Picking his path
Falmouth native Cole Burbidge commits to Saint John Sea Dogs
Cole Burbidge had a difficult decision to make.
Would he stay in the United States and take the NCAA route or come back to Canada and play major junior hockey?
The 16-year-old son of Alana and Jeff Burbidge recently committed to the Saint John Sea Dogs for the 2022-23 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season. The Falmouth native is playing this season at Mount Saint Charles Academy, a private Roman Catholic high school in Woonsocket, R.I.
“At the start (of the season), I was definitely worried about the NCAA side of it,” Burbidge said. “Now, I think, that I have my mind made up, I can just sit back and play hockey going into playoffs and nationals.”
The most stressful time was leading up to signing with the Sea Dogs, knowing it would close the path south of the border.
“Now that I have my mind made up, I think it is definitely the right (choice),” he said. “I think it's going to be a really good opportunity for me.”
The Sea Dogs drafted Burbidge in the second round (29th overall) of the 2021 draft. But it wasn't a given he would choose the major junior route.
Players can attend a major junior camp for 48 hours before losing their eligibility to play NCAA Division 1 hockey.
And while more Canadians are exploring the NCAA route, most don't have the knowledge south of the border that Burbidge does. His older sister, Maggy, played at Selects Academy in Rochester, N.Y., before committing to the Robert Morris University Colonials in Moon Township, Penn. Burbidge remembers going with his parents to watch his sister play and attended some of her campus visits prior to her committing.
“It definitely put the image in my mind that I might want to do that after seeing all of the schools,” he said.
Maggy is now playing at
St. F.X. after Robert Morris decided to eliminate its men's and women's hockey programs after the 2020-21 campaign.
Burbidge was left weighing his options in the summer before Saint John's camp.
“I was thinking of going there this year (to try and)
make the team, but I didn't want to ruin my eligibility for the NCAA,” he explained. “So, I thought I'd take this year to develop and then make my decision from there instead of rushing into the Q and then losing that eligibility.”
During the U.S. Thanksgiving in November, Burbidge came back to Canada and stopped in Saint John, N.B., to watch a game with Sea Dogs general manager Trevor Georgie.
“That's kind of when I made my mind that I think this is going to be the option I was going to pick,” Burbidge said.
The decision was formally announced in late January. Burbidge said he is glad he took his time before deciding on where to play his junior hockey.
ROAD TO SAINT JOHN
Burbidge has played for five different teams during the past five years. After playing his minor hockey in West Hants, he played under-13 hockey in the Acadia system.
The forward played his first season of under-15 hockey at Newbridge Academy in Lower Sackville in 2018-19. The academy closed after his only year there so Burbidge came back to play for the Valley Wildcats. After putting up 80 points, including 32 goals, in 32 games with Valley in 201920, Burbidge left the province. He played the 2020-21 season with the Charlottetown-based Mount Academy Saints.
Olivier Filion was the director of athletics and under-16 hockey coach at Newbridge Academy when Burbidge was playing for the under-15 team. That knowledge made Burbidge an attractive player for Filion, who is now the director of male hockey at the Mount Academy.
“When I was building my 2005 team… I knew a guy like Cole could come here and be a big impact forward,” he said.
Filion said Burbidge is a smart hockey player who surpassed his expectations for the youngster during his lone season in Charlottetown.
“Cole wanted to get the opportunity to play in front of colleges and see if NCAA was for him, but I'm not surprised that he's coming back next year to play for the Saint John Sea Dogs because he is a Q player,” Filion said. “He's going to be able to fit in right away on that roster.”
Burbidge said he has enjoyed living in different communities and meeting new people while playing a sport he loves.
“The experience of living in different places is awesome.”
FAMILIAR FACE
Burbidge wasn't the only Saints player who went south of the border to play this season. Charlottetown's Nathan Mossey is a defenceman with the Mounties and Burbidge's roommate.
“It was definitely an easy transition with him (there).”
Burbidge said there was a bit of an adjustment for him early in the season, but he was soon back to doing what he does best.
“(He's) a very dynamic, skilled forward that can add a lot of offence for this group,” head coach Devin Rask said. “He's now quarterbacking our powerplay and doing a great job there and he's just been instrumental to our offence.”
While Burbidge has a good shot, he described himself as a pass-first player adept at distributing the puck.
“I think I have pretty good vision on the ice, and I can see where players are going to end up being,” he said.
Rask said Burbidge is an unselfish player, but he's not about to suggest he shoot the puck more even though he does find himself in some Grade-A scoring spots.
“He sees the ice very well so he can make those plays that create some tap-in goals.”
NEXT SEASON
Burbidge will be joining a Sea Dogs team coming off hosting the Memorial Cup. Teams in that spot traditionally are beginning a rebuilding stage in their cycle as top-end players graduate from junior hockey.
Burbidge said he thinks he will be able to have a larger role on the team next season. And the Sea Dogs are excited to have him wear their jersey
for the next steps of his hockey journey.
“Cole has a unique package of size, skill, and vision,” Georgie said. “We are excited to have him be an important part of our future here and excited for his family to be able to watch him develop close to home.”