Welcome to another WHL Best of the 2010s feature where we profile the best WHL players from the 2009-10 season all the way to the 2019-20 season. Players are judged based on what they did in each division. This means if a player spent time in multiple divisions, their placement will be judged based on what they did separately while in each division. Don’t forget to vote on our Twitter page, @WHLonA51 to help determine which player will be crowned the best WHL player of the 2010s. We hope you enjoy.
Few had a better junior career than Kelowna Rockets goaltender Jordon Cooke. Not only did he win Goaltender of the Year in the WHL, but he was also named Goaltender of the Year in the CHL. Not bad for the former 79th overall pick in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft.
Cooke was brought along slowly like most goaltenders in junior. During his first season, he played 19 games while capturing a 7-6 record. While his goals-against average (GAA) was 3.03, he registered a .913% save percentage (SV%) during the 2010-11 season.
In 2011-12, the Rockets started giving Cooke more responsibility playing him in 25 games. He responded with a 9-7-5 record, lowering his GAA to 2.79 and increasing his SV% to .916%. Starting goalie Adam Brown was set to age out, and his strong season was proof he was ready to take over the starter’s job.
In his third season and first, as a starter, Cooke thrived, registering a 37-14-3 record and helping Kelowna not just claim a BC Division title, but put together a 108-point season. He finished with a 2.53 GAA and a .908% SV%. His 37 wins were tied for the most in the WHL, and he was named to the WHL West Second All-Star Team. During the playoffs, he dressed for 11 games and ended with a 4-2-4 record, a 3.07 GAA and a .899% SV%.
2013-14 was not just Cooke’s best season, but his last in the WHL. Suiting up for 51 games, he finished with a record of 39-7-4 and recorded an SV% of .922%, along with a GAA of 2.28. His regular season was so good, that he was named WHL and CHL Goaltender of the Year. During the playoffs, he led Kelowna to the Western Conference Final before falling to Portland. During the run, he recorded a 9-4-1 record with a 3.18 GAA and an SV% of .912.
Although he played fewer than 150 games in the WHL during the regular season, he made his time count. Few players have shown better progression than him at the junior level which is why he makes the Best of the 2010s list.