After an extended offseason, Raider defenceman Landon Kosior will be looking to take another step in his sophomore year. (Lucas Chudleigh/Apollo Multimedia)

By Trevor Redden

Summer Games

Multi-talented Kosior ramping up for new season

Sep 11, 2020 | 12:00 PM

Nine months between competitive hockey games have provided Raiders defenceman Landon Kosior with plenty of time to enjoy some other hobbies this summer.

He didn’t stray too far from the game, in the sense that his hobbies are all sports, but there are several that he’s been staying busy with.

For much of the summer, Kosior has been playing tennis twice a week with a close friend. On weekends, he likes to get a couple rounds of golf in. And in between, he’s spent plenty of time on the basketball court at his gym in Regina.

When asked who he would compare his basketball game to, he certainly didn’t aim low.

“I’d say I’m a Damian Lillard,” Kosior said with a laugh, comparing himself to the five-time NBA all-star from the Portland Trailblazers. “I’ve got some range, not much of a post guy, but I got some range.”

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After workouts, Kosior and a friend are in the habit of playing one-on-one basketball for close to an hour.

“It’s good cardio, we get a good sweat on, so it’s been fun,” Kosior said.

In a few months’ time, he’ll be back to playing competitive hockey again, but before that day comes, Kosior will be hoping to hear his name called at the 2020 NHL Draft. The draft will be held Oct. 6 and 7 after being pushed back from late June.

The Regina native is rated 98^th among draft-eligible North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, which indicates he has a chance at being selected in the later rounds.

“It’s definitely exciting, playing all year looking forward to this day in the back of your mind,” Kosior said. “It’s nice to know the date now that it’s finalized.”

After excelling with the Tisdale Trojans as a 16-year-old, Kosior made the jump the Western Hockey League last season and was able to adapt well. He scored his first career goal in the season opener against Saskatoon and wound up producing 23 points in 64 games played.

With a productive offseason under his belt, he’ll be looking to take on a bigger role with the club. The departure of graduating defencemen Zack Hayes and Jeremy Masella will create more opportunities, and he’s been focused on doing what he can to make sure he’s ready.

“Normally you’re going really hard at the start [of the offseason] because you don’t have that much time. But now you have to maintain your body and make sure you’re getting some rest,” Kosior explained before noting he’ll be adding something new to his routine soon.

“Next week I’m going to be starting yoga, which is something I’ve never done in the summer. That will be a change but I’m excited,” he said.

Kosior is adding yoga to his routine in an effort to help recovery and injury prevention as his offseason routine continues to ramp up over the next two months leading into training camp.

The blueliner is one of four Raiders on Central Scouting’s final ranking list, along with Kaiden Guhle, Ozzy Wiesblatt, and Ilya Usau.

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trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden