Click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter
(Image Credit: Niagara University Hockey/Instagram)
Jacob Cossette

Former Ice Wolve, Trojan named ACHA All-Rookie

Apr 22, 2026 | 5:15 PM

A native of Air Ronge, Sask., has had quite the successful first season of post-secondary hockey.

Former La Ronge Ice Wolves forward and current member of the Niagara University Purple Eagles, Jacob Cossette, has been named to the ACHA (American Collegiate Hockey Association) M1 All-Independent Rookie Team.

“The recognition means a lot, I think it just shows that if you work hard throughout your hockey career, then you can get wherever you want. It was nice to come to a place where I knew I was going to play, and my coach has shown a lot of trust in me,” Cossette told northeastNOW.

“I was pretty proud of myself and the way I adjusted to this league. I don’t know if people expected me to produce as much as I did, but I’m definitely happy with what I did here. I’m also known a little for my hits and physical play, so I’d say I made a bit of a name for myself in the league, and someone to watch out for.”

In his rookie season, the 21-year-old played 28 games, tallying 10 goals and eight assists (18 points), to go along with 28 penalty minutes.

The former Tisdale Trojan, Prince Albert Minto, North East Wolfpack player didn’t just have individual success either, as his Purple Eagles had their best season in franchise history, winning their first-ever game at Nationals.

“I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into with this league, and even this team. I’d say other teams didn’t expect us to be as good as we were. It was definitely an exciting year, and we’re all pretty happy with the way it went. Just with the building that we did, we’re all kind of looking at it as a stepping stone for next season,” Cossette added.

For the 2004-born forward, this year was definitely a stepping stone, as he will soon be stepping up into a new role.

Niagara will soon be announcing Cossette as the club’s new captain for his sophomore season.

“I’m hoping to step up into a leadership role. Obviously, the coach kind of saw something in me, and I’m hoping to kind of take charge here. I personally think we got a great freshman group coming in, and I think we’re even a better team than this year, so we’ve got high expectations for next year, and obviously, the end goal is a national championship,” he concluded.

“It definitely means a lot. I’ve never been a captain before. I’ve pretty much been an assistant captain on every team I’ve played for, so I’ve definitely had that leadership quality in me, and others have seen it as well, but it’s kind of nice to get that recognition after only one year. They kind of see something in me, and I think I can lead this team somewhere, so it’s definitely a nice feeling that way. It is rare for a sophomore to kind of go into that role so soon, but it’s something that’s a challenge I look forward to, and hopefully, guys can respond to that, and we can do something special.”

Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On X @BenTompkins_8