West Mifflin native Logan Cooley drafted 3rd overall by Arizona Coyotes

MONTREAL — It took a lot of work and determination for Logan Cooley to get to this place.

And a nine-hour car ride.

Like just about any other being on earth trying to travel via plane, Cooley ran into transportation issues in trying to get to Quebec this week.

So he hopped in the van with family and trekked to Montreal from West Mifflin to attend the NHL Draft.

“We actually were fortunate enough to get a pretty big van,” Cooley said. “I don’t think I was (awake) at all the whole drive. I think I was sleeping the whole time. So it went pretty quick.”

All those hours at rinks in Rostraver, Castle Shannon, Bethel Park and Cranberry as a youth — as well as the hours he spent on various interstates and freeways Tuesday — led to the dynamic center being selected third overall by the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday at the Bell Centre.

“It still feels like a dream. It’s definitely pretty crazy, all the mixed emotions that I have right now. But I’m super fired up to be a Coyote,” he said.

Cooley, 18, became the highest-drafted player from the Pittsburgh area in NHL history. Forward J.T. Miller (Coraopolis by way of East Palestine, Ohio), currently a member of the Vancouver Canucks, previously held that distinction having been selected No. 15 overall by the New York Rangers in 2011.

The only other player born and raised in the Pittsburgh area to be a first-round pick in the NHL Draft was forward R.J. Umberger of Plum, who was selected No. 16 overall by the Canucks in 2001.

“It gives you butterflies kind of thinking about it,” Cooley said. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was a little kid. For it to finally be here is kind of mind-boggling.”

The Montreal Canadiens opened the draft by selecting winger Juraj Slafkovsky, making him the first player from Slovakia to be taken No. 1.

Slafkovsky, who starred at the Beijing Olympics, was the choice over Canadian center Shane Wright, who long had been considered the front-runner to be in this spot even before Montreal won the draft lottery.

The New Jersey Devils then took Slovakian defenseman Simon Nemec second, followed by Cooley. Wright went fourth to the Seattle Kraken.

Last season with the United States National Team Development Program, Cooley appeared in 51 games and scored 75 points (27 goals, 48 assists).

Cooley is expected to spend the 2022-23 season playing at the University of Minnesota. Once he does turn professional, he could very well wind up becoming the best hockey player Pittsburgh has ever produced.

For the moment, he is honored to potentially join a limited fraternity of Western Pennsylvanians who have reached the NHL such as Miller, Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson (Whitehall), Carolina Hurricanes forward Vince Trocheck (Upper St. Clair) and St. Louis Blues forward Brandon Saad (Gibsonia).

“It means a lot,” Cooley said. “Obviously, some of the guys that have come out of there like Vince Trocheck, J.T. Miller, John Gibson and to be on that list as one of the top guys to come out of Pittsburgh is pretty special.”

Hockey in Pittsburgh experienced a boom in participation at the grassroots level thanks to the arrivals of Penguins icons Mario Lemieux in 1984 and Sidney Crosby in 2005.

Cooley (5-foot-10, 174 pounds) could potentially generate a third boom in Western Pennsylvania if he were to become an NHL star.

“That’s something people are telling me,” said Cooley, who participated in Crosby’s “Little Penguins” program in 2008. “It’s pretty special. When I was a little kid growing up in Pittsburgh, I never really thought this would happen. So for it to finally come true is pretty special.”