When Sidney Crosby spearheaded the start of the Little Penguins Learn to Play program in 2008, his goal was to grow youth hockey in the Pittsburgh area.
The program provides free head-to-toe gear to children aged 5 though 9, with over 2,000 sets of equipment now provided annually. Since the program's inception, over 13,000 Pittsburgh-area children have been introduced to hockey as a result of the program.
The Little Penguins had 600 participants in that inaugural 2008-09 season. One of them is projected to be a top-3 pick in next month's NHL Draft.
Logan Cooley, a native of West Mifflin, was five years old when he first stepped on the ice as part of Crosby's Little Penguins program. Because of that first step with the Little Penguins, Cooley went on to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite youth program, the U.S. National Team Development Program, and will soon become the highest-drafted Pittsburgh native in NHL history.
"That's how I got into hockey, having the chance to get free equipment, be out on the ice with the best player in the world," Cooley said on Saturday at the league's scouting combine in Buffalo. "Anytime you can learn anything from him is pretty special."
Cooley said he doesn't remember too much about the sessions in which Crosby was an instructor, saying he was just focused on learning how to stand on his skates at the time. One thing that does stand out in his memory is just how much Crosby enjoyed being out there working with kids like Cooley.
"You see how much fun he has out there teaching kids, helping them out and continuing to grow hockey," Cooley said. "So it's pretty special."
Though Cooley is a center with a two-way game that is regarded as the best of this 2022 draft class, Crosby isn't the player that Cooley would say he compares himself to, or tries to emulate. Cooley says that he likes to watch Patrick Kane. Kane and Cooley are both products of the USNTDP, and are both listed at 5-foot-10, and about 175 pounds.
When it comes to a role model off the ice, Crosby is someone that Cooley looks up to.
"Just how good of a guy he is, especially off the ice," Cooley said when asked what he took away from Crosby while growing up in Pittsburgh. "You know, you never really hear about him getting in trouble or anything like that. I think just knowing how good he is with the community, how good he is as a player. Anytime that you can have a guy like him around your city, that's only going to grow hockey in the area and bring the community together. He's a great guy."
Cooley will certainly be off the board when the Penguins pick first at No. 21 overall. Cooley seems likely to be picked second by the Devils, though there remains a chance that he could overtake Shane Wright for the No. 1 pick and be selected by the Canadiens.
J.T. Miller currently holds the honor of being the highest-drafted Pittsburgh native in league history, after he was picked 15th overall by the Rangers in 2011. Cooley said in his press conference on Friday that by being drafted as high as he is expected to, he hopes to "make a bigger name for the city" of Pittsburgh as a hockey town that has the ability to produce high-end talent.
Cooley on Saturday reiterated his desire bring attention to Pittsburgh as a hotbed for hockey players, and noted the increase in other high-end players to come from the area as a result of programs like the Little Penguins and the Penguins Elite.
Cooley will become the third Penguins Elite product to be drafted into the NHL since the program started in 2012, following defenseman Cade Webber (fourth round, 2019, Hurricanes) and forward Ty Voit (fifth round, 2021, Maple Leafs). Penguins Elite has seen over 40 boys and over 40 girls go on to play NCAA hockey, produced 10 players who have represented USA Hockey internationally, 22 who have been drafted into Canadian major junior hockey, and over 30 who have been drafted by the USHL.
As local players like Cooley who got their start with Crosby's Little Penguins program get older, we'll see the number of Pittsburgh natives who go on to play at higher levels continue to rise.
"I think it's all getting better from here," Cooley said of the growth of hockey in Pittsburgh. "Like I said, I want to continue to make a name for this city and continue to grow it as a hockey area. I think the Pens Elite has done a great job of producing players and it's only going to get better from here."
