innate desire to win 1 on 1 battles and doesn't shy away from contact (and was used extensively in a 2 way role in junior). Schmaltz would use a hundred foot stick from center ice if it was allowed and he is deathly allergic to anything approaching physical play.

Hayton's major flaw at the NHL level so far has been lack of touches and sustained ozone time. He almost never has the opportunity to shoot or make a creative pass. They have him gravitate to be the net front guy for whatever reason, but I think that's a waste of his talent and not where you're going to get value out of him. Dvorak fell into a similar trap, but Dvo was an unwilling shooter so it sort of made sense.

 

[rt]

Don't agree at all personally. Hayton is 6'1 200+ pounds and absolutely loves to use his backside to separate the puck or seal off the boards. He has an innate desire to win 1 on 1 battles and doesn't shy away from contact (and was used extensively in a 2 way role in junior). Schmaltz would use a hundred foot stick from center ice if it was allowed and he is deathly allergic to anything approaching physical play.

Hayton's major flaw at the NHL level so far has been lack of touches and sustained ozone time. He almost never has the opportunity to shoot or make a creative pass. They have him gravitate to be the net front guy for whatever reason, but I think that's a waste of his talent and not where you're going to get value out of him. Dvorak fell into a similar trap, but Dvo was an unwilling shooter so it sort of made sense.

I agree. Welcome back!

 

[Grimes]

Remember at WJF when Hayton was played like Ovi in the circle. He used that big shot of his to bring the team home.

Completely agreed that he hasn't been utilized offensively to his full capacity yet. I'm not sure if it was because they wanted him to focus elsewhere, the fact that he has yet to have consistent linemates or because he is still gaining confidence. I think this can be coached out of him though, or we can help him develop this aspect of his game.

I'm still leaning that he will probably become a very very good 3C that can slot up to 2C without a blink and a PK specialist. Gone are the days where I would hope he could reach Horvat levels. I think he ceiling is more of a very very good 2C but I'm not convinced he gets there. I blame the capped outcomes on absolutely botching his development.

The one thing he has going for him is his age. He just turned 22 in June. He has plenty of time to figure it all out and he will get his opportunities here the next two seasons.

 

[PainForShane]

Don't agree at all personally. Hayton is 6'1 200+ pounds and absolutely loves to use his backside to separate the puck or seal off the boards. He has an innate desire to win 1 on 1 battles and doesn't shy away from contact (and was used extensively in a 2 way role in junior). Schmaltz would use a hundred foot stick from center ice if it was allowed and he is deathly allergic to anything approaching physical play.

Hayton's major flaw at the NHL level so far has been lack of touches and sustained ozone time. He almost never has the opportunity to shoot or make a creative pass. They have him gravitate to be the net front guy for whatever reason, but I think that's a waste of his talent and not where you're going to get value out of him. Dvorak fell into a similar trap, but Dvo was an unwilling shooter so it sort of made sense.

I disagree with most of this, and that is ok.

Hayton is listed as 6'1" 207 by NHL.com, ESPN has him at 6'1" 190. Seeing him live a bunch of times he is significantly slimmer than most everyone else on the ice, I doubt more than 180. But, he does win his share of 1-1 puck / board battles because his stick is so good and he's coordinated / fast at getting to loose pucks.

Agree he's been used net front and hasn't been great there, we'll see what happens next year.

Either way if he starts putting up points we will all be happy. Imo still too early to give up on him but I think we can all agree that he needs to keep improving. We'll see what happens, hopefully he gets there

 

[rt]

I disagree with most of this, and that is ok.

Hayton is listed as 6'1" 207 by NHL.com, ESPN has him at 6'1" 190. Seeing him live a bunch of times he is significantly slimmer than most everyone else on the ice, I doubt more than 180. But, he does win his share of 1-1 puck / board battles because his stick is so good and he's coordinated / fast at getting to loose pucks.

Agree he's been used net front and hasn't been great there, we'll see what happens next year.

Either way if he starts putting up points we will all be happy. Imo still too early to give up on him but I think we can all agree that he needs to keep improving. We'll see what happens, hopefully he gets there

I don’t agree with that assessment at all. He’s one of the thicker, stronger dudes out there.

Didn’t we have this same argument during the season?

 

[rt]

Yes. We did. I remember now. I’m sorry, but you’re wildly out to lunch on Hayton, man. Like crazy pills levels of cuckoo.

