September 18th, 2020
North Saanich, British Columbia
It was the end of a grueling Panthers Identification Camp in April of 2019 and Owen Cox was sitting in with Bench Boss Brad Tippett and GM Pete Zubersky for his exit interview. Cox had a great camp but Management felt that he was still a year away. The rugged forward still had another year of Minor Hockey left and had a good situation to go to a Club that was coached by his father Mike Cox. Owen had wide eyes and was excited as he walked into the interview but only a couple minutes later, the huge disappointment was evident.
Cox returned this time around carrying ten more pounds of muscle and with a much improved game. Skating on a line with Sterling Lyon and Ethan Ewer, the trio looks like they should be able to put some pucks behind opposition goaltenders but as importantly, look like they will be a huge physical force every shift.
Cox was cornered at the rink and offered up some comments on how he is feeling this time around. “ I used to watch my brother play for the Panthers wearing #25 growing up and I always imagined myself out there. Brad, Pete, Skerratt (Panthers Assistant Coach) and Chester (Panthers Goaltending Coach) were always great to me and had me up to practice and even play some games with the boys. Now I’m the one following in the footsteps and will be wearing #25 to represent the Cox brothers. I now get to play with all the boys I grew up playing with and against such as Sdrakas, Strom, Ewer, and Gilbertson, it feels surreal."
Cox continued, "I finally get to reunite with my old line mate Lyon and we can showcase our dominance out there, especially with Ewer accompanying us with his physicality. I really think we can all complement each other out there this year. In practice I’m already starting to sense some great chemistry between us which just gets me more and more fired up for the year. I always used to watch the Lingard, Wort, Braun, line go out there showcasing pure talent and now I get to experience it first hand. Their chemistry, speed, and hands are awesome to watch, however, in the room they are amazing leaders and I’m looking forward to getting to know each of them better. A lot of the boys on the team are the guys I grew up playing with in Saanich Minor Hockey such as, Horricks, Seale, Grambart, Banks, Jensen, St. Denis, Crawford, Gilmour, and Lyon which helped a lot with the transition on the team, yet talking with the boys such as Speirs, Maloney, and Thomson-Fiddes makes it feel like we’ve always been a team together.
I’m looking forward to a great season and getting to play with a great group of guys and awesome coaching staff. And now after a couple years, I can finally say I am proud to be a Panther.”
Tippett on Cox:
"Owen came very close to cracking the lineup last season. It looks like the year of midget really helped his puck skills and poise making decisions in the ice. He has already shown us much more offensive flair than expected. We have him with Sterling Lyon who is an old line mate from midget two seasons ago. Ethan Ewer makes up the third member of the John Deere line - (green practice jerseys). This line can play any style you want - They come ready with a scalpel and a spade - pick your poison."
Zubersky on Cox:
"Owen is a hard-nosed player who wears his heart on his sleeve. When he did not make the squad a year ago, it was a real kick in the gut for him and I felt bad for him as he left the interview. The other night at practice I told him that he looked awesome. So much more speed and confidence and he is bigger and stronger. I told him that the best thing that happened to his development was to go back into Minor Hockey last year and be a key guy and I told him it will show this year in Junior. Owen is a respectful person and of course he gave me a big smile and a huge thank you. He is going to be a real fan favourite out here with his style of play. He will bring the spice each night, I know that."
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