Leamington to Sarnia
Brendan Cooke, a signed Ontario Hockey League prospect of the Flint Firebirds, is now continuing his development with the Sarnia Legionnaires of the Greater Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
Cooke was recently acquired by Sarnia from the Leamington Flyers of the Ontario Jr. Hockey League, where he had one goal, two assists, three points in 10 games. But with Leamington adding older players to its lineup, it was deemed that it would be better for Cooke’s development to play where he could earn more ice time. Thus, the trade to Sarnia and the GOJHL.
Cooke, a 5 foot 10, 170 pound forward with a December 22, 2007 birth date, was taken by Flint in the eighth round of the 2023 OHL priority selections draft from the Soo Jr. Greyhounds of the Great North Under 18 Hockey League. He spent the ’23-24 season of development with the Blind River Beavers of the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and was good for 13 goals, 16 assists, 29 points in 55 games.
After scoring a goal and adding an assist in two OHL exhibition games with Flint, this fall, Cooke was signed by the Firebirds. Hailing from the tiny Highway 17 town of Thessalon — which is about 50 miles east of Sault Ste. Marie — Cooke most certainly remains high on the radar of the OHL Firebirds, who have a number of veteran forwards on their ’24-25 roster.
Mike Oliverio, who is the head scout for the OHL Firebirds, noted that Cooke “is a smart, cerebral, forward who plays the 200 foot game and does a lot of the little things right. He has good anticipation, sees the ice well and is always aware of where everyone is on the ice. He has that knack for scoring goals and has a high compete level.”