West Mifflin's Logan Cooley finds comfort in his second NHL season with Utah

Coming home is always special for Logan Cooley.

It’s even more special when his mother, Cathy, offers a grand feast in their West Mifflin abode.

Such was the case on Friday as Cooley, a forward with the Utah Hockey Club, had a day off before facing the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

“Mom cooked up a nice meal,” Cooley said after his team’s morning skate at PPG Paints Arena. “Had some steak, ribs, some crab legs. So it was nice to have a home-cooked meal and see some family.’

Cooley will see plenty of loved ones Saturday night as he plays his second career game a venue he has been in plenty of times as a paying customer.

This game figures to be a a little different than his first visit as a professional hockey player, however.

Last season, as a rookie with the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes, Cooley skated against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, suffering a 4-2 loss on Dec. 12.

As the highest-drafted Pittsburgh-area player in NHL history – he was selected No. 3 overall in 2022 – Cooley acknowledged that game was something of an event for him and the region.

Saturday’s contest is a bit more routine.

“Just having a day before and having the morning skate, it takes — I wouldn’t say pressure — but you just get a little more comfortable just being out on the ice,” Cooley said. “Seeing some family, getting that out of the way and now you can just focus on the game and trying to win.”

Another thing that is a bit more normal for Cooley and his teammates is … well … the team.

After the NHL finally pulled the plug on the former Coyotes franchise after decades of uncertainly over a stable arena situation, the assets of that club — i.e. the players, coaches, executives, etc. — were purchased by Ryan Smith, also owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, and moved to Salt Lake City to form the new Utah Hockey Club.

Given how ramshackle of a departure it was from Arizona, the Utah Hockey Club did not have time to formally apply for a trademark on a new nickname or logo, a process that can take upwards of nearly two years. So it’s using something of a placeholder name for the time being. Also, all of the history and records of the Coyotes franchise (which previously existed as the original Winnipeg Jets) did not transfer to Utah.

The Utah Hockey Club shares the Delta Center with the Jazz. That venue has only 11,131 seats with unobstructed views for hockey, but pending renovations will inflate that number to NHL-suitable figures.

The Coyotes’ last home, Arizona State’s Mullett Arena, held only 4,600 for NHL contests.

“It’s definitely nice. You can just focus on hockey,” Cooley said of leaving the Coyotes’ arena melodrama behind. “Obviously, there was a little bit of distractions in the past. Now, you can just focus on trying to get better as a team, trying to get better individually.”

Life in arid Arizona is considerably different than in alpine Utah.

“Starting in the summer, it was a little tough trying to find a place or where to be,” Cooley said. “Now that you’re kind of set there, I love being in Utah. It’s a great hockey market. The fans are super passionate. Living there is great. I’m a guy that likes the seasons. You get some snow. A little bit like Pittsburgh. It’s good to kind of be acclimated and now you can just focus on playing.”

Now 20, Cooley has gotten better physically. Listed at 6-foot and 191 pounds, he has grown considerably since the Coyotes drafted him as at 5-foot-10 and 174 pounds.

“Had a really good summer,” Cooley said. “I feel like this was the best summer I’ve had physically with lifting weights. I feel the strongest I’ve ever been playing hockey. It’s a credit to the trainer I worked with and the summer I had.”

The left-handed Cooley went through some growing pains as a rookie but managed to be productive, generating 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists) in 82 games.

Arizona goal!

Scored by Logan Cooley with 11:49 remaining in the 2nd period.

Assisted by Clayton Keller.

Arizona: 4
Nashville: 2#NSHvsARI #Yotes #Preds pic.twitter.com/h9YL8b8K0o

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 29, 2024

This season, he is slightly ahead of that scoring pace with 12 points (three goals, nine assists) through 19 games (before Saturday).

Utah goal!

Scored by Logan Cooley with 08:44 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Matias Maccelli and Dylan Guenther.

Utah: 1
Vegas: 0#VGKvsUTA #UtahHC #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/bHJBrhCKxE

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) November 16, 2024

“He’s a good student of the game,” said Utah coach Andre Tourigny, who came from Arizona as well. “He’s so competitive. Now, I would say he’s maturing slowly but surely. Last year, when he was getting emotional, his game was slipping. Now, even when he gets emotional, he’s capable of regrouping and playing well. Very competitive, highly skilled. But what I’m the most proud of him is the way he competes.”

Cooley is competing with several ex-Penguins players on the inaugural Utah roster. His teammates include former Penguins defensemen Robert Bortuzzo, Ian Cole, Olli Maatta and John Marino as well as forward Nick Bjugstad.

“He’s awesome,” Maatta said of Cooley. “You can see how much skill he has. Really crafty. He has a unique style. I don’t really know how to explain him. He just seems really smooth. I can’t really think of anybody else who moves like that. You can see he’s going to be a great player.

“He works hard every day. He really cares.”

And he’s really comfortable in Utah as a second-year professional.

“I feel like I just have a lot more confidence this year just with making plays,” Cooley said. “Better in the faceoff dot, better defensively. I’d like to have a little more offense. That will come. It’s still early in the season. But just continuing to find ways to produce, help the team, whether that’s scoring, making plays or keeping the puck out of the net.

“Overall, I think it’s been pretty good.”