Devin Cooley Pro Read 9
Taking Ice on Low-High Pass Outs (+ Rebound Advice)
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evin Cooley was an immediate fan favourite here at Pro Reads after debuting with open and candid insights into both the evolution of his game and how he reads it during a late-season stint with the San Jose Sharks. He’s since signed with the Calgary Flames and after one season with their AHL affiliate, where he was an AHL Star for the first time, appears set to move back up to the NHL full time in 2025-26.
Regardless of where he plays next, or how long it’s been since we recorded this, we don’t want to lose any of the insights from the late-blooming 28-year-old so we’re going back into our hour-long video session for another session.
THE SEQUENCE
Cooley is facing the Seattle Kraken (and former playing junior partner and mentor Joey Daccord) in this clip, with the puck ending up behind his net:
Looking at the freeze frame above, we can see the puck has already been pass up to Kraken forward Matty Beniers near the top of the face-off circles in the middle of the ice, and Cooley is still on both his knees and pretty much the goal line.
What do you make of his positioning? What do you like? What might you want to do differently? What factors might go into the decision to stay down here?
THE SAVE
Of course, the pace of the pass is one key factor, so watch the sequence in real time, keeping the same questions in mind:
Did you understand why Cooley stayed down in that initial freeze frame? Again, what about his positioning — beyond his depth — helps there? Were you surprised by the decision after it hops off Beniers stick for a second? Despite pushing out at the point, can you see the key to making the save? What would you advise him to do different after the initial save? Don’t worry, he sees it himself and shares what he would like to do different below.
THE PRO READ
Now let’s hear from Cooley on how he saw it, and why he played it this way:
Watch Devin Cooley break down the full video for you
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- Cooley breaks down his save on Matty Beniers after a pass up from behind the net, with Cooley still on both knees near the goal line when the sequence unfolds.
- Cooley explains why staying down was the right read given the pace of the pass, and what his positioning — beyond depth alone — gave him on the play.
- Cooley self-identifies what he would do differently after the initial save, addressing his own recovery and movement in his post-save breakdown.
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