From undrafted to top scorer, Regina's Landon Kosior enjoying personal success in final WHL season

Prince Albert Raiders defenceman and Regina product, Landon Kosior, leads his team in scoring in his final season of junior hockey.

Kosior worked hard to prove himself as one of the top defenceman in the league after he went undrafted in the 2017 Western Hockey League (WHL) draft.

“It was definitely a sad day for sure. I remember looking on my phone when I was at school and just checking like every 20 minutes just hoping to see my name. But I had my family, they supported me and kind of picked me up [when I didn’t get drafted],” Kosior said.

It is not uncommon for players to be undrafted and go on to play a full career in the WHL, but it does add another challenge early on to find their footing.

“One of our old billets in Regina, Connor Gay, he was undrafted and played for the Pats. He sent me a nice text which really helped,” Kosior added about what he remembers from that day in 2017.

In 2018-19 Kosior played his final year of U18 “AAA” with the Tisdale Trojans. Despite the team losing in the semi-final that season, they would still get a chance at the national championship (Telus Cup), as they played host to Western Regionals. The Trojans won regionals that year and sent themselves to Telus where they ultimately finished third in the country. Amid that season, Kosior was listed with the Prince Albert Raiders.

“I got the call one day saying they had picked me up and listed me. Couldn’t have been happier. It’s nice that it panned out,” Kosior said.

“He was one of the key players for them [Tisdale] on that team. When you’ve got that pedigree, usually good things happen. There were a lot of good assets there, when they brought him in, it didn’t take long for us to see that,” Prince Albert Raiders head coach Jeff Truitt said.

“We get an awful lot [of undrafted players] and it doesn’t matter if you don’t get drafted. I mean to get drafted is obviously a very big privilege but that’s not the end of the journey. If you don’t get drafted, that still doesn’t mean that you’re not going to be a good player,” Truitt added, when asked about Kosior and other undrafted players he’s coached.

“When you get that opportunity take advantage of it. I know Landon’s been talked about quite a bit, within the pro ranks. It’s just a matter of finding the right fit just like anybody else,” Truitt said.

In 2019 the Prince Albert Raiders won the WHL championship. The following season, Kosior had the chance to join the organization when he would finally head to his first WHL training camp.

“Just coming into camp I knew that I had to earn my spot because I wasn’t drafted and maybe there were some guys my age there that were. I had to just work hard and prove that I deserved to be on the team. A little extra motivation to work hard if anything,” he said.

Despite junior hockey teams having a tendency to be in a “re-build” following a championship season, the Raiders continued to dominate. Kosior ended the 64-game season, which was cut short by the onset of the pandemic, with five goals and 18 assists for 23 points on the year.

“In his first year here in Prince Albert, he was surrounded by a few really good defenceman, Kaiden Guhle, Nolan Allen, he kind of learned from those guys how to practice, how to prepare, his skills were right there and it’s evolved,” Truitt explained.

“I think people kind of didn’t have high expectations but we actually had a really good team and were kind of proving people wrong. We were having a really good year, we finished first in our division, and then obviously COVID happened,” Kosior said.

Unfortunately a big chunk of Kosior’s junior hockey career was impacted by the pandemic, however he has still played over 200 games in his career.

“It’s weird, it’s flown by so quick. My first year all of the 20-year-olds were saying, ‘It flies by so fast’ and you don’t really believe them as a young guy. Now you’re here and it really does fly by fast,” Kosior said.

In his final season, Kosior has seen some standout success, especially for a defenceman. He currently leads his team 56 points in just 54 games. His teammate, former Regina Pats forward Sloan Stanick, sits behind him in second with 55 points in 61 games. Kosior’s efforts earned him WHL Player of the Week at the beginning of February when he recorded eight points in four games.

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“He shows a great confidence in his skating and in his puck work. One thing for him is that his leadership has really blossomed year over year. He’s done everything for us on a young team, he’s a plus defenceman and one of our top scorers,” Truitt said.

“I’ve had some defenceman over the years that I compare guys to. I compare him a little bit to Josh Gorges who I had in Kelowna,” Truitt said. “He was never drafted in the Western Hockey League or NHL. Josh carved out a pretty good NHL career, he was a two-way defenceman and a hard competitor. I see a lot of the same similarities with Landon,” Truitt added.

“We have a good group and really hard workers here, I think that’s the biggest thing, just our teammates have been really good and helping me out,” Kosior said on his success so far.

However, the Raiders as a team have struggled this year, as they sit at the bottom of the east division with a 26-33-3-0 record. The tough season proves that Kosior’s current +/- of 7 is impressive, as he is one of the top defenders used to try and stop the best in the league. That includes the works of Connor Bedard, whose Regina Pats happen to be in the same division as the Raiders.

“I’ve seen all of those highlights, it’s hard not to see them. He’s a really good player and you’re just kind of hoping you don’t get put on a highlight reel like that and just shut him down. He’s good so he’s a tough guy to shut down,” Kosior laughed.

The Raiders have six games remaining in the WHL regular season, despite their lower spot in the standings there still could be a chance they clinch a spot in the postseason. If not, Kosior’s final game of his junior hockey career will be played in his home city of Regina, as the Raiders are set to take on the Pats on Saturday, March 25.

“We’re definitely hoping to make playoffs obviously. But if it doesn’t work out, to get to play my last game in the city I grew up watching hockey as a kid would be amazing. I’ll have lots of family and stuff there. I think that would be a really special game,” Kosior said.

Kosior also did not hesitate to give advice to up and coming junior hockey players.

“Just work hard. You’re going to get all of the resources you need to play in junior. Everyone’s so good to you. So pretty much it just comes down to how bad you want it. You just have to work hard and then be a good person off the ice,” he stated.