Detroit Red Wings Goaltender Sebastian Cossa Turning Heads
The Detroit Red Wings goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa turned pro this season after several successful years in the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings. There was simply nothing left for him to accomplish. He was motivated and ready to make his pro debut, regardless of what level he was to go to.
Detroit Red Wings Cossa showing he is ready for the next step
Cossa began his pro career with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins on October 19, 2022, and he struggled. Struggled to the point he played in three games and had a 1-1 record, a 5.57 GAA, and a .783 save percentage. Cossa’s struggle came as expected because he was going straight from the WHL to the AHL, which is a big step in overall play.
He was then sent to the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL to finely tune his game and work on some things to return to the AHL stronger than ever. Mentally it was not what Cossa wanted, especially since the Detroit Red Wings drafted him in the first round (15th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft. He was determined to play the games necessary to get himself back to where he needed to be. He was, after all, only 20 years old and had time to develop.
Cossa took the assignment hard but knew he had to work harder. He struggled again in the early part of his ECHL career, and at this time was looking for answers. After all, this is not where most players drafted 15th overall to spend their pro debuts. The more he played the better he got and the more Cossa knew he had to play well to get to the next level.
That is where things took a turn. Alongside fellow Griffins goaltender John Lethemon, who was also sent down, Cossa and Lethemon turned their season and the season of the Walleye around. Shortly after they arrived and became the goaltending duo of the Walleye, Cossa and Lethemon took off.
The Walleye went on an 18-game winning streak in which the team won 11 straight road games, and Cossa was 10-0 with a GAA of 0.99 and a save percentage of .924. The 6-foot-6 and 209-pound goaltender of the future had found his game, and he was playing like a first-round pick.
Cossa has turned into a promising starting goaltender and has turned around his game in tremendous fashion. in the 2022-23 season with the Walleye, Cossa has a record of 24-14, a GAA of 2.44, a save percentage of .914 and four shutouts. In his last five games, Cossa has allowed only 12 goals and has a save percentage of .924.
Regardless of what happens the rest of this season, Cossa and the Detroit Red Wings should come to an agreement next season. With how well he has played, Cossa deserves to at least start in Grand Rapids. Cossa has supplied Toledo with some amazing goaltending and has shown promise in his game, along with the fixes Detroit wanted him to work on. Cosssa, if he keeps playing this way, could be in Detroit sooner than later. As a 15th-overall pick, Cossa needs to continue to develop and play as much as possible.