| Sebastian Cossa | Edmonton Oil Kings | WHL | L | G | 6’6″ | 212 | Edmonton Oil Kings | 2018 | Fort McMurray, AB | 2002 | 2020-2021: B+ |
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, July 2021: Sebastian has the size and athleticism everyone is looking for in a number one goalie. He tracks pucks through traffic very well and is certainly strong enough to fight for his ice to make the first save in traffic. At every level his numbers have been phenomenal and I expect him to have a National League career, but I feel as though he is going to have to work on his puck play to be a long haul number one. Not his rebound control because he eats pucks and sends the first shot into the corners, I’m talking about his puck exchanges with his defensemen on dump-ins or bouncing pucks from center ice. But that’s nit-picking because he saves the pucks that he should and on a nightly basis will give his team a chance to win.
WHL: Edmonton Oil KIngs vs Red Deer Rebels, March 2021: After being shutout the night before the Rebels were ready to make life tough on Cossa in this one. He had to fight through constant traffic and contact while Red Deer threw everything towards Cossa’s net, but he stayed composed, focused and consistently directed the first shot into non-dangerous areas. When Red Deer attacked from below the goal line during cycles or broken plays they were attacking the strongside post and looking for extended rebounds. This is where his lower core strength and power was very evident because he was never pushed off of the post. Cossa faced twenty-eight shots with the lone goal coming on a third attempt at a rebound.
WHL: Edmonton Oil Kings vs Winnipeg Ice, February 2020: In a game where Cossa only had to face seventeen shots he certainly was challenged. He faced broken play quick two on ones, pucks batted out of the air (the lone goal) and a partial breakaway. He stayed focused and we liked how he did not give up secondary scoring opportunities on lazy rebounds. He did have a few mishandles or poor exchanges with his defencemen, but all in all it was a solid performance.
WHL: Edmonton Oil Kings vs Calgary Hitmen, December 2019: Cossa is a physical presence in the Edmonton net who was calm and focused in the face of a sea of red Calgary jerseys. The Hitmen were constantly driving the net to create screens, chaos and rebounds in front of him, but his demeanor never seemed to change. It was obvious their game plan was to try to disrupt his focus and annoy him by having incidental contact and constant post whistle chatter. We liked his ability to direct poor angle shots to the corners away from the middle drive and his game awareness to get whistles when his team was running around in their defensive zone. In the end it was a 3-2 loss with Cossa giving up three goals on thirty-one shots.
WHL Cup (2002s), October 2017: A big goalie who takes up lots of space in the net. Positionally very sound, and calm between the pipes. Despite his height, he still covers the net well down low, and is very sound with both his blocker and glove hands. His rebound control with his pads is good, but he will give out some juicy rebounds every now and than. Working on his puck handling skills to help out his defenseman would be a real asset to add to his repertoire. Grade: A-