MONTREAL — From Pittsburgh to the third overall pick.
West Mifflin native Logan Cooley realized his childhood dream on Thursday night when the Arizona Coyotes selected him third in the NHL Draft. That’s the highest a Pittsburgh-area native has ever been selected, surpassing J.T. Miller, who grew up in Coraopolis and was chosen 15th overall by the New York Rangers in 2011.
While Cooley was selected behind power forward Juraj Slafkovsky (No. 1 to Montreal) and defenseman Simon Nemec (No. 2 to New Jersey), a number of draft analysts believe the Pittsburgh product is the prospect with the highest long-term ceiling. His elite skating, high-end hockey IQ and a competitive spirit largely makes up for the one knock on his game, his undersized 5-10, 174-pound frame.
