Get to Know Paul Cotter - Part One

Paul Cotter was born on Nov. 16, 1999, in Canton, Michigan. He was drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2021 and is in the midst of his first full season in the NHL.
That much you can Google.

What you might not see in search engine results are the personality, energetic cellys, pranks and skill that make the young forward a memorable face and name in the Vegas community.

So, what exactly makes No. 43 tick? How did he get to where he is now and what are his plans for the future?

Cotter opened up to give fans a glimpse into his life on and off the ice.
CA: What was it like growing up in Canton, can you describe it for people who don't know?
PC: It's a nice city, small, we have a ginormous high school with 7,000 people. I don't think you'll see that anywhere else. Big hockey spot, everybody's playing hockey. It made it easy hockey-wise, all my buddies are hockey players. Big hot spot. I go back there every summer and love it.
CA: Did you always want to be an NHL player? How did you get into hockey?
PC: Yes. I don't think I tried any other sport besides hockey. I was coming home from church one day, and my neighbor was in the driveway playing street hockey. I was like "I'll give that a shot." So I started playing hockey, couple years later I fell in love with it. I think I was 16 or 17, I went over to his place when he was back in town and I was like "hey, I hope you know the reason why I started playing hockey is because of you." And he's like, "Dude that was the only time I was ever out there." So hey, perfect timing. That's how it started.
CA: Were you always a forward?
PC: I was. I was always the fast guy running around.
CA: Yeah, you are pretty speedy especially during warmups when team trainer Raul Dorantes brings out the water bottle.
PC: Oh yeah, good routine we got going.

CA: What do you remember about being drafted, what are those emotions like?
PC: I call them "black out" situations. That first goal, anytime a shootout happens, it's kind of like the weirdest feeling ever. I don't even really remember it, I have to watch videos to remember it. That draft day was unbelievable. I wish I could go back and redo it because I don't remember it too much, I was nervous. As soon as I heard my name, I think I went into autopilot but that was awesome.
CA: I know you said you "blacked out"… but, specific memories from the draft?
PC: I think my parents were more excited than I was.
CA: They're big supporters of you
PC: Huge, yeah, huge! They're the only reason I'm here. My agent was there, had my family there, I remember I got up and hugged my mom, dad, brother, sister and was like "uhh okay, let's do this!"
CA: And hope you don't fall on stage?
PC: Yeah, "don't fall, don't fall, don't fall, don't fall!"
CA: How was the transition going from the Chicago Wolves to the Henderson Silver Knights?
PC: It was weird. I think it was a change for the better obviously. It sounds normal now, but before it was a thing, moving out to Vegas to play hockey is like… "what?" So it was pretty cool. Chicago is a good city, but just to be part of that first inaugural season was pretty sweet. They've done such a good job with this organization, Henderson is awesome, treated us like NHL players. So it was awesome.
CA: Can you describe what it's like playing in Vegas and how important the Golden Knights are to the city, especially since people believed hockey couldn't work in the desert?
PC: It's insane. I was probably one of them, I didn't think it was probably a good thing. But it's so awesome. I never really knew the family life here and the cities of Summerlin and Henderson. You just think of The Strip. It's so cool, the license plates, coats, hoodies, hats, lanyards, everything is Golden Knights everywhere. It's the coolest thing in the world. A lot of us get recognized and stuff throughout places and fans saying hello. Even the Fan Fest, that was insane. It was awesome. The support that we have makes it pretty easy for us, but yeah it's pretty cool that the fans do that for us.
CA: How did it feel scoring your first NHL goal against Minnesota? Did your phone blow up after? Where did you put the puck?
PC: My phone went nuts. First goal, second game, everyone reached out. Whether it was high school people or old coaches. My mom added [the puck] to the collection of goal leagues that I've had. Thirty of them.
CA: You have some of the most energetic cellys - what's your go to?
PC: I never thought I really cellied. I had an interview two years ago and they're like "why don't you celly?" I was like "I don't know, I just kind of score." But I guess I go kind of crazy now. I don't really know where that came from.
CA: I think it's the screaming. You really like to swear and yell.
PC: Yeah I need to stop the swearing. I don't know what that's about. Against the Red Wings, I think that was the craziest one. I almost separated my shoulder punching the air. I was pumped. There was this lady [in the crowd] I was just starting at and screaming. I'm pretty sure she was freaked out. I was coming in hot.
CA: Advice for anyone trying to break into the league?
PC: Don't take my spot. Nah, I'm kidding. You go through hard times, you go through ups and downs. You'll have a good game, you'll have a bad game. You'll play a lot one game, you'll not play a lot one game. There's things outside of the rink to build up to, you just sometimes have to step back and realize you're playing in the NHL. You're playing hockey. You're doing your dream. There could be a lot more things wrong with you than getting paid to play hockey and not playing as much as you want to. So, [your] time will come. Just keep grinding and try to see the bigger picture. I kind of get stuck in it sometimes too.
Stay tuned for Part Two!