Koehn Ziemmer’s WHL future is in the past but there’s another Cohen on the Prince George Cougars’ hockey horizon whose star is rising.
Forward Cohen Baker celebrated his 15th birthday Wednesday with the news he’s joined the Cougar family after they selected the Kamloops native in the first round, 17th overall in the WHL Prospects Draft.
“I'm very excited for this opportunity — I couldn’t be happier to become a Prince George Cougar,” said Baker, from his billet home in Burnaby. “They’ve got a great group of players and prospects, and I can’t wait to get started.”
In other draft news, Prince George native Logan Henry, a centre for the Burnaby Winter Club, was chosen 23rd overall by the Regina Pats.
Listed at five-foot-seven, 134 pounds, Baker belies his lack of size with a fearless attitude that makes him stand out among the crowd. In 33 games at left wing with the Burnaby Winter Club U15 Prep he led the team in scoring with 34 goals 30 assists and 64 points and also had 80 penalty minutes, second on his team.
“I’m just a hard-working player who can find my teammates to make great plays,” said Baker. “I’m a pass-first guy, even though I scored a lot of goals this year. I can put the puck in the net but I’ll always look for the pass first. I think I can bring some intensity to the game even as a smaller guy. I hope the fans are going to love me there and love the style of play I’m going to bring to them.”
His parents in Kamloops were season ticket holders for Blazers games and he models his game after NHLers Logan Stankoven, a former Blazer, and Florida Panthers winger Brad Marchand.
“(They’re) smaller guys, both hard-working, both can put the puck in the net and can find their teammates as well,” said Baker. “Brad Marchand is obviously known as a rat, he’s hard to play against, which I would like to be like. I think I already am hard to play against.”
Prince George hockey fans should get to see Baker in game action next season when he shifts to the BC Elite Hockey League, playing for his hometown Thompson Blazers 18U.
“The first thing you will notice is his energy,” said Bob Simmonds, the Cougars’ director of scouting. “He’s not the biggest kid, he’s going to grow a little more, but this young fellow has a level of compete that few have. He’s in the middle of everything, he’s not shy, he’s a battler in the thick of everything and he does it in a very skilled way.
“He’s a dynamic skater, he plays hard, he’s great with the puck and he scores goals and sets up goals. He’s a big-time competitor with a lot of skill.. You’ll notice him in training camp and he’ll be a fan favourite.”
Simmonds said it’s been quite some time since the Cougars had a player that fits the mould that shapes Baker.
“He’s a smaller stature player who plays a big game with a lot of skill,” said Simmonds. “He just drives the play, he’s going up the ice but gets back deep, he will defend. It’s just the energy he approaches the game with, he’s very hard on himself and he holds himself to account, he’s very coachable.”
Baker’s goal is to follow in Ziemmer’s tracks and make the Cougars at age16, just as Ziemmer to start a career that led to him setting the all-time team record this past season for most goals as a Cougar.
Henry, the Prince George minor hockey product, was the third first-rounder Regina picked and he was the final choice in the first round, going 33rd overall.
Henry finished second to Baker in team scoring for Burnaby Winter Club with 32 goals and 19 assists for 51 points in 31 games. The 15-year-old power forward, a Prince George minor hockey product, had 116 penalty minutes to lead the team
“Logan plays that fast, big, physical WHL-ready game,” said WHL draft analyst Brad Ginnell.
“The physicality of this kid, he can blow guys up because he can absolutely fly catching guys' open ice. But he can score some big goals; he was second on a stacked Burnaby forward group in goals this year. He uses that sturdy frame and takes the puck right to the net.”
As expected, the Pats chose centre Maddox Schultz first overall to kick off Wednesday’s draft. The Regina native led the Saskatchewan U18 triple-A league in scoring as an exceptional-status player with 93 points in 44 games, playing for the Telus Cup-champion Regina Pat Canadians.
The Pats acquired the third overall pick in a trade with Kelowna to select Langley centre Liam Pue, who played for the Langley Academy U18s. Pue was chosen right after the Edmonton Oil Kings selected defenceman Holden Wouters of Vancouver second overall from Vancouver-based St. George’s School, where former Prince George Cougars GM Todd Harkins is the head of hockey.
Defenceman Thor Liffiton of the Calgary Northstars U15 will go down in history as the Penticton Vees’ first-ever pick in the Prospects draft. The Calgary native was chosen by Vees’ longtime GM/head coach Fred Harbinson. The Vees will join the WHL as the sixth team in the BC Division next season.
The Prospects Draft resumes Thursday morning, following the two-round U.S. Priority Draft that starts at 8 a.m. The Cougars hold the eighth and 39th picks in the US draft and will select 40th overall in the second round of the Prospects Draft.
Other first-rounders, with their hometowns and team they played for last season are as follows:
- 5. Everett (from Kamloops), C Reid Nichol, Brandon, Brandon Wheat Kings U18;
- 6. Vancouver (from Wenatchee), C Louis-Oscar Hollowaychuk, Vancouver, St. George’s School U15 Prep;
- 7. Red Deer, D Nolan Wolitski, St. Albert, Alta, Northern Alberta Xtreme U15;
- 8. Edmonton (from Seattle), D Christopher Kokkoris, Langley, Yale Academy U15 Prep;
- 9. Tri-City, C/RW Ben Oliverio, Calgary, Calgary Northstars U15;
- 10. Wenatchee (from Swift Current), C Kalen Miles, Edmonton, Northern Alberta Xtreme U15;
- 11. Kamloops (from Saskatoon), D Mateo Ferreira, Winnipeg, Winnipeg Bruins U15 Gold;
- 12. Brandon (from Portland), D Jim Cruz, Grande Prairie, Alta., Northern Alberta Xtreme U15;
- 13. Vancouver (from Edmonton), D Crosby Mateychuk, Dominion City, Man., Eastman Selects U15;
- 14. Kamloops (from Saskatoon), C Teagen Bouchard, Father, Alta., Northern Alberta Xtreme U15;
- 15. Saskatoon (from Brandon), LW Kain Martinuik, Shattuck-St. Mary’s 14U;
- 16. Prince Albert, LW Athens Shingoose, Waywayseecappo, Man., Rink Academy Winnipeg U15 Prep;
- 18. Moose Jaw (from Lethbridge), C Kash Elke, Lanigan, Sask., Humboldt Broncos U15;
- 19. Victoria, D Roan Greschuk, Sturgeon County, Alta., St. Albert Sabres U15;
- 20. Kelowna (from Spokane), D Will Kelts, Consort, Alta., Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 Prep;
- 21. Seattle (from Calgary), D Brook Haile, Calgary, Calgary Northstars U15;
- 22. Swift Current (from Everett), RW Cohenn Rotar, Grande Prairie, Alta., Grande Prairie Storm U15.
