Four years after Shane Doan hung up his skates, the Arizona Coyotes added his oldest son to the organization.
The Coyotes took Josh Doan with the 37th pick in the NHL draft Saturday, bringing in a player homegrown in the Valley to the franchise his father was the face of for two decades.
Shane Doan played 20 seasons in Arizona before retiring in 2017. His No. 19 hangs in the rafters as one of the few numbers retired by the Coyotes.
The moment Shane Doan found out his son @JTDoaner19 was drafted. ? pic.twitter.com/pco4Va6EoJ
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) July 24, 2021
Now working in the Coyotes front office as chief hockey development officer, Shane Doan had recused himself from any scouting meetings when Josh was brought up. It was Friday night when he saw the draft list whittling down to the point he knew it was possible Josh would be their pick.
"Today was a day he's worked a long time and hard for," Shane Doan said. "It's surreal that it happened to be the Coyotes. He deserves every single bit of everything he's getting today and so proud of him."
Josh Doan had 31 goals and 39 assists for 70 points in 53 games with the Chicago Steel of the USHL last season. The Scottsdale native was ranked 87th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
"Just kind of being around the rink my whole life as a kid, it just makes it that much sweeter and cooler," Josh Doan said.
In another notable pick, the New York Islanders might have gotten a steal by taking 6-foot-2 Finnish center Aatu Raty with the No. 52 pick. Raty was ranked third among skaters playing in Europe but slipped past the middle of the second round.