 

[PainForShane]

I don’t agree with that assessment at all. He’s one of the thicker, stronger dudes out there.

Didn’t we have this same argument during the season?

We did -- IIRC I did a deep dive showing a big but not huge defenseman (Justin Faulk maybe?) blowing Hayton across the crease and Hayton still getting a goal with an absolutely sick deflection literally around the D-man's body. Incredibly impressive deflection but literally the opposite of Hayton being thick and strong.

We agreed to disagree then, we should probably agree to disagree now also. But, not sure any of this really matters if the guy doesn't consistently start putting up points within the next few years. Either we now have Cooley and Geekie (along with Guenther) who will also hopefully become good NHL forwards, imo future is bright whether or not Hayton lives up to his draft position

 

[rt]

We did -- IIRC I did a deep dive showing a big but not huge defenseman (Justin Faulk maybe?) blowing Hayton across the crease and Hayton still getting a goal with an absolutely sick deflection literally around the D-man's body. Incredibly impressive deflection but literally the opposite of Hayton being thick and strong.

We agreed to disagree then, we should probably agree to disagree now also. But, not sure any of this really matters if the guy doesn't consistently start putting up points within the next few years. Either we now have Cooley and Geekie (along with Guenther) who will also hopefully become good NHL forwards, imo future is bright whether or not Hayton lives up to his draft position

No. You showed the most pedestrian, every shift kind of plays that are seen all the time but attempted to use cherry picked nothing burgers as a representative sample.

 

[PainForShane]

No. You showed the most pedestrian, every shift kind of plays that are seen all the time but attempted to use cherry picked nothing burgers as a representative sample.

I'm not wasting my time with this. Have a good night

 

[rt]

I'm not wasting my time with this. Have a good night

You too!

 

[PuckLife]

I don’t agree with that assessment at all. He’s one of the thicker, stronger dudes out there.

Didn’t we have this same argument during the season?

Correct. I can’t remember if it was AT or BA, but they said that they asked him to lose a bit of muscle mass to get quicker, and we’re applauding that he did that while rehabbing hand surgery mid -season.

 

[Jakey53]

Specifically? Hmm. I feel like Hayton's not unlike Nick Schmaltz, imo both 1-dimensional offensive players.

More specifically, I think Hayton sees the ice well (offensively), decent playmaker / passer and I haven't noticed his shot either way for better or worse. Good enough in forward transition in the neutral zone. Also, really good stick in terms of multiple things like creating turnovers, poke-checking, deflections etc. Best trait in my view is he's always looking up-ice to score, every few games he'll try some crazy deke / move and he doesn't embarrass himself, sometimes it even works out.



Defensively imo he's weak. In the D zone his positioning isn't great and he's too small to box out anyone, it's not due to lack of effort / skating he just doesn't know what he's doing yet (understandable given he's only played 90 games). Ok on faceoffs (just checked, he was 48% last year), but I always get scared when he takes defensive draws against actual offensive talent because he always ends up chasing the play. I've also seen him make multiple turnovers in the D zone (taking too long to make a breakout pass, trying to force a home-run pass etc). Basically I don't want to see him on the ice if we're protecting a lead in the 3rd.

To be clear I don't think Hayton's bad, I just don't view him as a core player to build around the way you'd hope a 5OA would be. I think a lot of other guys bring more to the team (Keller, Crouse, Chych, etc) and other prospects (Guenther, Cooley) will probably be better offensively. And if we're bad again next year and are able to draft another top tier forward (or sign Matthews), then the top 6 is (Keller - Matthews or 2023 draft pick - Schmaltz / Crouse - Cooley - Guenther and also maybe Geekie somewhere), then where do you put Hayton, as of now he doesn't really have a bottom 6 skillset like some of our other guys like Jenik or Liam O'Brien.

Does that answer your Q? Long response but hopefully specific enough. Apologies for the length but whatever, detail is good sometimes

I have been harder on Hayton than most because where we selected him 5OA. The kid is still young and I wouldn't give up on him, yet. I give him two more years.

 

[PainForShane]

Correct. I can’t remember if it was AT or BA, but they said that they asked him to lose a bit of muscle mass to get quicker, and we’re applauding that he did that while rehabbing hand surgery mid -season.

