Prospect Rewind: Cozens had career year with Lethbridge

Dylan Cozens - 1st Round, 2019Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) 2019-20: 51 GP|38 G|47 A|85 P

Dylan Cozens never shied from sharing his aspirations at the outset of training camp last fall.

Cozens, then 18 and only months removed from being selected seventh overall by the Buffalo Sabres, had his sights set on making the NHL roster. If the organization deemed it best for him to play another year of junior hockey, he said he would return to Lethbridge and embrace his role as a leader there.

He made it a tough decision. Cozens impressed during three exhibition games for the Sabres and stuck around until Sept. 26, two days prior to the team's preseason finale.

When Cozens arrived in Lethbridge, his coach was struck by the growth in his game.

"Right from the start you could tell he was playing at a different pace than anybody else, especially on our team," Hurricanes coach Brent Kisio said. "He was playing at NHL pace and it showed. He came back and led us right away and was a big boost to our hockey club."

It sounds natural for a player to elevate his game following his first pro experience, but Kisio explained that's not always the case.

"No, not always," he said. "Sometimes you do, especially with kids who have a level head. But it's easy for guys to come back from camps like that and getting picked where he did and think it's going to be easy, take it a little bit lightly and they learn our league is a good league and if you're not working, it doesn't matter how good you are.

"… He's such a humble kid and raised the right way. He was just excited to get back playing hockey and wanted to lead our team."

What followed was a career year for Cozens, both at the junior level and on the international stage. He led Lethbridge with 85 points (38+47), surpassing his 2018-19 mark despite playing 17 fewer games. His points per game average shot up from 1.23 to 1.66. He was named to the WHL's Eastern Conference First All-Star Team last week.

In the meantime, Cozens attacked areas he identified that could help him prepare for the next level. Drills with Lethbridge's skill coach were geared toward making him more explosive, for example (find more above in his conversation with Rob Ray).

"I'd run a lot of morning skills, so sometimes he's going twice a day," Kisio said. "I think as the year went along, we saw that improvement all the time. One thing about Dylan is when he wants to work on something, he wants to get better in an area, he focuses and finds a way to get it done."

In the middle of it all, Cozens was a key cog on the Canada team that took home a gold medal at the World Junior Championship. He ranked third on the team with nine points (2+7) in seven contests, during which it became common place to find him camped in front of opposing nets on the power play.

It was a position Cozens had rarely ever played before. He not only accepted it, he excelled at it. The Canadian team was better for it.

"It's what you got to do to win," Kisio said. "Winning players and winning teams have those guys, and that's the kind of guy Dylan is. It's rubbed off on our team here and he's helped us win a lot of games the way he approaches hockey.

"He's willing to play wing, he's will to play center, he was at the net on the power play in World Juniors. He's a kid that's humble and willing to accept the role and just wants to win hockey games."

By the numbers

1.67 - Cozens' points per game average at Lethbridge ranked third in the WHL, right on pace with league leader Adam Beckman (1.70).

4 - Cozens finished in a three-way tie for the WHL lead with four shorthanded goals.

6 -That's Cozens' game-winning goal count, which led the Hurricanes.

9 - Cozens' point total at World Juniors ranked third on Team Canada.

23 - Cozens produced 23 multi-point games with Lethbridge this season, including eight multi-goal games and three hat tricks.