Josh Doan continues to grow and develop his game as he hits the ice for the Arizona Coyotes for the first time at training camp.
One of the most notable names at the Arizona Coyotes training camp this year is forward Josh Doan.
Despite not even playing a single NHL game to this point, the expectations for Doan are already skyhigh as his father Shane Doan served as captain of the Coyotes from 2003 to 2017 and is arguably the best player to ever play for the franchise.
The pressure seems to not be a problem for Josh. During the Rookie Faceoff this past weekend in Las Vegas, Josh put on a clinic through the Coyotes three games leading the team with three goals, three assists and seven points.
It was Josh’s simple mindset which helped spark an incredible offensive display.
“I think the biggest thing is always focusing on not getting too worried about points and allowing ourselves to play hockey and have fun out there,” Josh said. “As much of a cliche as that is, it's simple to just get focused on points. When you start doing that then points obviously don't start falling for you. So if you just focus on the little things around the game, backcheck, hunting pucks and forcing turnovers, allows you to have the puck and create offense and then it takes care of itself.”
This is Josh’s first training camp with Arizona. He was drafted by the Coyotes with the 37th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft but has played the past two seasons in the NCAA with the Arizona State Sun Devils.
The 21-year-old is looking to carry on his great play from the Rookie Faceoff into training camp and the preseason coming up.
“It's been awesome so far,” Josh said of his time at training camp. “You got to take a look at some of the stuff that you've been working on and focus that into this week and allow yourself to be the best player you can be.”
It's not just Josh’s play on the ice that is impressive but his calm, composed demeanor on top of his ability to lead at this young age is extremely impressive. Josh was the captain of the Sun Devils this past season and also wore the”C” on his chest during the Rookie Faceoff which speaks volumes about his character.
The maturity that Josh shows at a young age is something that not many other young players possess. Whether or not Josh plays for the Coyotes this season, he continues to show signs that he will be an effective NHL’er in the future.
“The goal is always to show your best outing and give it all that you got and hopefully make an impact as much as you can, make it a tough decision, regardless of what they decide to do with you,” Josh said. “So I think my goal now is just to continue to work hard and prove that I can be trusted in all aspects of my game.”