First-year Vancouver forward Paul Cotter said he is motivated by criticism after being named one of the NHL’s Stars of the Week following a hot start to the 2026-27 season.
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Vancouver Canucks forward Paul Cotter says he is paying attention to doubts about the team as he begins his first season with the club.
Cotter has posted four goals and two assists through the first four games of the 2026-27 NHL campaign, and he has been named one of the NHL’s Stars of the Week.
In comments reported via Canucks Army, Cotter said he tries to stay off social media but still notices what people are saying about the Canucks. “At the end of the day, it’s about the guys in this room as well as the coaching staff, the organization as a whole. I tend to stay off social media as much as I can, but I’d be dumb if I didn’t hear or see some things about, whatever, just people talking about how terrible we were going to be,” he said. “I think every [post] that I saw, I saved just to have some receipts. I mean, that’s the type of stuff that motivates you along the way, you know, if you’re the biggest underdog in the league.”
Cotter added that the team has expectations and that any lack of confidence is something Vancouver will have to address on the ice. “We had high expectations coming into this,” he said. “I’m happy with how we’ve started; obviously there’s a lot of things to clean up with where we want to be. But yeah, if no one has confidence in us, then it’s on us to prove them wrong.”
The 2026-27 season is Cotter’s first with Vancouver after several stops in North American hockey. He was selected 115th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2018 NHL Draft following 39 points in 51 USHL games.
Cotter left Western Michigan University in 2018 to join the OHL’s London Knights. He made his NHL debut with Vegas in November 2021 and scored 13 goals in 55 games during the 2022-23 season.
He also earned a spot on the Stanley Cup as the Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers for the franchise’s first title. Vegas later traded Cotter to the New Jersey Devils in June 2024 for Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid.
Cotter signed a one-year, $2.15 million contract with Vancouver in July 2026.
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