Yeah that makes sense. In my view if he were a good power forward (or mgmt thought he could / should develop that way) they'd be asking him to put on more muscle, not less (so that he could become a legitimately good NHL power forward like, say, Crouse, also BA loves those types of players). Instead they're like, "hey we drafted you as a skill guy if you lost some weight maybe you'd be able to skate by defenders a bit better which should lead to more / better scoring chances that's where you can help us the most"

Either way seems like coaching / mgmt is saying they don't think Hayton's game is built around being physical which is... kind of what I've been saying also, yeah? *shrug*

Anyway still only 22 so too early to give up on him, BUT the clock is ticking as I think he has to prove himself before this next wave of new guys (Cooley, Guenther, whoever we draft 1st round next year etc)

 

[BAdvocate]

Am I remembering correctly that somewhere in another thread is a picture of Cooley showing off an upper body physique similar to Chychrun?

 

[rt]

Am I remembering correctly that somewhere in another thread is a picture of Cooley showing off an upper body physique similar to Chychrun?

Well, a miniature version. Haha. But yeah, if you find the Scott Wheeler story on Cooley, it features a very funny (I assume ironic?) photo of Cooley flexing with giant chains around his neck. Haha.

 

[TheLegend]

I have been harder on Hayton than most because where we selected him 5OA. The kid is still young and I wouldn't give up on him, yet. I give him two more years.

Damn Jakey you’re softening up!

But I agree with the assessment.

 

[JungleBeat]

This guy had the aura of a winner when I watched his interview at the draft, sounded like he was ready to light the league on fire.

 

[gorsk11]

Cooley was my pick. Wanted him over wright and Slaf. Felt he has the best upside and will be our best skilled player for some time

For those talking about Hayton. I like him. He has room to get better. He plays defensively first. I think he needs better linemates. I think that will help. He has good vision and passes the puck well. Makes lots of small plays or touches that clear the zone or keep possesion. I am higher on him mkre than most. He is a smart player.

 

[SpaceCoyote]

As many have said, clearly he is the most dynamic offensive player in the draft. Could see him jelling very well with Kells and Schmaltz on our top line. Not to mention, after scrolling through his recent twitter images full of pixelated photos of his cat, I knew we made the right choice.

 

[Fyreman]

I have been harder on Hayton than most because where we selected him 5OA. The kid is still young and I wouldn't give up on him, yet. I give him two more years.

Best thing Hayton's got going for him is his age- 22.

 

[rt]

I watched quite a few of Cooley’s games against USHL teams this season. Most of them. Earlier in the year, he was more of a smart, two-way type. After the WJC he was very much trying to do it all. Much flashier. I liked both versions a lot. And I think D1 is the perfect place for him to fine tune and round out all of those elements.

I’ll say this about Cooley; one unique thing about him is how much his actual game resembles his highlight reel. I remember some Peter Mueller and Andrei Kostitsyn highlight packages that made them seem like some kind of otherworldly hybrid of Eric Lindros and Sergei Fedorov. If you take the time to watch any of the short or long Cooley highlight tapes, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what this player is. WYSIWYG.

 

[hbk]

I watched quite a few of Cooley’s games against USHL teams this season. Most of them. Earlier in the year, he was more of a smart, two-way type. After the WJC he was very much trying to do it all. Much flashier. I liked both versions a lot. And I think D1 is the perfect place for him to fine tune and round out all of those elements.

I’ll say this about Cooley; one unique thing about him is how much his actual game resembles his highlight reel. I remember some Peter Mueller and Andrei Kostitsyn highlight packages that made them seem like some kind of otherworldly hybrid of Eric Lindros and Sergei Fedorov. If you take the time to watch any of the short or long Cooley highlight tapes, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what this player is. WYSIWYG.

All he does is generate offensive zone chances. This was a statements pick by our scouts.

 

[Prestigeworldwide]

I watched quite a few of Cooley’s games against USHL teams this season. Most of them. Earlier in the year, he was more of a smart, two-way type. After the WJC he was very much trying to do it all. Much flashier. I liked both versions a lot. And I think D1 is the perfect place for him to fine tune and round out all of those elements.

I’ll say this about Cooley; one unique thing about him is how much his actual game resembles his highlight reel. I remember some Peter Mueller and Andrei Kostitsyn highlight packages that made them seem like some kind of otherworldly hybrid of Eric Lindros and Sergei Fedorov. If you take the time to watch any of the short or long Cooley highlight tapes, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what this player is. WYSIWYG.

Cooley can skate or pass the puck into the ozone and maintain the zone. He is elite at this and something this team can really use. Not to mention his high motor, skating, IQ. Thrilled with this pick.