Dylan Cozens
First Yukon-born first-round NHL draft pick.
Dylan Cozens, a centre for the Ottawa Senators in the National Hockey League (NHL), was born on February 9, 2001, in Whitehorse, Yukon. He went seventh overall to the Buffalo Sabres in the 2019 NHL entry draft. Known as "The Workhorse from Whitehorse," he holds the distinction of being the first Yukon-born player selected in the first round of both the Western Hockey League (WHL) draft and the NHL draft, and the first to play for Canada’s national junior team.
Cozens learned to skate at age three on a backyard rink his father built. Because Whitehorse had few hockey players, he frequently faced older opponents. At age 12, an adult player boarded him during a house league game, breaking his leg. That injury pushed Cozens and his family to seek teams closer to his age outside the Yukon. At 14, he moved to British Columbia to train at the Delta Hockey Academy. During the 2012015–16 season there, he scored 19 goals and 31 points in 25 regular-season games, plus five goals and six points in three playoff games. At the 2016 John Reid Memorial Bantam Tournament, he led all players with nine goals and 15 points in six games, earning a spot on the Reid Division All-Star Team. He also played for the Prince George Cariboo Cougars in the BC Hockey Major Midget League to build strength and skill.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL selected Cozens in the first round, 19th overall, of the 2016 WHL bantam draft—the first time a Yukon-born player had been taken in the first round of that draft. He signed with Lethbridge that May but, being under the WHL’s age minimum for the 2016–17 season, played for Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, British Columbia. He scored his first WHL goal in his debut, a 5–3 loss to the Saskatoon Blades on November 13, 2016. After three games, he returned to Yale, where his 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) in 30 games tied for the CSSHL Midget Prep league lead. He added two goals and four points in three CSSHL playoff games, then rejoined Lethbridge for the WHL postseason, tallying three goals and eight points in 12 playoff games before the Hurricanes fell to the Regina Pats in the Eastern Conference Championship series.
- Born
- February 9, 2001
- Birthplace
- Whitehorse, Yukon
- Position
- Centre
- Nhl draft
- 2019, 7th overall by Buffalo Sabres
- Whl team
- Lethbridge Hurricanes
- Whl points 2019 20
- 85 points in 51 games
- Nhl debut
- January 14, 2021
Lore & Background
Cozens was born in Whitehorse, Yukon, to Mike Cozens and Sue Bogle. He began ice skating on a backyard rink built by his father when he was three years old. Due to the limited pool of ice hockey players in his hometown, Cozens often played against older opponents. At age 12, he broke his leg after being boarded by an adult man in a house league game, which convinced his family to find teams within his age group outside Whitehorse. At 14, he moved to British Columbia to develop his skills at the Delta Hockey Academy. Cozens was selected by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the first round, 19th overall, of the 2016 WHL bantam draft, becoming the first Yukon-born player selected in the first round of the WHL draft. He posted 22 goals and 53 points in his rookie junior season and received the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy for the top first-year WHL player. He followed with 84 points in 68 games, then 85 points in 51 games before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the 2019–20 WHL season early. In his final WHL season, Cozens was a First Team All-Star and runner-up for the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy.
Reader's Guide
Dylan Cozens' significance lies in his pioneering role as the first player from the Yukon to achieve several milestones in hockey. He was the first Yukon-born player selected in the first round of both the WHL bantam draft and the NHL entry draft, and the first to represent Canada's national junior team. His path from a backyard rink in Whitehorse to the NHL highlights the challenges of developing in a region with a small player pool, including playing against older opponents and a serious injury that prompted a move to British Columbia. Cozens' junior career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes was marked by consistent scoring, culminating in 85 points in 51 games and recognition as a First Team All-Star. After being drafted seventh overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2019, he made his NHL debut in 2021, recording a point in his first game. He faced setbacks in his rookie season, including time in COVID-19 protocols and two upper-body injuries. The following season, after the departures of Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel, Cozens moved back to his natural centre position. In 2025, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline. His career represents a breakthrough for Yukon hockey and a testament to perseverance through geographic and physical challenges.
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