Josh Kotai

Josh Kotai
Born (2003-03-13) March 13, 2003
Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Right
NHL team New York Islanders
Playing career 2026–present

Joshua Kotai (born March 13, 2003) is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college ice hockey at Augustana University.

Playing career

Junior

Kotai played the 2022–23 season with the Battlefords North Stars in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), where he posted a 32–4–3 record with a 2.39 goals against average (GAA) and .935 save percentage. During the postseason, he posted a 12–1–0 record with a 1.72 GAA and a .945 save percentage to help Battlefords win the championship.[1]

College

He began his college ice hockey career during the 2023–24 season. During his rookie year he appeared in 13 games and posted a 2–9–2 record, with a 3.32 GAA and an .904 save percentage. During the 2024–25 season, in his sophomore year, he appeared in 31 games, and posted a 17–10–3 record, with a 1.92 GAA and a .936 save percentage.[1] During October 2024, he posted a 3–2–0 record, with a 1.63 GAA, .950 save percentage and two shutouts. He posted the highest save percentage in the nation among netminders with four or more starts and his two shutouts ranked first in the nation during the month and was subsequently named the Hockey Commissioners' Association's Co-National Goaltender of the Month.[2][3] He was also named the CCHA Goaltender of the Month, becoming the first recipient in program history to earn a monthly award from the league.[4] In January 2025, he posted a 5–0–2 record, with a 1.39 GAA and .958 save percentage, and was named Hockey Commissioners' Association's Co-National Goaltender of the Month for the second time in his career.[5]

During the 2025–26 season, in his junior year, he appeared in 35 games, and posted a 20–11–4 record, with a 1.99 GAA and a .938 save percentage. He ranked second nationally in saves made (1,056) and save percentage, fifth in minutes played (2,111) and seventh in both GAA and wins. During conference pay, he appeared in 26 games and posted a 14–8–4 record, with a 1.87 GAA and a league-best .941 save percentage. He tied for the conference lead with four shutouts, and made a league-high 786 saves across 1576:04 minutes. He ranked third among all CCHA goaltenders in single-season save percentage, and fourth in GAA since the league was reconsituted in 2021–22. Following an outstanding season, he was named the CCHA Goaltender of the Year and CCHA Player of the Year.[6] He was also named a First-Team All-CCHA selection, and a top-three finalist for the Mike Richter Award.[7]

He finished his collegiate career with a 39–30–9 record, a 2.17 GAA, .931 save percentage and eight shutouts in 79 games.[8]

Professional

On March 24, 2026, Kotai signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the New York Islanders.[9]

Career statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2022–23 Battlefords North Stars SJHL 39 32 4 3 2,313 92 3 2.39 .935 13 12 1 802 23 3 1.72 .945
2023–24 Augustana University CCHA 13 2 9 2 723 40 0 3.32 .904 — — — — — — — —
2024–25 Augustana University CCHA 31 17 10 3 1,809 58 3 1.92 .936 — — — — — — — —
2025–26 Augustana University CCHA 35 20 11 4 2,112 70 5 1.99 .938 — — — — — — — —
NCAA totals 79 39 30 9 4,644 168 8 2.17 .931 — — — — — — — —

Awards and honours

Award Year
College
Second Team All-CCHA 2025 [10]
First Team All-CCHA 2026 [11]
CCHA Player of the Year 2026 [12]
CCHA Goaltender of the Year 2026 [13]
AHCA West Second Team All-American 2026 [14]

References

  1. ^ a b "Josh Kotai". goaugie.com. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  2. ^ Singer, Trent (November 1, 2024). "Augustana's Josh Kotai garners national goalie of the month award for October". siouxfallslive.com. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  3. ^ "Kotai Named Co-National Goaltender of the Month". CCHA.com. November 1, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  4. ^ Singer, Trent (October 30, 2024). "Augustana's Josh Kotai nabs award for CCHA Goaltender of the Month". siouxfallslive.com. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  5. ^ "Kotai Named HCA Co-National Goalie of the Month". goaugie.com. February 6, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  6. ^ "Kotai Named CCHA Player of the Year". goaugie.com. March 13, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  7. ^ "Augustine, Hrabal and Kotai Are Voted Finalists for 2026 Mike Richter Award". hockeycommissioners.com. March 20, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  8. ^ "Kotai Signs Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract with the New York Islanders". goaugie.com. March 24, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  9. ^ "Kotai Signs Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract". NHL.com. March 24, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  10. ^ "All-CCHA First Team Announced". CCHA.com. March 11, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  11. ^ "2025-26 All-CCHA Teams Revealed". CCHA. March 10, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  12. ^ "Josh Kotai is CCHA Player of the Year". CCHA. March 13, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  13. ^ "Murr, Kotai and Sardarian Honored by CCHA". CCHA. March 12, 2026. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  14. ^ "AHCA names 24 All-Americans". USCHO.com. April 10, 2026. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
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