Josh Doan scores twice in NHL debut with father in crowd

It was a dream NHL debut for Josh Doan on Tuesday at Mullett Arena.

The 22-year-old scored twice with his father, Shane Doan, in attendance as the Arizona Coyotes beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-2.

"That was something special," Josh told reporters after the game. "Right from the beginning, all the guys made it so unique and special."

Shane is the Coyotes' franchise leader in every major statistic. He accumulated 402 goals and 972 points in 1,540 games with the franchise over 21 seasons.

"It's crazy, people clapped for his first shift," Shane said on the Coyotes' broadcast before Josh found the back of the net. "It's just special, we're so fortunate."

Josh already has one up on his dad, as it took Shane 17 games to score his first NHL goal.

He got his first of the night late in the second period to put Arizona up 2-1.

JOSH DOAN'S FIRST CAREER NHL GOAL! pic.twitter.com/mnbNnUPIRv

- Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 27, 2024

"I almost missed it," Shane said postgame, according to ESPN. "It's so cool."

One wasn't enough for Josh, as he deflected in the eventual winner midway through the third.

JOSH DOAN HAS HIS SECOND NHL GOAL IN HIS FIRST NHL GAME! pic.twitter.com/mbLBPNyRiP

- NHL (@NHL) March 27, 2024

The young winger has 26 goals and 46 points in 62 games this season with the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners. He leads all rookies in goals.

Josh was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, and grew up playing for the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes. After two years with the USHL's Chicago Steel, he played at Arizona State for two seasons and then turned pro.

"As a kid, it wasn't something that was for a while in the works when I was undersized at 16," Doan said. "It's been a long journey."

The Coyotes drafted Josh 37th overall in 2021 after he went undrafted the prior year.

Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.