By Caleb Jones
The name Doan is synonymous with hockey excellence in the Valley.
Shane Doan retired after an all-star career with the Arizona Coyotes, for whom he now works in the front office. His son, Josh, looks to continue that legacy by captaining the Sun Devils hockey team before moving on to the Yotes, who drafted him 37th overall in 2021.
Shane is Josh’s biggest inspiration.
“He’s been a huge figure for me on and off the ice,” Josh says. “Most importantly, he keeps me grounded and in the loop of what I need to do to maintain focus on the ice and off the ice. Any time I have a question I go to him and he’s ready to answer.”
Josh and Shane dropped the ceremonial first puck during the Coyotes’ home opener at Mullett Arena on October 28. With the impact of his father’s legacy felt in the Coyotes organization, Josh will look to carve his own story.
Hockey presents a unique opportunity for athletes, as it is one of the only sports where they can be drafted and still play for a college team. For Josh, it is exciting to be affiliated with his father’s team.
“That part is really cool. There are not a lot of people who get the opportunity — especially to be drafted by the team that your dad played for,” he says.
Josh Doan has made history by scoring the first goal at Mullett Arena. (ASU Athletics/Submitted)
While Josh is looking forward to playing for the Coyotes, he’s not overlooking his current experience as a Sun Devil.
“You can’t look into the future because you’re going to miss the time you are having right now,” he says. “If I were to look past this, then I would miss all the memories of being in a Division I sport and playing at Arizona State University, which people would die to do. It’s probably the best time I’ve had so far in my life. It is something that, a couple years down the road, I’ll cherish.”
It’s a new day for Josh and the Sun Devils, as they recently moved into Mullett Arena. Ironically, the Sun Devils share the state-of-the-art 5,000-seat venue with the Coyotes, who agreed to play there until 2025, with an option to stay until 2026.
In his short time there, Josh has made history by scoring the first goal in the arena on October 14 in a 2-0 win against Colgate.
“It was cool,” Josh says. “There were a lot of guys who played in this organization for years before me who never got an opportunity to do so. So, just to be put in the position where I got the chance to do that was obviously special. It’s definitely exciting, but there are a lot of guys who came before who could have deserved that goal as well.”
The Sun Devils may be off to a slow start to the season — 4-4-0 as of October 28 — but Josh says the Sun Devils can turn it around. The season runs through mid-March.
“This team is a team that’s going to mesh,” he says. “We are a younger team that has a lot of guys from all over the world coming together.”
Nevertheless, the buildup to the Coyotes has been great.
“It’s been awesome,” he says. “Making it to the NHL has been my dream.” CT
