Josh Doan Excels At The Little Things For Utah Hockey Club
Oct 12, 2024, 1:27 PM
NEW YORK, New York – It’s an exciting new chapter of hockey in the NHL for Josh Doan as he made the first opening day roster of his career. With a few games now under his belt and after registering his first goal in a Utah Hockey Club sweater, it’s clear that Doan excels at doing the little things.
Josh Doan is good at the little things for Utah Hockey Club
During the preseason, Doan battled each and every shift to secure a spot on Utah’s opening day roster. He was relentless on the forecheck, aggressive in the dirty areas, fought for positioning in front of the net and was a consistent physical presence all over the ice.
Now two games into the regular season, Josh Doan has continued to help Utah by doing all those little things.
“Doan is another guy, his stick is unbelievable, he creates a lot of forecheck, lots of takeaways, disturbs the timing of the opponent on their rush or breakout. So, he played a good game,” head coach André Tourigny said following Utah’s win over the Islanders.
Like Tourigny mentioned, Doan had a really good game against the Islanders on Thursday. In addition to his usual areas of emphasis, Doan also scored the game tying goal in the final seconds of regulation to force OT and gave his team an opportunity to win the game.
In true Doan fashion, he sprinted up the ice, beat two defensemen for positioning, received the puck in front of the net, and went upstairs to beat the goaltender.
Full Story: Utah Hockey Club Ties Game On Late Josh Doan Goal
JOSH DOAN OMG!!! pic.twitter.com/ItyACNIyKI
— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) October 11, 2024
Josh Doan on his late game-tying goal: “One of those where I saw a chance coming up the ice to get up there and beat a guy to the net. Kerf made a nice play and then it’s a quick bang, bang. Try to get it to your backhand and get it upstairs quickly…”#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/2C9eSUJ0CS
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 11, 2024
Clayton Keller has seen a lot of growth in Josh Doan
For his efforts, Doan has not only captured the attention of the fans but the coaching staff and his teammates as well. After Doan’s game tying goal against the Islanders, Keller said he’s seen a ton of growth from the young forward every game and that he doesn’t get enough credit for the little things he does each night.
Clayton Keller on Josh Doan: “He does the little things that sometimes don’t get a lot of credit…he’s growing and he’s gotten better every single game.”#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/qnppBUYXqB
— Cole Bagley (@BagleyKSLsports) October 12, 2024
“He’s a great player. He does the little things that sometime don’t get a lot of credit. But he’s got one of the best sticks that I’ve seen. He’s always stripping guys, knocking pucks down. He’s good on the forecheck and he’s got a lot of skill. He’s growing and he’s gotten better every single game since preseason. It’s great to see him get that one and have some more confidence for sure,” Clayton Keller said.
While Doan may not be as flashy as Dylan Guenther or Logan Cooley, he’s a remarkably talented player and a critical part of this team’s future. You need those kinds of skaters on your team to be successful. The players who aren’t afraid to battle, go into the dirty areas, and do all the small things that don’t always capture as much attention but go a long way in finding ways to win hockey games.
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Utah Hockey Schedule
The Utah Hockey Club will now take on the New York Rangers on Saturday night. The game can be viewed on SEG+. Fans can also tune in on air on the KSL Sports APP or on 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule.
