When the Red Wings re-signed Grand Rapids Griffins goaltender Victor Brattstrom to a 1-year extension and then signed Finnish World Championship MVP Jussi Olkinuora, Wings fans wondered aloud where Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa fit into the mix.
As Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen notes, it’s not certain yet whether Cossa, who spoke with the media today, will head back to the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings for one more season, play for Grand Rapids, or skate for the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye:
The Detroit Red Wings haven’t yet talked to prize goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa about where he might be playing next season.
“I’m assuming that will probably happen in the next couple of weeks here,” Cossa said Monday on Day 2 of the Red Wings’ Development camp. “Looking forward to that.
It’s easy to presume the Red Wings will send him to Grand Rapids to let him starting the learning process against American Hockey League competition. But plenty of NHL goalies didn’t reach the AHL until the third season after they were drafted. That list includes Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry, Florida’s Spencer Knight and Philadelphia’s Carter Hart.
Jarry and Hart played two more seasons in the WHL after they were drafted before starting their pro career. Cossa has only played one WHL season since the Red Wings drafted him 15th overall in the 2021 draft. He will still be 19 when the 2022-23 season starts. Even Marty Brodeur was 20 when he started in the AHL.
“I want to play at the highest level of hockey I can,” Cossa said. “I think my game is going to do the speaking for me. The management obviously has that kind of say where I’m gonna be playing. I want to play at the highest level of hockey I can and compete at that level.”
Allen continues, and the Detroit News’s Richard Silva also posted a notebook article regarding the confident, composed Cossa:
“I put a lot of work into my game, so I’m very confident in myself and in my game,” he said Monday. “I’ve already proven to myself (who I am), so it’s just now going out there and showing it and playing my game.”
Cossa stands 6-foot-6, and that large frame coupled with his ability to move and track the puck gives him a unique skillset the Wings clearly valued. Not only did they spend a first-round pick on him, but they traded up eight spots to do it. Detroit also made him the first goalie taken off the board in 2021, picking him over Jesper Wallstedt, who the Minnesota Wild selected 20th overall.
The Wings invested in their potential goaltender of the future, and now that they have him in the building, they want him to stay. Cossa said he, along with some other prospects, plan to stay in Detroit and work with the Wings for a few weeks after development camp ends.
“They suggested it, and I’d love to stay here,” Cossa said. “It’s top-class coaches and trainers here.”
The run Edmonton went on, winning the club’s first championship since 2014, gave Cossa some exposure to playoff hockey, but beyond that, Cossa also saw what a grueling season looks like.
“(I learned) how to take care of my body,” he said. “We got lucky with the first couple rounds being sweeps, but other than that, the last couple rounds and going into Memorial Cup, obviously your body is beat up.”
Silva also continues, and if you missed Cossa’s presser, here it is:
Update: MLive’s Ansar Khan also focused on Cossa in his notebook article for the day:
For now, Cossa and other prospects are soaking up as much knowledge and experience as they can at Red Wings development camp this week at the Belfor Training Center inside Little Caesars Arena.
“I’m very competitive,” Cossa said. “I hate getting scored on no matter where I am or when it is. Our season didn’t end too long ago and I’m already here. It doesn’t change a thing for me with how much training I’ve done so far this summer. I come here and try to prove myself and show my game.
“I’m going to be staying here a couple of weeks after camp just to continue to work on my game.”
Cossa’s season ended June 24 with a disappointing loss in the Memorial Cup. The long grind taught him the importance of recovery.
“Playing a lot of games, it’s tough on the body, and in a pretty short span of time,” Cossa said. “I think I just learned how to play more games and take care of my body that way.
“I’m only 19, so my body’s still growing, and it’s not done growing. I think with strength and flexibility, my body’s still going to be redefined and just get more stable, more balanced. I think my entire body can improve.”
