To prove how good Corey Locke is as a hockey player, take his height and weight and find a lot of other great hockey players of his stature stuck in the AA CHL or ECHL. Locke skates circles around the big guys, and lights the lamp on a consistent basis in every level he has played in, from juniors on up to the AHL.
Corey was the Ontario Hockey League’s top scorer for each of the past two seasons, registering 151 points in 2002-03 (63 goals, 88 assists) and 118 points in 2003-04 (51 goals, 67 assists).
He was named the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year in 2003, as well as the OHL Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004, and was selected to the Canadian and the OHL First All-Star Teams in 2003 and 2004.
Selected by Montreal in the 4th round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Locke began his pro career with the Hamilton Bulldogs this season.
The 5’9" center has shown that his playmaking ability has not vanished with the stiffer competition. He ranks second on his squad and sixth among AHL rookies with 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 49 games.
Corey’s offensive upside continues to grow and his experience in the minors this year should help him to compete for a spot on the Canadiens’ roster in 2005-06. While his size numbers may still raise a red flag or two, we think that the numbers he puts up on the boards night after night should silcnce critics sufficiently to give him a real shot at the NHL.
