Whitehorse family thrilled with Western Hockey League draft pick
Yukon player Dylan Cozens was picked in the first round of the WHL bantam draft
Whitehorse hockey player Dylan Cozens made history when he was drafted by the Western Hockey League's Lethbridge Hurricanes this week.
Cozens has been playing for the Delta Hockey Academy this season in Delta, B.C.
His mom said the family is thrilled.
"We're super excited for him. It's another step on the way to Dylan's dream. He's worked really hard for this," said Sue Bogle.
The dream for the six-foot 15 year old is to play in the NHL.
"Isn't it everyone's?" said Dylan when asked about it.
Other Yukon players have played in the WHL, but most have been recruited as free agents. Dylan is the first drafted in the first round, Bogle said.
He won't be eligible to play in the league until well after he turns 16 in February.
Followed draft picks while on computer at his high school
Cozens was at school in Delta on Thursday when he found out he had been selected by Lethbridge in the bantam draft. He was following it on a computer when he was picked.
Cozens wasn't surprised and even thought he might have been chosen a bit earlier in the day. His confidence came from a tournament he played well in after Christmas, he said.
"I definitely improved a lot in Whitehorse, and also this year in Delta really made me the player that I am," Cozens said.
He said for now he'll concentrate on improving, hoping for a WHL debut next year, and maybe, eventually, the NHL.
"Oh, I just have to train really hard, take no days off, always just focus on the goal ahead."