Will the NHL Draft party ever come? Most Flyers fans are anxious, and ready to rock and roll while waiting for Draft day. June 22, 2018 couldn’t come soon enough. Just who will the drafting guru in Ron Hextall select towards the late rounds of the draft? Well, nobody knows truthfully.
Hextall has transformed the Flyers farm system into the best in the NHL, according to nhl.com. How has he done it? Well, drafting hidden gems, and drafting the nooks and crannies towards the latter rounds of the draft. Who may Hextall have his eyes on in the latter rounds of the draft this year? Meet Jordan Kooy, a goaltender for the London Knights in the OHL. Kooy states, “Everybody I know is excited for me. I’m pretty excited. I really couldn’t be where I’m at today without my family, and anybody supporting me throughout this whole thing. It’s really exciting to be on the draft list, and have a possibility of being drafted. Of course, everybody’s dream is to make the NHL. Now being close enough to getting there is really neat now.”
Kooy was born on April 30, 2000, in Bradford, ON, CAN. If the Flyers are looking to bolster their depth at the goaltending position in the future, then this young Canadian native might be the key to success. Kooy found himself playing for the London Knights in the OHL for the 2016-17 season. He amassed an impressive 2.45 GAA, and .911 Save Percentage in 11 games played. These numbers were very strong, and Kooy showed the Knights just who he was. So who exactly is this young man?
“Chicken parmesean I love it (Laughing). I’m definitely a hard worker. I think I got a good personality with the media and everything. I’m always upbeat and happy. Love to be around people, and just love playing hockey. I want to make the most of it for the fans, myself, and the entire organization if I’m drafted.”
Kooy continues, “Skating is one of the most important things along side your mental game of hockey. We work off-season on my mental game trying to keep that, and make that the biggest part of my game. When I’m on ice…skating and tracking pucks is a big part of it. Off ice I focus on movements, weights, and quickness. Gotta work hard for that.”
The young Knights goaltender, Kooy has become quite a stud while backing up Joseph Raymakers. In the 2017-18 season, he finished the year with a favorable record of 10-8-1, a 3.11 GAA, and .904 Save Percentage. Moreover, Kooy finished with the best GAA amongst OHL rookie netminders. He shows time and time again how calm he is between the pipes. Kooy’s key to success is to just focus on getting stronger in the off-season.
“This off-season, I’ve been training twice a day at the gym. Getting back on the ice soon to one-off ice and one on ice. Right now I’m at two off ice. I like to visualize making saves, making movements. It helps me stay focused.”
If a person has seen Kooy play for the Knights, then one would instantly notice his smooth skating ability, ironically enough. Kooy has gotten better in every facet of the game. He has a lot of size in net, and Kooy has the ability to cut off the angles well. There are some special people who helped him along the way, and Kooy hasn’t forgotten that.
“Definitely my dad, mom, and my brother. Really they always encouraged me. They said if you’re not going to do it hard, then don’t do it at all. They always encouraged me to work hard, do what I like, and to do what I love.”
If the Flyers are looking for a draft day steal, then Kooy could be it. Hextall has had great success at the draft with his deep knowledge of each individual player, and with drafting in the latter rounds of the draft. Remember Kooy’s name as he says, “Very honored to be drafted by that team honestly. It’s a surreal feeling. It was a surreal feeling to get drafted by London, and an even more surreal feeling to get drafted by an NHL club.”
Photo credit: Icon Sportswire via AP Images
