Paul Cotter
Paul Cotter | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 16, 1999 United States |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey forward |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Known for | Playing for the New Jersey Devils in the NHL; Stanley Cup champion with Vegas Golden Knights |
Paul Cotter (born November 16, 1999) is a professional ice hockey forward from the United States, currently playing for the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was initially drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018 and was part of their Stanley Cup championship team.
Playing career
Cotter was chosen 115th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2018 NHL Entry Draft after tallying 18 goals and 39 points over 51 games with the Lincoln Stars in the United States Hockey League (USHL).
He started the 2018–19 season competing for Western Michigan University but departed after eight games to join the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, with the objective of earning an entry-level contract with Vegas. During his brief collegiate stint, he registered one assist.
Cotter made his NHL debut on November 9, 2021, facing off against the Seattle Kraken, and netted his first NHL goal two days later against goaltender Cam Talbot of the Minnesota Wild. In his rookie season, he appeared in 55 regular-season contests for Vegas, scoring 13 goals. Although he did not participate in any playoff matches, Cotter qualified to have his name inscribed on the Stanley Cup by playing more than half of Vegas' regular-season games during their title-winning campaign.
On June 29, 2024, Cotter was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2016–17 | Brookings Blizzard | NAHL | 59 | 28 | 32 | 60 | 103 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Lincoln Stars | USHL | 51 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 64 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 2018–19 | Western Michigan University | NCHC | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | London Knights | OHL | 48 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 25 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 56 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 38 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | Henderson Silver Knights | AHL | 59 | 20 | 15 | 35 | 62 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 55 | 13 | 5 | 18 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Vegas Golden Knights | NHL | 76 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 79 | 16 | 6 | 22 | 62 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 217 | 38 | 29 | 67 | 124 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NAHL | ||
| Central Forward of the Year | 2017 | |
| Central MVP | 2017 | |
| All-Central Division Rookie Team | 2017 | |
| All-Central Division Team | 2017 | |
| All-Rookie First Team | 2017 | |
| First All-Star Team | 2017 | |
| Rookie of the Year | 2017 | |
| USHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2018 | |
| Stanley Cup champion | 2023 | |