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F Cooper Simpson - Shakopee Sabres, USHS (2025 Draft)

I don't think he's close to Connelly. Some frustrating plays though at the same time the most dangerous US forward through the tournament.

He has a good shot which is evident. Heavy from a distance and goalies have a tough time containing it. Seems to bounce right off them. Some moments of hands and 1 on 1 skill. I'm not sure about his hockey sense. I thought it was a strength at the end of last season, but looked like a weakness in this tournament. He can hit guys on the far side through the neutral zone, but wasn't even looking pass in the offensive zone or really making himself dangerous to open lanes. Especially on the powerplay, tons of poor quality shots. He's not a good enough skater to be a 1 on 1 goal scorer. I didn't love his battle level through the tournament either.

Right now I'd say 3rd rounder. Possible 20 goal scorer.
 
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i don’t see it at all -which is fine he is young -
don’t love his hockey iq - just doesn’t make great high end plays to his teammates - let’s see what he does in ushl full season
 
I feel like his expected points would've been like 7 or 8 and if he didn't have such terrible puck luck he would've easily led the US team in points and everyone would be singing his praises. The amount of plays he made that almost resulted in goals was crazy, and his line mates were pretty bad. He also drew a lot of penalties that don't count as points, but show how dangerous he is with the puck that players are always taking penalties against him.

He saved his worst games for last, so I feel worse about what I'm saying than I did 30 hours ago. His situational decision making needs more work than I thought last year. He throws away so many pucks trying to do too much. I liked his battle level more than last season. He actually was trying to compete off the puck, but it's definitely not a strength of his game.

Has his flaws, but he's instant offense with a good shot/pass combo, natural creativity to how he plays, good skating, and pro average or better size. I think he has the highest upside from the US Hlinka team, and he has first round potential if he has a big season.
 
Schlossman said on his podcast that scouts believe Simpson is still a ways off from being NCAA ready, let alone being a serious NHL prospect. Will need a year of junior to refine his game before going to UND.
 
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Hockeyville USA said:
Schlossman said on his podcast that scouts believe Simpson is still a ways off from being NCAA ready, let alone being a serious NHL prospect. Will need a year of junior to refine his game before going to UND.
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They edited out what the questions were, so you can’t tell for sure, but it sounds here like he’s saying he expects to play junior next season.

 
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Great player but he’s playing juniors next year because track record of kids going from high school to college is not good . Good for him , really enjoyed high school years then can grind it out in juniors .
 
WhiskeyYerTheDevils said:
Pretty cool to have a local kid getting this kind of attention, but he's definitely a bit raw. Lots of upside though.
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I would guess he'll be a 4th-7th round pick who will need the 4 years (3 at the absolute minimum) to develop before turning pro. 1 full year of junior, probably 3 years in the NCAA at UND. You bet on the skill and see if the rest of the game develops. Saw during the Hlinka Gretzky that he has a ton of talent but didn't put it together at all to actually have a significant impact for the States.

I get that it is the Minnesota thing to do to play HS for 3 or 4 years, but he really should have been in junior this whole season to develop better. We'll see how the years to come go for Simpson.
 
Back with TC in the USHL now that his high school season ended. 1+0=1 point in 2 games.

They have 7 regular season games left and then the playoffs. They’re very likely to make the playoffs, but could go out early.
 
So of course he ends with exactly one more goal last night.

Ended the regular season with 7+1=8 points in 9 games. Could certainly see that type of stretch helping his draft stock. Only 9 games, but was scoring virtually every game. Tri-City snuck into the playoffs as the last team in the West, so he should still have a little more he can prove.
 
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Cool bit of trivia - Cooper Simpson is going to be the first Shakopee native to be drafted into the NHL, which is kind of crazy considering we're sandwiched in between some of the most prolific hockey factories on the planet, like Edina, Bloomington, Eden Prairie, & Chan/Chaska.

Those neighboring towns, which aren't much bigger than Shakopee, have had a combined 56 kids get drafted in the last 25 years alone. That number is nearly 100 if you factor in the rest of the southwestern Minneapolis suburbs. Yet Shakopee stands at 0.

I do think that's going to change over the next 10 years, and we'll start seeing a steady stream of players being developed here. They built a nice new facility with two sheets of ice a few years ago, and the population has grown a ton in the last 15-20 years.

State of Hockey just completed season 6 of their "Dream State" series, this year focusing on the Shakopee Sabers journey to the state championship. 3 pretty good episodes that feature some Cooper Simpson sound bites and highlights (and some neat footage from the outdoor games at Valley Fair, as Shakopee hosted Hockey Day in Minnesota this year)



In regards to actually evaluating Simpson's game:
  • He's a raw, yet highly skilled winger with good size and a nose for the net. what makes him an intriguing prospect is his shot and puck skills, which are probably top 5-10 in the draft.
  • His release is quick and heavy, and he knows how to manipulate shooting angles to get pucks through defending sticks.
  • His skating is pretty underdeveloped, he's a bit too upright in his skating mechanics, which effects his agility, but his mobility through traffic is pretty good.
  • He sees the ice well through the neutral zone, but once he crosses the blue line he's a bit prone to tunnel vision, and isn't always able to slow the play down. Lots of 1v1 rush attempts down the left wing where he'll toe drag the puck to the middle and release it from the circles - stuff that works in HS but won't work at higher levels.
  • His motor is a bit below average. He's really good at tracking pucks on the forecheck, so when he sees an opportunity, he's quick to attack. But when the pucks not in his active radius, he can become a bit disengaged.
I see a lot of Daniel Sprong in the way Simpson carries and shoots the puck, but Simpson plays a more complete game and adds a net front presence that Sprong lacks. Both guys can be guilty of tunnel vision though. A more skilled, less physical Jake Debrusk is probably a better comparable.

His ceiling is probably like a Matt Boldy type of player.

I see him as a boom or bust type of pick - I think he's probably gone by the third round.
 
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