It appears that Logan Cooley (Minnesota) will not be returning to the Golden Gophers after all.
Two months after saying he would be back for his sophomore season for Minnesota, the Pittsburgh native has signed an entry-level three-year NHL contract with the Arizona Coyotes, who drafted him third overall in 2022. He thus forgoes his remaining NCAA eligibility.
Cooley, 19, notched 22 goals and 38 assists for 60 points in 39 games as a center in 2002-23 in his only college campaign, while leading the Golden Gophers to a No. 1 national ranking and then the NCAA championship game in Tampa, where they fell to Quinnipiac in overtime in April. He had previously helped the Gophers to a Big Ten regular-season conference title, and than an NCAA regional crown in Fargo, N.D.
Cooley led all NCAA Division I players in assists last season as a freshman, and earned First Team All-America accolades at forward. He was also a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist, and collected a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship in Canada.
Prior to joining Minnesota, Cooley had played the previous two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. In 98 career appearances with the NTDP, he tallied 47-74—121 points.
