Brown Bears' Cook mixes Canada and United States in Alaska

Brown Bears’ Cook mixes Canada and United States in Alaska

With its extreme northern location and vast wilderness, Alaska has been said to be a mix of Canada and the United States.

No wonder 17-year-old Brown Bears forward Cam Cook likes it so much here.

Cam, the son of Joyann and Christopher Cook, was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and lived there for about 12 years before his family moved to Rochester, New York.

Cook, who is 6-foot-0, 190 pounds, played 19 games for the Bears last year, amassing a goal and finishing minus-20.

This season, he is leading the Bears in scoring with three goals and seven assists in 11 games. His minus-3 is tied for the team lead.

“I love where I live,” said Cook, the billet son of Art and Lori Karvonen. “I love playing in front of the Brown Bears fans and like being a part of the community.”

As might be expected from someone who grew up in Canada, Cook has deep roots in hockey.

“I started skating when I was 2,” he said. “They eat, sleep and breathe hockey in Nova Scotia.”

When he heard the family was relocating to Rochester, he was shocked at first, wondering what that would mean for his hockey career.

But he found a home in the Buffalo Jr. Sabres program, just an hour from Rochester, and used that as a platform to make the jump to the Junior A Central Canada Hockey League last season.

The Bears had tried to recruit Cook before he went to the CCHL, so when Cook became unhappy with the hockey situation there, Kenai River was quick to pounce.

“I just think he embraced the community and he embraced the opportunity,” Kenai River head coach Geoff Beauparlant said. “That’s all we can ever give any player is an opportunity.

“It’s all in their mindset and approach as to how they take advantage of it, and he lives and breathes it. That’s part of the Canadian influence.”

That doesn’t mean the Alaska transition was seamless when Cook arrived in January.

“Nobody told me about the daylight change,” Cook said. “At 10:30 in the morning, I went outside and it was pitch black.”

On the ice, Cook scored in his second game for the Brown Bears, then didn’t dent the scoresheet the rest of the season.

However, the experience was invaluable because he learned what it took to compete in the North American Hockey League.

He spent his third summer training at Next Level Strength and Conditioning in Rochester, working out from 8 to 10 a.m., then skating from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

He then would play a two-hour game at night with the junior, college and pro players who call Rochester home.

Beauparlant said Cook also benefited from the advice of Cook’s brother Colin, who played at Royal Military College of Canada.

“Our biggest concern with Cam was his footspeed and whether he was going to improve it, and obviously he has,” Beauparlant said. “He works hard, shoots like a pro and he’s not afraid to get in the tough areas.

“As a Canadian kid, he has a Canadian style game.”

Cook had just one point in his first five games this season, but has nine points in his last six games.

“I’m out of my slump,” Cook said. “I’m not playing and worrying about what the coaches think. I’m just playing hard and playing happy.”

Beauparlant said Cook needs to make quicker decisions, develop more variety in the placement of his shots and keep getting gritty goals around the net.

Cook isn’t as concerned about individual improvement as he is about team improvement.

“I just want to do whatever it takes to help the team win,” he said. “The more team success you have, the more all the players will have individual success.”

Though only 17, Beauparlant said Cook is already a great fit for the Bears.

“He epitomizes this community in that he’s a hard-working kid who doesn’t take anything for granted,” Beauparlant said. “He loves being a Brown Bear and he’s all about what our community is about — he really has a blue collar mentality.”

More in Sports

Heather Rinke, RaChelle Gruenberg, Sara Bundy and Becky Hart won best costume for “Golden Girls” at the Ski for Women on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, at Tsalteshi Trails just outside of Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Poor snow cover cancels Ski for Women

There’s still hope for Tour of Tsalteshi

Kenai Central's Logan Mese scores the game-winner in overtime against Soldotna goalie Brycen Clyde on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai’s Mese named MVP of Northern Lights Conference for 3rd straight year

Kenai Central senior Logan Mese was named the Most Valuable Player of… Continue reading

Soldotna's Hope Hillyer drives against Nikiski's Blakeley Jorgensen on Tuesday, February 5, 2025, at Nikiski Middle-High School in Nikiski, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna girls basketball topples Nikiski

The visiting Soldotna girls basketball team defeated Nikiski 50-42 on Tuesday in… Continue reading

Daniel Matveev celebrates his goal at the Division II state hockey tournament Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Division II state hockey returns to sports complex Thursday through Saturday

Editor’s note: A previous web version of this story had the wrong… Continue reading

Soldotna's Tania Boonstra leads Soldotna's Ariana Cannava and the rest of the pack at the girls varsity race of the Turkey Skate on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, at Tsalteshi Trails just outside of Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Boonstra, Cannava, Laker qualify for Junior Nationals skiing

Soldotna junior Tania Boonstra, Soldotna senior Ariana Cannava and Kenai Central junior… Continue reading

Ninilchik's Kade McCorison puts up a shot against Nanwalek on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, at Ninilchik School in Ninilchik, Alaska. (Photo provided by Robin Moore)
Saturday hoops: Kade McCorison breaks Ninilchik’s record for points in a game

Editor’s note: This story clarifies an earlier web story. Kade McCorison set… Continue reading

Ryan DeAngelis of the Minnesota Wilderness and Dario Lass of the Kenai River Brown Bears battle for the puck Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Saturday: Wilderness snap skid by topping Bears in OT

The Minnesota Wilderness defeated the Kenai River Brown Bears 3-2 in overtime… Continue reading

tease
Saturday: Kenai, SoHi hockey wrap up regular seasons with wins, will play at state

The Kenai Central and Soldotna hockey teams finished up their regular seasons… Continue reading

tease
Friday hoops: Kenai, Seward girls, boys win at Seahawk Classic

The Kenai and Seward girls and boys basketball teams all won Friday… Continue reading

Most Read