Exclusive: Red Wings' Sebastian Cossa Talks Near Perfect Start, Relationship With John Gibson

Key Highlights

• He acknowledged the outside buzz surrounding the team’s success but emphasized their commitment to staying grounded."The noise is going to be there with the start we've had, but I think we're still taking day by day, not letting it get to our heads, and still coming to work every day with a great work mentality and taking the next game with what it is face value," Cossa explained "Basically, I think every team's coming into our building when they play us, knowing that they're playing the best team in the league right now, so we're getting everyone's A game and I think every night someone on our team has stepped up and helped us get these wins here and there."AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCossa also spent part of the offseason working extensively with Griffins goalie coach Roope Koistinen, who has guided him throughout his three AHL seasons. They focused on refining Cossa’s approach, helping him rely more on his natural reactions while maximizing the advantages of his six-foot-six frame, particularly in controlling slides and handling lateral movement. During that same offseason, Detroit made waves by acquiring goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks in a Draft Day trade, giving the Red Wings their strongest goalie tandem in years.
• Cossa had the chance to work with Gibson during training camp and said the two quickly formed a strong connection, praising Gibson’s mentorship. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I got to spend some time with him, trying to pick his brain as much as possible, he's an awesome guy, very reciprocal with me, very respectful, and just trying to help me out as much as he could, so he did a great job at that, someone who I feel confident that I can go talk to and chat with and stuff like that," Cossa said. Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.
• Cossa also expressed admiration for Gibson’s recent performances, especially his ability to rebound after a challenging start in Detroit.
• When asked about early-season rumors of a possible NHL call-up during Detroit’s shaky stretch in goal, Cossa made it clear that while his ultimate goal is the NHL, his priority is to excel consistently at the AHL level first."Yeah, I mean, it's tough obviously you do hear it, at the end of the day, you do want to be there, so that's what you're striving for but I know that I need to dominate at this level for a sustained period of time and once that happens, hopefully get my shot, but just trying to take it day by day, do what I ke.