Spokane got Cowen

[ihlemic10]

Defenceman Jared Cowen Selected 1st Overall in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft

Created: May 4, 2006
With the first overall selection in this morning’s WHL Bantam Draft the Spokane Chiefs selected defenseman Jared Cowen of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The 6’5”, 190 pound defenseman played for the Saskatoon Contacts, the regular season champions of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League, last year. In 41 regular season games, Cowen scored four goals, 16 points and added 66 penalty minutes. Cowen was the youngest player on the Contacts and the only 1991 born player on the roster.

“Jared is the complete package,” Chris Moulton, the Chiefs Director of Player Personnel said.

“We’re ecstatic to select a player of his caliber and we’re expecting he will a big part of the Spokane organization in the future.”

“For our scouting staff Jared separated himself from the rest of the players as the definite first overall pick in this draft,” Chiefs General Manager Tim Speltz said.

“We feel that his combination of size, skill and character make him the number one pick”, Speltz finished.

In assessing Cowen’s abilities, Moulton said, “He has great size, he is a good skater who can make plays and take control of the game. He has great offensive instincts and has the ability to jump up into the play. He makes crisp outlets passes and shoots the puck hard. We consider Jared to be a big time talent who has a ton of upside.”

The selection of Cowen marks the first time in franchise history that Spokane has had the first overall selection in the WHL Bantam Draft. Spokane will select second overall behind the expansion Chilliwack Bruins in the ensuing rounds.

[bandwagonboy]

They sound like they aren't planning on trading him.

[dondo]

nope.. hopefully he turns into a team player over the next years, or he's going to be a bust imo. Players who bring that kind of skill, but are selfish usually don't climb the ranks very well.

We can hope he'll change his mind about playing for the Chiefs

[SectionNDeserter]

Whew, I was a little worried that he might end up a Rebel. Lets hope for Spokane's sake that his umbilical cord is long enough to allow him to play there now....

[Hatguy]

Excuse my asking, but why do all of you seem to hate this kid? Is he a cry baby or something?

[SectionNDeserter]

Excuse my asking, but why do all of you seem to hate this kid? Is he a cry baby or something?Not sure about him, but it would seem his mommy doesn't want him playing too far from home. Since they are his legal guardians, I suppose he doesn't really have too much say in it at his age. Supposedly a talented kid, but it sounds like he comes with a lot of baggage that a junior team really doesn't need.

[bandwagonboy]

nope.. hopefully he turns into a team player over the next years, or he's going to be a bust imo. Players who bring that kind of skill, but are selfish usually don't climb the ranks very well.

We can hope he'll change his mind about playing for the Chiefs

There's very little to indicate that yet. Right now he's just a 14 year old kid who doesn't want to be far from everything that he's known in his short life. And his parents are smart enough to realize that he is still in his formative years. The direction he takes now will make the difference between him being a successful adult and a loser so they want to keep an active role in his life. Some of these umbilical cord comments and such are just way out in left field. He's a 14 year old kid, he needs guidence and love. Just because his parents aren't willing to let a hockey coach with 25 other kids to look after and his billets whom are total strangers provide the necessary guidence for him without being near enough for them to still be in his life doesn't make them over protective. It makes them good parents.

[rinkrat]

There's very little to indicate that yet. Right now he's just a 14 year old kid who doesn't want to be far from everything that he's known in his short life. And his parents are smart enough to realize that he is still in his formative years. The direction he takes now will make the difference between him being a successful adult and a loser so they want to keep an active role in his life. Some of these umbilical cord comments and such are just way out in left field. He's a 14 year old kid, he needs guidence and love. Just because his parents aren't willing to let a hockey coach with 25 other kids to look after and his billets whom are total strangers provide the necessary guidence for him without being near enough for them to still be in his life doesn't make them over protective. It makes them good parents.
Great post,Bandboy. :thumb:

[bandwagonboy]

Everyone keeps calling him a baby. Guess what, he's 14. He IS a baby. Would you want to risk your son turning into Theo Fluery just for the welfare of the Spokane Chiefs?

[chiefgongshow]

Everyone keeps calling him a baby. Guess what, he's 14. He IS a baby. Would you want to risk your son turning into Theo Fluery just for the welfare of the Spokane Chiefs?
Yeah its wrong to to have anyone call him a baby. Hes not able to make his own choices right now. If he was able to I wonder what it would be. What ever he does, whether its decide to come to Spoke, Michigan, or he gets traded, I wish him nothing but the best.

Whats with the Fleury comparison? If anything it would be what playing close to home can turn you into.

[SectionNDeserter]

Everyone keeps calling him a baby. Guess what, he's 14. He IS a baby. Would you want to risk your son turning into Theo Fluery just for the welfare of the Spokane Chiefs?Thousands of players have 'risked turning into Theo Fleury' since Theo Fleury turned into Theo Fleury, but haven't turned into Theo Fleury. They have done this for different reasons, usually in an attempt to fulfill their dream of playing in the pros. The byproduct of this is improving 'the welfare' of whatever team they play on. He certainly won't be a 14 year old when he actually theoretically joins the team, he will be 15 or 16 just like hundreds of others attending training camps. His folks coddling him will certainly greatly reduce his chances of being man-raped as you say--but their meddling is really not going to do anything positive for his hockey career. From a business standpoint, I would much rather have a player that is excited to play for my team, or at least motivated as such, and not some self-involved brat that thinks he is too good to play for my team.

