Devin Cooley

Devin Cooley was acquired by his hometown San Jose Sharks at the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8 — a moment that set in motion one of the more eventful late-season stretches any undrafted goaltender has had in recent memory. Born in Los Gatos, California, and raised cheering for the Sharks, the 6'5" left-catching netminder made his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks, nearly won that first start, then lost his second — a home game against Chicago in which San Jose led 4-0 early in the second period — before getting his first NHL victory in his third appearance, going 34-for-36 in an overtime win over St. Louis Why Devin Cooley’s Viral “Nothing Matters” Mindset Actually Works for Goalies.

He followed that with a 49-save performance in a 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken, facing his one-time USHL playing partner and long-time mentor and friend Joey Daccord Pro Tips with Devin Cooley. The next game brought eight goals allowed on 22 shots against Edmonton Why Devin Cooley’s Viral “Nothing Matters” Mindset Actually Works for Goalies. That arc — first win, 49-save night, eight-goal shellacking — unfolded across the final weeks of his first NHL season.

Cooley is one of relatively few undrafted goalies to play significant NHL minutes Why Devin Cooley’s Viral “Nothing Matters” Mindset Actually Works for Goalies. After that initial stint with San Jose, he signed with the Calgary Flames organization, spent a season with their AHL affiliate, and was named an AHL All-Star for the first time Devin Cooley Pro Read 11. During that AHL season he was also named AHL Player of the Week — the first goalie to win the award that season — after posting two shutouts and a .976 save percentage over four appearances, going 8-2-0 with a .954 save percentage to that point Devin Cooley Pro Read 5. He entered the 2025-26 season as the Flames' backup to Dustin Wolf Devin Cooley Pro Read 11.

Through 31 games of the 2025-26 season with Calgary, Cooley holds a record of 10-10-6 with a 2.69 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage over 1,718:00 of ice time. His NHL career totals across 37 games stand at 12-13-7, a 3.03 goals-against average, and a .902 save percentage.

Cooley's post-game mindset quotes — centered on the phrase "Nothing matters. Nobody cares. We're all going to die." — have gone viral on multiple occasions, both during his time with San Jose and since joining Calgary. He began selling sweatshirts bearing the phrase to raise money for charity Why Devin Cooley’s Viral “Nothing Matters” Mindset Actually Works for Goalies. On InGoal Radio Episode 253, recorded in 2024, Cooley explained the philosophy behind the phrase: "When I say like, 'Nothing matters, nobody cares, we're all going to die,' of course it matters. It matters to me like a ton. I want to do so well, but I found when I want to do so well and I'm trying so hard to do so well, that's when I can kind of screw myself up a little bit." Why Devin Cooley’s Viral “Nothing Matters” Mindset Actually Works for Goalies He also described his in-game use of repeated phrases: "I find that in the middle of a game, if I can just repeat phrases over and over again, like in my head, it blocks everything else out. It keeps me from thinking about the score." Why Devin Cooley’s Viral “Nothing Matters” Mindset Actually Works for Goalies

In an extended Pro Reads video session conducted during the 2024 offseason — the source for eleven installments of InGoal's Pro Reads series Devin Cooley Pro Read 1 Devin Cooley Pro Read 2 Devin Cooley Pro Read 3 Devin Cooley Pro Read 4 Devin Cooley Pro Read 5 Devin Cooley Pro Read 6 Devin Cooley Pro Read 7 Devin Cooley Pro Read 8 Devin Cooley Pro Read 9 Devin Cooley Pro Read 10 Devin Cooley Pro Read 11 — Cooley discussed his approach to stance, depth, visual tracking, and RVH positioning in detail. He credited Sharks goalie coach Thomas Speer with changes to his stance and tracking mechanics Devin Cooley Pro Read 6, and noted a technique he had been working on for two full seasons: using his head to seal the short-side high corner while in reverse-VH, something he described as his own development Pro Tips with Devin Cooley. "I started doing this two years ago and I haven't really seen anybody else do it so that's why I really wanted to talk about it today," Cooley said. "I seal with my head and because of the height it takes the entire angle away. There's nothing to shoot at." Pro Tips with Devin Cooley

On his philosophy for staying on his feet when the puck is away from danger, Cooley has been direct: "If there's no threat around the net and the guy's further in the corner, then I'm on my feet every single time. As soon as he's getting outside of the trapezoid and there's nobody in front of the net, I'll jump to my feet every time, because there's no reason to be down on my knees." Devin Cooley Pro Read 11

InGoal Magazine has covered Devin Cooley in one podcast appearance, eleven Pro Reads, and two InGoal articles.