Capping off their 2021-22 season with the Prince Albert Mintos, forward Jacob Cossette and defenceman Nate Misskey have been named to the SMU18AAAHL’s first all star team.
Cossette, who led the league in scoring with 77 points (25G-52A) in 43 games, says he was still surprised when he saw his name on the list of all stars. To add onto that, he was named league MVP and top forward.
“It was kind of hard to believe,” he said. “I had a good year, but it was still pretty surreal. It’s nice to get the recognition in my last year in the league, but I owe a lot of credit to a lot of people, including the Mintos organization and my teammates.”
While this was only his first full season in the league, after playing three games in a shortened 2020-21 season with the Tisdale Trojans, Cossette had a chip on his shoulder heading into this year in Prince Albert. He said taking it game by game and not getting ahead of himself was the key to success in his graduating year.
“With it being my last year, I wanted to put up some points and show what I can do. I was able to take it one game at a time, and it just took off from there. I had more patience for the game. I let things happen in front of me rather than get frustrated or overwhelmed. Things happened more naturally for me this year.
“Last year was a little intimidating coming into the league. But knowing that everyone was younger than me this year and that it was my last chance to prove myself, that helped with my confidence. Overall I thought it made it a little easier knowing that I was one of the older guys in the league. Having the experience of last year, even though it was cut short, definitely helped me a lot coming into this season.”
The big question surrounding Cossette now is where he will take his talents next. The La Ronge Ice Wolves have his SJHL rights, but he is contemplating his options, with a potential chance to play in a different province, as well as tryout for a WHL team in the fall. He hopes to have a decision made in the next coming weeks.
Defenceman Nate Misskey had a breakout year of his own, finishing third in team scoring and third overall in the league among points by a defenceman. The Victoria Royals prospect registered 36 points (8G-28A) through 44 games in the regular season. He says he was excited when he saw his name on the list of all stars.
“I didn’t know whether it would be me or not,” he said. “It’s nice to see that other coaches and teams across the league saw how I played. I worked really hard this year and I’m proud of myself for it.”
Misskey said a lot of personal preparation went into each game. His work off the ice translated into his performance on the ice, where he was a physical presence.
“Just being in the right mindset and being ready to skate and make good plays has a lot to do with it,” he said.
“I thought we were an awesome team this year and we had an awesome group of guys. We always worked hard and we never backed down from a team. We just gelled really well. Our hard work and discipline really stood out this year. Those are the traits that we live by as being a Minto.”
Misskey hopes to crack the Royals roster next season, but knows he has to put in months worth of hard work to get there. He explained where he is at mentally to have a shot at making it to the WHL next season.
“I’ve been putting in a lot of work to give myself a chance,” he said. “I’m hoping to make that next jump, but I just have to keep working towards it. A lot of it comes down to staying in shape this summer and working on my hockey skills; my shot, my checking, and just everything overall. I just have to keep working until I’m there.”
@kyle_kosowan•sports@paherald.sk.ca
