Devin Cooley Pro Read 4
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Devin Cooley is already making a great first impression with his new team, the Calgary Flames, and their fans, which followed an equally great first impression on the InGoal Radio Podcast over the summer, shortly after his first season in the NHL ended with the San Jose Sharks. Cooley has been just as good in Pro Reads and just because he’s no longer with the Sharks doesn’t mean we want to lose his in-game insights from San jose, so we’re going back to the late-blooming 27-year-old for another segment from our hour-long video session early this offseason.
THE SEQUENCE
Cooley is once again facing a rush chance against the Chicago Blackhawks, and this time it is being led by Calder Trophy winning Rookie of the Year Connor Bedard:
Looking at the freeze frame above, what options does Bedard have, and perhaps more importantly, what information about those options is it important to keep in mind? How might the handedness of the pass option affect your read? If Bedard makes the pass at this point, are you coming across on your skates or sliding?
What do you think of Cooley’s aggressive positioning at this point, with the heels of his skates outside of the crease? Can you see why he might be out that far?
THE SAVE
Because this is a rush chance, speed is often a factor, so rather than sharing more freeze frames, let’s go to the video of the save sequence.
Ask yourself the same questions as you watch this video, and pay extra attention to the end and how Cooley recovers back into his post.
In real time, did the depth decision make sense? Why?
Cooley was critical of one thing he did: Do you think you can spot it?
What did you make of that final recovery move back into the post and across?
THE PRO READ
Now let’s hear from Cooley on what he saw, what he liked — and again, to some degree disliked — about how he played it, and his thought process throughout:
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- Cooley breaks down his save on a Connor Bedard-led rush chance, facing the Calder Trophy-winning rookie while playing for the San Jose Sharks.
- Cooley describes running a mental checklist at the blue line to evaluate pass options and shooter handedness before committing to a depth decision.
- Cooley critiques his own post-recovery move at the end of the sequence, identifying a specific technical error in how he closed back across.
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