Jacob Cossette has a bright future in hockey ahead of him. (Submitted photo/Jacob Cossette)

By Derek Cornet

on the ice

Cossette making a name for himself in AAA hockey league

Dec 1, 2021 | 1:11 PM

There seems to be no stopping Air Ronge’s Jacob Cossette, who is currently the scoring leader in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League (SMAAAL).

Cossette, 17, is a left winger and assistant captain for the Prince Albert Mintos. With 38 points so far this regular season, he’s leading the league with 25 assists and 13 goals out of 18 games.

“I definitely knew I was going to have a good year,” Cossette said. “I didn’t think that I would end up this good. As a 17-year-old, I am the oldest in the league. Before this season, I put in a lot of work, I grew and put on a lot of muscle. I knew I was going to be pretty hard to play against.”

Cossette began playing hockey when he was old enough to hold a mini stick and spent several years with La Ronge Minor Hockey. When he hit second-year atom, he began playing AA in Meadow Lake. Throughout the years, he continued to play hockey out of town before joining the SMAAAL with the Tisdale Trojans in the 2020-2021 season.

This season marks Cossette’s first with the Mintos. He contributes his success this season to hard work, having a positive support system, his coach and fellow players on the team.

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“I’ve played all year with Ashton Tait and he has been really good,” Cossette said. “I like playing with him, but everyone on the team has been putting the puck in the net too, so that helps. We just have a great group of guys and everyone contributes.”

Mintos head coach Tim Leonard has known Cossette for a few years and he said he knew what the team was going to get when Cossette joined them. He noted Cossette is a well-respected player and is someone who leads by example.

Leonard mentioned Cossette has been fulfilling what was expected from him and that he will have a successful hockey career no matter which path he chooses.

“He’s a pretty solid kid on skates, he defends the puck well and, probably the best thing about him thought, is his shot,” Leonard said. “He really shoots it and that can be [shown] by the goals he scored for us this year.”

Cossette also attributed much of his success to the dedication of his parents, Ryan and Jimmette Cossette, who have attended every single Mintos game this season. Ryan Cossette is proud of his son and he said he’s been able to manage even though Jacob is a Grade 12 student at Prince Albert’s Carlton Comprehensive High School.

Ryan Cossette also believes his son will have opportunities to continue his career in hockey, adding he’s been receiving calls from teams who are interested in obtaining him.

“We always said if he loves the game and wants to play, we’ll do what we can to make it happen for him,” Ryan Cossette said. “We spent many hours in a vehicle travelling to practices and games over the last 10 to 12 years. He’s definitely made it worthwhile and he’s opening up some opportunities for himself now.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno