The Hockey News’s Jake Tye offers the following regarding Red Wings prospect Sebastian Cossa’s development, per Griffins coach Dan Watson:
The Hockey News spoke with Grand Rapids Griffins head coach Dan Watson and he explained to us that the uncertainty of if Cossa will be returning to the Griffins is at an all-time high.
“He’s committed, dedicated, he wants to get better, he wants to be the guy, whether it’s in Grand Rapids, I know he’s gonna be challenging mentally for a spot in Detroit,” Watson explained “We’re looking for him to take that next step and be a good starting goaltender for us in Grand Rapids, If not, he’s going to be in Detroit.”
Watson emphasized that another season with the Griffins would be valuable for Cossa as he would have the opportunity to handle the majority of the starts, just as he did early last season when his strong performance earned him a spot at the AHL all-star game. Veteran goaltenders like Jack Campbell and Husso would go on to limit his workload later on in the season. If he returns to Grand Rapids next season, Watson expects him to take on the bulk workload for the team.
“This year, I’d love to see him take the reins and then if he’s in Grand Rapids, be the guy, get those as many starts as you possibly can where we obviously have to manage his workload and everything, but he can get a lot of starts and get to feel the puck and then see it well, like he did this our last year,” Watson said “I think that’s going to elevate him to that next step is being the guy in Grand Rapids.”
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“We have a great relationship, being with each other now for the last three seasons. I want to make sure there’s invested interest with him, and I want to make sure that we do everything we can and provide the resources necessary for him to have success,” Watson stated.
Continued; this is a pivotal year for Cossa as he’s going to be pushed by Michal Postava in Grand Rapids, but I don’t know whether he can unseat Cam Talbot quite yet.
