ASU Hockey: Former Sun Devil Josh Doan scores twice in NHL debut

A more perfect script could not have been written Tuesday night in Mullett Arena as former Arizona State forward Josh Doan scored twice in his NHL debut with the Arizona Coyotes in the arena where he so comfortably blossomed.

Son of Coyotes’ all-time leading goal scorer, Shane Doan, Josh was destined for hockey in the desert. His playing days for the Jr. Coyotes of the Coyotes Hockey Association prepped him for an inevitable calling from them years later when the Coyotes selected Doan with the 37th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. But before the Doan nameplate was stitched onto the back of another Coyotes sweater, the standout from Scottsdale introduced NCAA Division I hockey to the Tempe campus.

Captain Josh Doan was an important factor in brining hockey culture to the Tempe campus during his two-year stretch. Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images

The opening chapter of his collegiate career could not have been off to a better start, with his first multi-point night coming in his debut. He finished with five points in the first series of the 2021-22 season against U-Mass Lowell. Doan would ride that momentum throughout his freshman year as he averaged over a point per game in 35 games. Doan finished the year as a Tim Tooker Rookie of the Year Finalist after setting the record for most points in a single season by a freshman with 38.

His 12-goal and 25-assist freshman season not only cemented his legacy as a Sun Devil but also caught the attention of the Coyotes, who couldn’t help but notice as Doan became a legitimate star and prospect worth noting.

Elected captain his sophomore year, Doan was destined to lead the team in historic ways, and in the first-ever game played in Mullett Arena on October 14, 2022, Doan did just that.

With just under a minute left to play in the first period, Doan tapped in his own rebound to begin the very first rendition of ‘Mullett Magic’ in ASU’s 2-0 victory over Colgate. There was little doubt it was going to be Doan; it felt like it was always meant to be.

The Coyotes prospect ripped through his sophomore season, finishing with 39 points and leading the team in goals with 16, perhaps none more memorable than the first. Doan ended his ASU career on a nine-game point streak, recording a total of 16 points in the final stretch in maroon and gold.

Doan completed his sophomore season in March 2023 and signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Coyotes, not to begin until the 2023-24 season. For the remainder of the 2022-23 season, Doan was sent down to Tucson to play for the Coyotes’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Roadrunners.

Doan began the 2023-24 season with the Roadrunners, putting up impressive numbers with 26 goals and 46 points in 62 games skated. On March 25, 2024, Doan got the call-up to a familiar locker room.

After skating his solo lap to loud applause during warm-ups, the winger settled into the game inside friendly confines.

In the second period, the moment the arena was hoping for happened. Doan nestled down in the crease and swatted a puck out of midair to net his first career NHL goal, tying the game with 3:17 remaining in the first.

Certainly a night to remember; it was a a priceless reaction from the Doan family.

Then, later in the third period and with the game tied at two apiece, Doan tipped in a shot for the game-winning goal as the Coyotes went on a roll in a 6-2 blowout. His tipped goal gave him his first multi-point game in his debut.

Doan is now the first skater in Coyotes franchise history to score two goals in his debut.

Josh and Shane Doan became the second father-son duo in NHL history to record a point in their NHL debut with the same franchise.

“That was something special,” said Josh Doan. “Right from the beginning, all the guys made it so special and just made sure that I was calm.”

Doan’s night was an emotional crescendo, a historic culmination of hard work and pedigree in a hockey night in the desert for the history books.