By Gary Moskalyk
Jack Cook added playoff MVP to his growing list of 2022-23 awards. He was defenceman-of-the-year in the SIJHL, and he won the Bill Salonen Cup as a member of the Kam River Fighting Walleye.
Cook tallied seven goals in his first three playoff games against the Wisconsin Lumberjacks after nearly a month off, en route to 11 goals and 19 points in 12 playoff games to pace the Walleye in goals and point production.
Possessing a great shot and a tireless work ethic head coach Geoff Walker considers Cook to be the “best player in the league.”
Cook led the Walleye in regular season goals with 21, and notched 50 points in 43 games with 43 penalty minutes.
A graduate of the Thunder Bay Kings, the 5-10, 180-lb Thunder Bay native blossomed this year after serving little notice of his offensive upside during his tenure with the Kings, or the Navan Grads (near Ottawa, ON) of the CCHL, where he had two goals and six assists in 40 games in 2021-22.
The recently turned 19-year-old will play in Portage la Prairie in the 2023 Centennial Cup with a chance to open some eyes. The Walleye will be joined by the host Portage Terriers and the eight other league Junior A champions from across Canada in the 11-day tournament with plenty of scouts in attendance.