"He's obviously a really gifted skater, but I think that he's ultra-smart, and he's competitive," the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team coach said on the latest edition of the "NHL Draft Class" podcast. "When you combine all those together, those guys seem to have success. He's a driven kid, he's low maintenance, so, obviously a really bright future for him."
Cooley is second on the NTDP with 63 points (23 goals, 40 assists) in 43 games. The forward is first with an average of 1.47 points per game.
Cooley (5-foot-10, 174 pounds), who turns 18 years old on May 4, is one of nine players from the NTDP ranked among Central Scouting's top 32 North American skaters. He will attend the University of Minnesota in 2022-23.
"I think we're a real competitive bunch," Nightingale said. "I think it's a group of guys who truly enjoy competing and that's their best quality. I think it's guys who put the team first and it's not about them and that's the challenging thing when you have a lot of talent ... these guys have really done a good job of parking their egos and making it about the team."
The NTDP will conclude its season at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, to be held in Landshut and Kaufbeuren, Germany, from April 23-May 1.
The United States will seek an 11th first-place finish and first since 2017.
Nightingale said no speech will be necessary for the tournament opener against Canada, the defending champion, on April 23.
"I think for sure we're ready," he said. "These kids have given a lot, sacrificed a lot these last two years and bought into being a team. I can tell our practices have been really good, and the boys are really ready to go."
"NHL Draft Class" co-hosts Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale also discussed several other top-ranked players from the NTDP with Nightingale, including forward Jimmy Snuggerud (No. 8). The 17-year-old right wing, who will join Cooley at Minnesota next season, is fifth on the NTDP with 56 points (20 goals, 36 assists) in 51 games.
"Snuggerud] has a world class shot, but he needed to improve his skating and he needed to play with more poise," Nightingale said. "When I watch him now, it's just a testament to his commitment to improving his game."
The podcast is free, and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms, including iTunes, Spotify and Google Podcasts. It also is available on
[NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts
and the NHL app.
---
Listen: New episode of NHL Draft Class
