Coyotes first-round pick Logan Cooley plans to play at Minnesota next season

As he prepares to represent the United States at the 2022 World Junior Championships this week, Arizona Coyotes 2022 third overall pick Logan Cooley confirmed he’ll play at the University of Minnesota next season after committing there earlier this year.

After attending Coyotes development camp earlier this summer, Cooley said that “a year in college could really help. Just keep developing, and then I think I’ll be ready.”

He also expressed a desire to turn pro as quickly as possible, though, assuming he has a strong freshman season in Minnesota as expected. Cooley could absolutely still make his NHL debut in 2021-22, just at the tail end of the campaign after his college season concludes.

Cooley’s sentiments are music to the ears of Minnesota fans. Their program, while it’ll still be highlighted by the returns of defensemen Brock Faber, Jackson LaCombe and Ryan Johnson, as well as forward Matthew Knies, will have to replace the holes left by senior standouts Ben Meyers and Samuel Walker. They’ll also be dealing with the departures of a pair of NHL-affiliated prospects in Chaz Lucius and Tristan Broz.