Cooper Bratton National Telus Cup Champion with Regina Pat Canadians
June 9, 2025, 1:07 pm
Ashley Bochek
Cooper Bratton of Moosomin won the Telus Cup Championship with the Regina Pat Canadians in Chilliwack, BC this past April.
Bratton says winning the National Championship was a highlight of his hockey career.
He explains he grew up just outside of Moosomin on a farm with his parents and siblings. “I live on a farm 30 minutes west of Moosomin. I grew up in Moosomin and have played hockey and sports here since I was little.
“My dad, Mike, is a farmer and has helped coach me over the years. My mom, Sandra, teaches grade 2 at Mac-Leod Elementary. My brother, Mack, is in grade 8 and my sister, Harper, is in grade 6.”
Hockey career
Bratton explains the beginning of his hockey career as part of the Moosomin Rangers.
“I started playing hockey in Moosomin as a U7 Snowflake. I played hockey in town until Atom AA with the Badgers. Then, played Pee Wee AA with Melville for two years. I also played my first year of Bantam AA with Melville and then second year with Sask East—a combined AA team of Yorkton and Melville players.
“Last year, I was drafted by the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and signed with the AAA Regina Pat Canadians for the hockey season.”
Bratton says being drafted in the WHL was a highlight of his hockey career.
“It was pretty cool to be drafted in the dub, and a fun experience too. It was something I had dreamed of. You never really know where you are going to go in the draft and it is nerve-wracking, but it all worked out and I attended Prince George’s camp last August after being drafted.”
Bratton says his dad has been a role model for his hockey career.
“My dad got me into hockey and then I just kept playing because I enjoyed it so much. My dad played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) with Melville so I have grown up to love and enjoy hockey like him.”
Bratton was one of the defencemen on the Regina Pat Canadians this season.
“I am a defenceman and this year I was a shutdown d-man who just tried to play physical against other teams’ top players, so then when I had chances to score and play offence I tried to capitalize.”
He says he enjoys building friendships with his teammates. “I enjoy creating bonds with my teammates and getting to know everyone. There are a lot of good people in the game of hockey.
“Hockey means a lot. It is what I have grown up doing and what I want to do in the future so obviously it means a lot—I’m just trying to get better every day.”
Moving away for hockey
Bratton says this year was an adjustment with moving away from home and meeting new people.
“This year was definitely different moving away from home and going ‘home’ to a different family every night. Also, going to school with a whole new group of people and having to make new friends was a change.
“I lived in the south end of Regina with my second cousins—my dad’s first cousins. I have a great-aunt in Regina, and two sets of cousins. I lived with one of my dad’s first cousins and another one lived just down the road, so I was surrounded by family and that was nice.”
Bratton said he attended Martin Academy in Regina for the school year with his teammates. “I went to Martin Academy in Regina. There, school and hockey are pretty involved with each other, especially since everyone on our team goes to the same school. Our head coach is actually a teacher at our school as well.
“Every Tuesday and Thursday we would skate periods two and three before lunch and then every other Friday we would go on a field trip as team building, as part of the academy. We only had three main classes and then the other two are with the academy and to do with hockey.”
Long road to Nationals
Bratton says the Western and National championship tournaments came quickly after winning provincials in Regina. “It was a long grind with lots of games in a short amount of time. Winning provincials was pretty cool because that was our main goal that we were aiming for at the start. Then, when we won that, we went to Kenora, Ontario for Westerns. We knew we were all in and were pretty dominant there. Then, we went to Chilliwack, BC about a week after—we practiced for a week straight, then flew out and practiced the night we got there, then played seven days straight so that is a lot of hockey in not much time. It all flew by so fast.
Bratton says his family came to Telus in Chilliwack. “My dad was actually on a golf trip in Kenora when we were there for Westerns, and then my whole family came to Telus in Chilliwack.”
Winning National Championship
Bratton says winning Telus was unlike anything else he had ever experienced.
“It was pretty unreal winning Telus. The team that we lost to in round robin was the team we played in the final, and in round robin we lost pretty good like 5-2. We had a rough start, but then we played with them the rest of the game so we were pretty confident going into the final. It was 2-2 going into overtime and Shultz scored within the first 30 seconds of overtime—when he scored I don’t know what happened to be honest it was all so fast and we all jumped off the bench, threw our helmets, and it was just unreal.”
The Pat Canadians had a good regular season fueling them to win provincials.
“We had a good regular season year too,” Bratton said. “We played 44 games and we were about 36 wins and seven losses. We were pretty dominant at our league finals and when we went to Westerns, just looking at other teams’ records, we thought there wasn’t as good of competition and were confident in our game. Telus, obviously the best teams from all over Canada—we knew it was going to be tough.
“It was really cool being there and playing in Telus. We had to tighten up our game and stick to some systems not trying to do too much, just playing for our team.”
Bratton says he has added provincial and national titles to his hockey achievements. “I have won spring tournaments, but no provincial titles in bantam or atom, and now I have won provincial and national in midget which is really cool.”
Among two other Telus Cup Champions in Moosomin
Bratton is among two other National Telus Cup Champions from Moosomin.
“That is pretty cool to think obviously, and the other two guys who have won Telus in Moosomin I know them or know of them and it feels so cool to know, and now relate to winning Telus. Only two other people in this town shows how much of a grind it is. It is really cool to have won such a huge championship and being from small town Moosomin along with two other local hockey guys years before me is even cooler.”
Future plans
Bratton says he hopes to join the Prince George Cougars in the WHL for the 2025/2026 hockey season.
“Next year I am going to try and make the Prince George Cougars in the WHL because you can make the WHL as a 16-year-old and that is my goal. If not and I get sent back, I will be playing with the Pat Canadians again in Regina. I would be second year U18 next year if I went back to Regina.
“I am going to Prince George for camp at the end of August. My dad is planning to come out with me as well.”
Bratton has big goals for the coming hockey seasons.
“I hope to play in the WHL and then commit to a division one school in the states somewhere after, as my long-term goal,” he said. “I already have three years of university paid for from signing with Prince George, so that is pretty cool. I hope to just go as far as I can and as far as hockey will take me.”
Hockey lessons
Bratton explains the lessons hockey has taught him over the years of playing.
“It has shown me lots of life lessons such as teamwork and hard work. It creates friendships. I don’t think I would be anywhere I am today if it weren’t for hockey and the people I have met.”
Bratton says he will be training for the next few months in Regina and Melville.
“I am working out every day right now and then skating in Regina three to four times a week and then skating in Melville with Casey O’Brian in Edge-to-Edge a few times when I have time.”
Previous Telus Cup Champions from Moosomin:
• Kyle Bochek won Telus with the Notre Dame Hounds in 2018, and Dakota Boutin with the Prince Albert Mintos in 2014.
• Rykr Cole played in the Telus Cup Championship with the Moose Jaw Generals in 2014 when Moose Jaw hosted the tournament.
SM.jpg)