That being said, I am quite sure he will be in a Chief uniform one day, as if this kid truly wanted to go the college route, he would have either just gone the college route and not said anything, or told ALL the teams that he was going the college route and not just the Chiefs.

[Trav]

I dont like seeing someone making a reference to Fleury like that. All I hear now about the guy is him is negative stuff. Nobody's perfect, Theoren was one of my favorite players in the NHL when he played and he still is. Like some people he's ran in to some problems that have unfortunately resulted in unfortunate consquences. Theo is no different then anyone else, we all have problems.

Remember Theoren for his accomplishments he did in the NHL, not for the unfortunate problems he's faced.

[Jimmypop316]

heres an article posted in the paper:

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=6590

Makes the whole situation sound out to be not as worse as everyones making it out to be. I think once they get here and see what kind of facility and organization the Chiefs are he will settle in.

He's got a whole 16 months to decide what/where he wants to go. He wants to play in the WHL and I think thats the most important thing about this whole situation.

[bandwagonboy]

Whats with the Fleury comparison? If anything it would be what playing close to home can turn you into.

I just picked Fleury's name out of the blue. I was in a hurry when I posted that and I wanted a name of an NHL headcase and Fleury's was the first to come to mind. Honestly, I don't know where Fleury's parents were when he was in the dub or what his home town is. Maybe it was a bit irresponsible to just throw his name out there as a generic head case but there it is.


Thousands of players have 'risked turning into Theo Fleury' since Theo Fleury turned into Theo Fleury, but haven't turned into Theo Fleury. They have done this for different reasons, usually in an attempt to fulfill their dream of playing in the pros. The byproduct of this is improving 'the welfare' of whatever team they play on. He certainly won't be a 14 year old when he actually theoretically joins the team, he will be 15 or 16 just like hundreds of others attending training camps. His folks coddling him will certainly greatly reduce his chances of being man-raped as you say--but their meddling is really not going to do anything positive for his hockey career. From a business standpoint, I would much rather have a player that is excited to play for my team, or at least motivated as such, and not some self-involved brat that thinks he is too good to play for my team.

OK I was never trying to make a reference to Fleury's allegedly (he's never admited to it and so far as I know it's all speculation, please correct me if I'm wrong) being molested. What I was making reference to was the fact that if young kids aren't given proper guidence at formative ages such as 14, 15, and 16 they can turn into head cases. I think everyone here can agree that the chances of a player being molested by a coach in the 'dub is awfully low as there's been evidence of one coach ever doing it.

Yes, thousands of players are seperated from their families and yes many of them turn out ok. But not all of those thousands are or were as seperated from their families as Cowan would be from his. For example, Derek Dorsett's parents live in Kindersly but still make the trip down to the hat for each and every home game, and every road game I've went to they have been there as well. They are still very involved with his life and I'm sure that this is the rule, not the exception. Mr and Mrs Dorsett are still very much parents to Derek, they aren't willing to leave his parenting up to the billets and the coach.

And again, there is no evidence that he is as you say a self involved brat. If he plays in Red Deer he's only about 5.5 hour drive from Saskatoon, 5.5 hours from Medicine Hat and Edmonton 6.5 hours from Lethbridge, 3 hours from swift, 2 hours from Moose Jaw, 2.5 hours from Regina, less than an hour and a half from PA, and 6 hours from Brandon. These are all teams that Red Deer would frequently play. Even a family of modest means would be able to travel to these cities with a fair amount of frequency. From Spokane the number of both home and road games they'd be able to get to would be signficantly reduced.

I'm sure that every parent of a 'dub player would like to be able to be as involved with their son's lives as much as Mr and Mrs Dorsett are in their sons life. That's all that the Cowan's want I'm sure. I'm sure he threw Red Deer as a place that he would play because geographically it makes it possible for his parents to both be an influence in his life and see him play a great deal. Plus, were the Chiefs to pass on him Red Deer would logically be the next team to want him. I doubt he threw Red Deer as a possible team out there just because Sutter is there. There's no evidence that any of the Cowans don't have respect for either the Chiefs organization or the city of Spokane.

[SectionNDeserter]

I'm sure that every parent of a 'dub player would like to be able to be as involved with their son's lives as much as Mr and Mrs Dorsett are in their sons life. That's all that the Cowan's want I'm sure. I'm sure he threw Red Deer as a place that he would play because geographically it makes it possible for his parents to both be an influence in his life and see him play a great deal. Plus, were the Chiefs to pass on him Red Deer would logically be the next team to want him. I doubt he threw Red Deer as a possible team out there just because Sutter is there. There's no evidence that any of the Cowans don't have respect for either the Chiefs organization or the city of Spokane.Point taken, but how exactly do they differ from the thousands of afformentioned players that are too far away to be as involved with their son's lives in the WHL? Are they somehow better than everyone else, so much so that they feel they have to try to dictate whether or not that team can draft their son? Whether they do or they don't, I would be willing to bet that a great deal of the WHL fans are probably going to see it this way. Hopefully he just reports when that time comes, and plays well enough to put it all in the past now.

[dondo]

I know he's young, but there's no better way to find out who you really are than to be taken away from those forces which comprised your formative years. He'll learn a lot more and grow more as a person being away from his family than being under their shadow.

A lot of players are young and move away to play hockey - btw does anyone have the original quote/story upon which this all is based.

I just heard that he told the Chiefs he wouldn't play for them if he were drafted and now we've got the parents involved and some spin about him not wanting to play too far away from home, but the team he suggested as his preference isn't the closest WHL club to his home.. infact there are at least three which are a lot closer.