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Dylan Cozens, Ottawa Senators (Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)

7 Cool Things About Senators’ Dylan Cozens

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Paul Quinney | Last updated Mar 22, 2025 9:25 AM ET

In the latest episode of The Senators Roundtable podcast, my colleagues and I, Jacob Billington and Dayton Reimer at The Hockey Writers, discussed the trade that brought Dylan Cozens to Bytown. We were unanimous – the Ottawa Senators are now a better team with Cozens on the roster, even though Josh Norris left as part of the deal. Even so, there’s much more to Cozens than just his impressive stats that we discussed in the podcast.

Here are some things Senators fans may not know about the gritty young centreman from the Land of the Midnight Sun – Yukon.

Cozens’ Nickname and How He Got It

Fans dubbed Cozens the “Workhorse from Whitehorse” when he played for the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Yet what really made the moniker stick was when it was used by TSN’s play-by-play announcer Gord Miller to describe a young Cozens when he played for Team Canada in the 2020 and 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) World Junior Championship (WJC).

Cozens Is Just One of Three Yukoners to Make NHL

Prior to Cozens taking his rookie lap with the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 14, 2021, only two players born in the Yukon had ever laced up their blades to skate in the NHL. The two, Peter Sturgeon and Bryon Baltimore, played a total of eight games in the league. At just 24 years old and already with 378 games over five seasons in the NHL under his belt, it may be a long time before anyone else born in the Yukon tops Cozens’ career.

Cozens’ Connection to Jake Sanderson

Cozens is just one of six NHLers born in one of Canada’s two territories – Yukon and Northwest Territories. Among this group is Geoff Sanderson who was born in Hay River, Northwest Territories and played 1,104 games over 17 seasons in the league. Yet being born in one of Canada’s two territories is not the only thing Cozens and Sanderson have in common. Geoff is the father of Cozens’ teammate, Jake Sanderson.

Dylan Cozens – A Man of Firsts

In 2016, Cozens became the first Yukoner to be drafted into the WHL. Not only that, but he is the first from the territory ever selected in the first round of a Canadian Hockey League (CHL) draft. Continuing with firsts, in 2019 he was the first native son of the Yukon to be drafted in the first round of an NHL Draft.

Cozens Thrives in International Play

Canadians first saw Cozens in international play in the 2017 U17 (under 17 years of age) Hockey Challenge tournament. While he failed to capture the gold medal, he put up seven points in the tournament, tying the team high.

The following year, he moved up into U18 play, skating for Team Canada in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. In 2019, he was an alternate captain for Team Canada’s entry in the IIHF U18 World Championship in Sweden where he notched four goals and nine points in just seven games, tying for 8^th in the tournament in total points.

Following his U18 career, Cozens became the first Yukon player to play with the Canadian men’s national junior team at the 2020 WJC in Czechia. He notched two goals and seven assists and took home a gold medal. The following year, he was named co-captain of Team Canada at the WJC. While Canada had to settle for a silver medal in that tournament, Cozens had eight goals and 16 assists – second among all participants in the competition and good enough to see him named to the tournament all-star team.

Cozens played in the 2022 World Championship and accepted an invitation to join Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.

Cozens Recycles

Cozens seems to fit into any dressing room in which he suits up. For proof, take a look at a Buffalo Sabres video in which they asked Cozens’ then teammates what they thought of him. His mates took some good-natured potshots at him, with the nicest thing anyone saying was that he recycles. Readers will find the video here, and it’s good for a few chuckles.

Cozens’ Competitive Streak

Nobody who plays in the NHL got there without a fierce competitive streak. Some might say Cozens’ was off the charts. As his father Mike told it, he and his wife signed up a four-year-old Dylan in soccer, but he had no interest in introductory games like Duck, Duck, Goose or Ring Around the Rosie. He wanted to play the game. He didn’t like public skating either – he wanted a puck and a stick in his hands. Mike had to bribe him with candy to get him to take some laps around the rink without chasing a puck.

At nine, Cozens started playing competitive-level hockey, travelling outside the territory to play southern teams. At one tournament, his mother, Sue Bogle, remembers the then 12-year-old scored 21 goals over the weekend, and his team won gold.

He still leans on the advice his father imparted to him years ago. “One quote my dad had was, ‘Don’t whine. Don’t complain. Don’t make excuses. Just do it.’ I’ve always had that up on the wall since we were kids and it stuck with me.”

Dylan Cozens – A Big Part of the Senators For Years to Come

Cozens has marked up the scoresheet with three goals and six points in the seven games he’s played with the Senators so far this season. Over his short tenure in Ottawa, he leads the team in scoring chances, slot shots and hits. He also stands second in faceoff wins. Under contract until the end of the 2027-28 season, he’s sure to become part of the Senators’ core as the team drives for a Stanley Cup championship that may be in reach for them over the next few years.