If you sit in the stands and watch a Hilton high school hockey game, you wouldn’t notice much different about Hilton junior forward Jake Coon.
He skates well, is aggressive on the fore-check, covers the point when a defenseman is moving up into the offensive zone, is on the first penalty killing unit and isn’t afraid to set up camp at the side of the net and fend off opposing defensemen.
Just like dozens of other players in Section V and high school hockey leagues across the state.
But Coon does it all with one eye.
“I was two years old and my dad noticed a little white spot in my eye,” Coon said. “He took me to the doctors and I was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma, which is cancer in the eye.
“The only way to get rid of it was to remove my eye, but they couldn’t find a doctor (locally) to do it and finally we found one in Philadelphia that would do the operation.”
But having one eye hasn’t deterred or kept him from pursuing the game of hockey that he loves.
“I have to keep my head on a swivel more, but I wouldn’t really know the difference in the first place. I’ve never had a concussion or anything.
“I grew up and was taught to play the game physical. Growing up (in the Monroe County Youth Hockey system) my coach has always been Scott Metcalfe, so he really put that into my head about the physical game.”
His name is on a banner hanging on the wall at Lakeshore Hockey Arena for the 2010-11 Blue Division Champions in Pee Wee Major AA team he was on that was coached by Metcalfe, among others.
“Jake and my son (Tanner) started playing hockey together and were on the ice together since they were three or four years old,” the Rochester Americans Hall of Famer and former first round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers Scott Metcalfe said.
“At a young age he was an unbelievable skater, so we focused on that he could fly like the wind and the fact that he loves the game and he plays so hard.
“You could see early on that sometimes, if he was in a certain area, that he didn’t see the ice very well. But later he adapted his game to his body’s ability.”
Coon was a team manager for Hilton in his freshman year, a third-line player as sophomore and now is seeing a regular shift on the second line as well as the penalty kill and second power-play unit as a junior.
And selected by his teammates as an assistant captain this season.
“He is a great student and a tremendous leader, and the fact he is one of our assistant captains this year wasn’t because of anything that happened as a kid,” Hilton head coach Chris Monfiletto said. “It’s because he is a true leader.”
“Every single thing we do in the summer he is participating and is the hardest working guy we have. This year was great to see because, even in our summer workouts, he was one of the more vocal guys getting guys going and the other players look up to him.
“It’s funny because, being high school kids, they spend more time busting each other’s chops rather than being positive, but the other guys truly respect him and listen when he speaks.”
As with every high school hockey player in New York State, Coon wears a full face shield to protect the entire head and facial region, critical for his situation.
On their website, the New York State Health Department recommends that, “If your child has functionally lost the use of one eye, make sure they wear appropriate protection (e.g., safety glasses) to protect their other eye during all sports and recreational activities.”
Obvious, but the risk doesn’t stop Coon from pursuing his love of the game.
He had two goals with two assists over 20 games in his sophomore season and already had three assists and one goal over the first 13 games this season.
He netted his first varsity goal December 13, 2013 – the game-winner in a 4-2 win over Spencerport. He registered his first assist two games later.
“He really lets his actions speak on the ice, the way he just goes each and every shift,” added Monfiletto. “There is no ‘down’ button on him. He plays the game the way the game should be played with everything he does.
“He’s 5’4” and maybe 130 lbs. and he plays like he’s 6’5”, 250 lbs. He is truly an impact player for us on our team.”
Evidence of that in a January game at Lakeshore against Webster-Schroder – an offensive zone faceoff with Coon at left wing. As his center is winning the faceoff back to the point, he screens the defenseman from pursuit of the puck-carrier, who has an open lane to the net where he puts his wrist shot behind the goaltender.
No official assist on his team’s goal since he didn’t touch the puck, but he was an integral part of the scoring play, just as it was drawn up by the coaching staff and gone over in practice many times over.
And Coon proves again that it doesn’t take 20/20 vision, or even two eyes, to have a positive impact on your team.
“I just like to play hockey.”
