Fans of the Detroit Red Wings can be excused for envisioning 2021 Round One Draft selection Sebastian Cossa enjoying the kind of career that Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has enjoyed.
After all, it was current Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman who drafted Vasilevskiy with the Tampa Bay Lightning 19th overall in 2012. He’s gone on to become one of the NHL’s best players at the position, and helped his club win the Stanley Cup in consecutive seasons.
For Cossa, his development has hit a few snags in recent months, notably when he was pulled from the Calder Cup Playoffs by the Grand Rapids Griffins this spring during what was ultimately a three-game series loss.
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Cossa’s numbers down the stretch of the season also weren’t the best, which he knows that he must reverse heading into his fourth season of professional hockey.
“I didn’t have the best second half last year, I wasn’t happy with the playoff performance,” Cossa said during Red Wings Training Camp. “There’s a bit of a chip on the shoulder when it comes to that. I want to prove I can play at a really high level in the AHL and hopefully get (an NHL opportunity).
“I was rock solid the first half of the year up until to around December, then a couple of injuries in Grand Rapids and Detroit, and you miss a couple of guys and we got into a bit of a slump, the whole team. I wasn’t playing great. It’s unfortunate.”
Cossa is going to have the chance to get more experience at the NHL level, albeit in pre-season play, over the next eight games the Red Wings are scheduled for before the beginning of the regular season on Oct. 9.
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While Cossa did pick up his first official NHL victory last December as part of a relief appearance against the Buffalo Sabres, it remains his only regular season action to date.
If he wants additional opportunities, he knows that he’s going to have to work for them.
“It’s a big year, but nothing really changes for me,” Cossa said. “I had a real good summer and put in a lot of work. I’m just trying to stay consistent through the year. I want to gain the experience I’ve gained the past few years and push the pace and be the best version of myself.”
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