Corkish takes a chance on Wheat Kings

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This article was published 24/06/2023 (1015 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Owen Corkish’s Canadian roots are showing.

The young forward from Cottage Grove, Minn., who turned 16 on June 4, started to skate before he was even a year old.

“I was an early walker and he decided to bring me on the ice because he loved the game,” Corkish said. “He wanted to share that with me.”

Corkish’s family includes father Jeff, mother Laura and a pair of younger siblings, sister Addison and brother Mason.

Jeff is a product of Wawota, Sask., who played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and spent four seasons of Division III college hockey in the early 1990s at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.

With a backyard rink, Owen became a good skater quickly and was playing organized hockey by age four. While he ended up as a fleet forward, it nearly turned out differently.

“I almost became a goalie actually,” Corkish said. “I loved goalie. I played lots of mini sticks and played lots of goalie in that so I almost became a goalie but at the last second I became a forward.”

While we’ll never know how good a goalie he might have been, playing up front proved to be a good choice. He spent last season at Park High in Cottage Grove, Minn., putting up 16 goals and 33 assists in 26 games to finish second in team scoring. He also played 14 games with the Minnesota Blades 15U AAA team, scoring five goals and adding eight assists.

He also golfs, and used to play baseball and soccer but has set them aside to focus on hockey.

American players overwhelmingly look at the college route first, with major junior often a distant second option.

“I love the game and just went day by day,” Corkish said. “I didn’t really think about where I was going to go. I just let it happen where it happens.”

That willingness to explore his options ultimately resulted in him attending prospects camp with the Brandon Wheat Kings in late May.

Brandon director of player personnel Chris Moulton said the team listed Corkish in mid-May, a couple of weeks prior to prospects camp.

“We’ve been watching him, and talked about drafting him last year in the American draft,” Moulton said. “We didn’t, but Kori (Pearson), our scout in the U.S., has a good rapport with the family. We said ‘Would you be willing to come to prospects camp if we listed you?’ The family was right on board so we scooped a very good player out of Minnesota.

“Hopefully he keeps going and maybe he’ll be a Wheat King.”

Corkish said it was a neat experience to be listed.

“It was really cool,” Corkish said. “It was a good opportunity to showcase my skills here in Canada. It’s been really fun.”

And if Brandon was looking to make a first impression of its own as an organization, they succeeded.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Corkish said. “The staff is super welcoming. The first day I came in, everybody had a smile on their face. The facility here (J&G Homes Arena) is so nice. It’s just an awesome experience playing in Canada.”

The five-foot-eight, 145-pound forward admitted it was a little daunting before the camp started on May 26. He said the fact that everything was new made him a little anxious.

“I didn’t know anyone coming in here, I didn’t know the coaching staff,” Corkish said after an intrasquad game on May 27. “Sure, I got the nerves, wondering what it was going to be like. These past couple of days have been such a welcoming experience. It calmed my nerves a lot.”

He said he also fits on the ice, which helped.

His game is built around making quick decisions with the puck.

“I think speed and playmaking,” Corkish said of his strengths. “And working hard.”

Moulton agreed.

“He’s a great skater with a high level of skill,” Moulton said. “He brings everything with pace. He’s tenacious on the puck, he’s an offensive threat every time he has the puck.”

Corkish is trying to improve his hockey IQ by watching film and making sure he understands the game.

“At the higher levels, everybody has skill, but does everybody have a high hockey IQ?” Corkish asked. “That can make or break some players.”

Corkish remains a little uncertain about where his hockey path will lead next. It could be in an American college or maybe it will be in the Western Hockey League with Brandon.

“It would be pretty cool,” Corkish said of being a Wheat king one day. “That would be awesome. I’m trying to keep my options open right now. We’ll see where life takes me.”

» Profiles of Brandon’s most recent draft picks and listed players will continue in upcoming editions of The Brandon Sun.

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