The Silver Lining To Logan Cooley’s Maroon And Gold Exit: More Moore.
After the 2023 Frozen Four media day, many were scratching their heads about a certain player returning to the University of Minnesota for his sophomore season. This person of interest was high flying Pennsylvania winger Logan Cooley. When asked about Cooley’s return Golden Gopher head coach Bob Motzko chuckled and said, “Cooley is a big part of the lineup, we are focusing on the now, which is to bring home a National Championship.”
About a month after the U of M was defeated by Quinnipiac in the National Championship game, Cooley surprised everyone announcing on Gopher hockey social media platforms (with the help of his linemate Jimmy Snuggerud) that he would return to college hockey for another year. Cooley stated, “returning to the NCAA would be a step in his development before making the next step.” As many people are well aware around the hockey world, especially Gopher fans, Cooley was selected by the Arizona Coyotes during the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. After this announcement all signs pointed to Cooley making another run alongside the likes of Snuggerud, Jaxon Nelson, Justen Close, to name a few. All was well in Gopher land. Until it wasn’t.
A few months later, Cooley would decide to change his path and sign a pro contract with the Arizona Coyotes who offered him a 3 year deal. When this was announced to social media it was not long after that Logan would make a statement of his own to the hockey world and Gopher faithful alike. Cooley shared this on his personal instagram in late July:
“Gopher nation - in light of me signing my first NHL deal, I wanted to publicly thank Bob Motzko and his staff, all of my teammates, and the best fans in college hockey. When I posted on social media about coming back to school a few months ago, I was fully planning to return for my sophomore season, over the past months, I have realized that deep down, I feel ready for the challenge of playing at the highest level in the world and I want to fulfill my lifelong dream of being a NHL player, the hardest part of coming to this decision was feeling like I was letting people down, but I have to be true to myself and do what’s in my heart. I am so grateful for my time as a Gopher, the support of the U, the fans, and especially my teammates was amazing, the U is a special place. I’ll be watching and cheering the boys on as they pursue a national championship this year. Thanks again for the support and the understanding as I start my pro career with the Coyotes. - 92”.
With the Coyotes, Cooley will likely be playing on the same line as former Boston University standout Clayton Keller and will be playing against some familiar faces as well. In 2023-24, Gopher fans will get to watch four other players on the 2023 Frozen Four run besides Cooley on NHL rosters. These players are Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild), Ryan Johnson (Buffalo Sabres), Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim Ducks), and Matthew Knies (Toronto Maple Leafs).
Granted Cooley’s departure will be a loss for U of M fans. But there will be a bright spot in Mariucci Arena with the commitment of a star studded forward out of the US Development Team, Oliver Moore, who shined in this year’s U18 tournament. The question is can Moore match Cooley’s flashy hands and speed on a rink that was once an olympic sheet? We believe the answer to this question is a resounding yes. Cooley and Moore are both very similar in stature and are just as skilled. Coach Motzko stated when recruiting Moore he hasn’t seen a kid with that much speed. And while most won’t say the quiet part out loud, people are saying. . .wait for it. . .that Moore has that McDavid gear. Yes, Oliver Moore’s Tesla comes with Ludicrous mode.
As Pat Cullen from Central Scouting said of Moore, "His speed jumps off the page. I think he's the fastest skater of all the prospects for this year's draft and I don't know there'd be a lot of people who would disagree with that. The speed is one thing, but his work ethic is unbelievable. There's never a game you attend that you don't see Oliver Moore working extremely hard and it's more noticeable because of how fast he does everything."
With the Gopher recruiting class adding NHL picks such as Moore and Boston Bruins draft pick Beckett Hendrickson, the ‘23-24 Gopher roster feels eerily similar to the Gophers back-to-back ‘02 and ‘03 National Championship teams with big defenseman and fast and speedy forwards. Many gopher fans will be looking to get back in that National Tournament game with the Frozen Four coming home to the Xcel Energy Center and the State of Hockey. Only time with tell if Oliver Moore can be the spark helping the Maroon and Gold to return to the promised land in the month of March. But one thing is for certain, if you’re looking for a silver lining to Logan Cooley’s maroon and gold departure, it’s a whole lot more of Oliver Moore.
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