'Swiss Army Knife' Cook is the latest standout in Northstar Academy-to-Austin Bruins pipeline

May 23—BLAINE — If Dylan Cook had 100 chances to do it over, he'd follow the same path 100 times.

After two outstanding seasons for the Princeton High School hockey team, Cook chose to finish his prep career at Northstar Christian Academy in Alexandria.

His performance on the ice at Northstar helped him get signed to a tender to play for the Austin Bruins. But, Cook says, his time away from the ice at Northstar is what helped him truly make an impact with the Bruins.

"On the ice, growing as a player there was one thing," the 6-foot, 185-pound left-shot power winger said of his time at Northstar, "but off the ice, I grew so much as a person. I learned a little bit about myself and grew up in the two years I was there. That was a really big factor in why I could come to Austin and help the guys right away."

Cook is the latest in a growing line of Northstar players to grow their game and find success with the Bruins. He has found his niche on Austin's top line and has been one of the team's best forwards throughout their postseason run, which culminates at 7 p.m. today with the Bruins playing for the North American Hockey League Robertson Cup championship against the Oklahoma Warriors.

As Bruins head coach Steve Howard says, Cook is the "grit" and the "sandpaper" on the team's top line. He excels at winning puck battles and finding ways to get the puck to his linemates, Walter Zacher and Gavin Morrissey, who excel at putting the puck in the net. Cook has nine points — all assists, five of which have come on the power play — in 10 playoff games, and he has 49 points in 69 games in his first season of junior hockey.

He'll play in his 70th game of the season tonight, when the Bruins (42-17-11) take on the Warriors (52-14-2), as both teams attempt to win their first NAHL championship.

Cook believes he wouldn't be a big part of the Bruins' playoff push had it not been for his time at Northstar, where he recorded 134 points over two seasons, after scoring 42 goals and recording 116 points in two seasons for Princeton High School.

"The coaching staff and the group of guys (at Northstar) were amazing," he said. "We had practice twice a day, every day, for nine months. That helped me build up my endurance. And having coaches who all had NHL or pro hockey experience, you need that. That's a big reason why — Northstar, I'll give all the credit to them — a big reason why I can be successful."

Howard compares Cook's game to that of Bruins' second-line center Austin Salani, who is committed to play college hockey at Dartmouth. Like many of the Bruins' forwards, Salani is a versatile, 200-foot player who can play whatever role is asked of him. Cook has the size and skill to do the same thing.

"(Cook) brings a little bit of everything," Howard said. "That's what I really like about Dylan. Like Salani, he's a bit of a Swiss Army Knife, but he's also a guy who goes to the dirty areas and can make plays. That's why he's so crucial for us, especially on the power play.

"He's been a joy to have, a joy to coach, such a good kid. He plays the right way and we knew he would, coming from (Northstar). We've been keeping an eye on him for a long time."

Cook is the latest in what is becoming a growing list of Northstar players to excel in Austin. That list includes Jens Richards, who had 55 points for the Bruins over the past two seasons and is now at the University of Vermont; and forward Anthony Menghini, a Minnesota Duluth commit who had 37 points this season for USHL Western Conference champion Fargo Force.

That Northstar-to-Austin pipeline could continue next season;

the Bruins signed another talented two-way center, Landon Dauner

, to a tender, back in November. Dauner had 20 goals and 42 points in 51 games at Northstar this season. He's a Fargo, N.D., native who played one year of high school hockey with current Bruins goalie Trent Wiemken.

Howard credited former Northstar coach John Olver — who is now a head coach with the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes AAA program — as well as current coaches Rylan Galiardi (a former Minnesota State, Mankato captain who played four years of pro hockey); Tim Jackman (another former MSU player who played 492 games in the NHL); and Mark Abalan (coached at Shattuck St. Mary's before coaching nine years in the USHL).

"John ... he gets the guys to play hard," Howard said. "And now Rylan and the coaches up there, it's just a great coaching staff.

"Just like colleges want to get guys from our program, we want to get guys from programs that coach that way. We like to go after those guys who we know are well-coached and will play the right way. That translates well to our level."