Over the summer, Jordan Kooy of the London Knights became part of the Vegas Golden Knights when the NHL team selected him in the seventh round of the NHL Entry Draft in June.
On Monday, the process went the other way as forward Paul Cotter, who was also selected by Vegas over the summer, became a London Knight.
Cotter is from Canton, Mich., and has great offensive instincts. He spent last year with the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League, and as an 18-year old, scored 18 goals and had 39 points in 51 games.
“Paul is an NHL-level talent who will be a strong addition to our lineup for the remainder of the season,” said London Knights general manager Mark Hunter. “We look forward to his arrival in London and the excitement he will bring to Budweiser Gardens.”
Cotter’s stock kept rising in the lead-up to the NHL draft in Dallas in June. He was taken in the fourth round by the Golden Knights, 115th overall.
Cotter attended development camp in Las Vegas in the summer and also went to Kamloops, B.C., with Team USA for the World Junior Showcase.
Steve Kournianos of the Draft Analyst wrote that Cotter is a “strong finisher around the net and develops quick chemistry with whomever his linemates are.”
“There was an expectation that he would be more of a two-way depth player during his transition to a superior league, but Cotter has developed into a scoring threat thanks to his deadly shot/release combo and very good straight-line speed,” Kournianos added. “You never have to worry about him failing to show up — he battles hard and competes from whistle to whistle, plus can create problems during the forecheck.”
Cotter also received high praise from Lincoln Stars head coach Cody Chupp, who told Hometown Life that Cotter is “one of those kids that you don’t have to encourage to get better or force to try and get better. He loved getting better. That meant being in the gym, during practice, video … whatever it was, he was hungry to learn and hungry to get better.”
Cotter joins a London Knights team that has gone 8-0-1 in its last nine games. London’s win over the Kitchener Rangers on Sunday was its sixth consecutive victory.
After starting the year on an NCAA schedule while playing with Western Michigan University, Cotter will get a real feel for what Major Junior hockey can bring as the Knights play three games in three days in three different cities.
The Knights will be home facing the Peterborough Petes on Friday, in Guelph on Saturday afternoon and then in Erie on Sunday afternoon. Both afternoon games will begin at 4 p.m., and all games can be heard on 980 CFPL, www,980cfpl.ca and on the Radioplayer Canada app.
Source: Read Full Article