Paul Cotter scored a shorthanded goal in his first period as a Vancouver Canucks player during the season opener against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place.
The Story
Paul Cotter played his first game for the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night in Edmonton against the Oilers at Rogers Place.
During the first period, Cotter scored while Vancouver was shorthanded, breaking out of the defensive zone and turning it into a shot that found the upper part of the net.
The goal was the Canucks’ first of the season and gave Vancouver a temporary 1-0 lead.
Cotter’s shorthanded goal was the first of its kind in a Vancouver debut, as no previous Canucks player had scored a shorthanded goal in his first game with the team.
It was also the seventh shorthanded goal by the Canucks in a season opener, and the first since 2008.
Cotter is a 6-foot-2 left-shot centre from Michigan who played collegiately at Western Michigan.
The Vegas Golden Knights selected Cotter with the No. 115 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
He made his NHL debut in 2021-22 with Vegas, spent three seasons with the Golden Knights, and then played the last two seasons with the New Jersey Devils.
In 2022-23 with Vegas, Cotter had 13 goals and five assists (18 points), followed by seven goals and 18 assists (25 points) to cap his time with the team.
With New Jersey, Cotter had 16 goals and six assists in his first season and finished last season with nine goals and six assists.
Across 296 NHL games, Cotter has 47 goals and 35 assists for 82 points, and he has recorded 855 hits.
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