Jason Cotton (born February 7, 1995) is an American former professional ice hockey center who played in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Chicago Wolves.

Jason Cotton
Born (1995-02-07) February 7, 1995 (age 29)
Parker, Texas, USA
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Center
Shot Right
Played for Chicago Wolves
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2021–2021

Early life

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Cotton was born on February 7, 1995, in Parker, Texas[1] to parents Peggy and Steve.[2] He grew up the middle of three siblings and played hockey with his younger brother David.[3]

Playing career

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Amateur

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Cotton finished the 2011–12 season with 39 points in 40 games for the Thunderbirds U16 team and planned on joining the Tri-City Storm the following season. On July 12, 2012, Cotton announced his commitment to play NCAA Division I college ice hockey with the Northeastern Huskies men's ice hockey team.[4] After playing one season with the Storm, recording six points in 45 games,[1] his playing rights were acquired by the West Kelowna Warriors in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).[5] He made his BCHL debut on September 20 where he scored two goals in a 5–3 win over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.[6] As a result of his play with the Warriors, Cotton was ranked 162nd overall amongst North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau prior to the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[7] After going undrafted, he returned to the Warriors for the 2014-15 season, recording 27 goals in 58 games.[1]

Collegiate

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Cotton spent his freshman season playing with the Northeastern Huskies men's ice hockey before withdrawing from the school after playing in eight games.[8] He chose to forgo the remainder of his freshman year and played with the Youngstown Phantoms for the season.[9] He returned to college for his sophomore year but was forced to redshirting for the 2016–17 season before joining the Sacred Heart Pioneers men's ice hockey team.[2]

In his senior season, Cotton amassed a career-high 20 goals and 17 assists for 37 points and tied for fourth in point scoring in the conference. During the year, he also recorded three power play goals, three shorthanded goals, three game-winning goals and a hat-trick.[10] As a result of his play, Cotton was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award[10] and selected for the Second Team All-American.[11]

Professional

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On March 24, 2020, Cotton concluded his collegiate career and was signed by the Carolina Hurricanes to an entry-level contract alongside his brother. His one-year, two-way contract was worth $700,000 at the NHL level and $50,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level.[12] When the AHL resumed play in 2021, Cotton and David were reassigned to the Chicago Wolves[13] and eventually became the second set of brothers to play in the same game for the Wolves.[14]

After just 1 game with the Wolves in the 2020–21 season, Cotton was re-assigned by the Hurricanes to the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL. He registered 4 goals and 6 points through 17 games before opting to conclude his professional hockey career, and mutually terminating his contract with the Hurricanes on April 7, 2021.[15]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Tri-City Storm USHL 45 1 5 6 8
2013–14 West Kelowna Warriors BCHL 50 23 36 59 14 3 0 1 1 0
2014–15 West Kelowna Warriors BCHL 58 27 31 58 28 5 1 1 2 0
2015–16 Northeastern University HE 8 0 0 0 2
2015–16 Youngstown Phantoms USHL 28 6 5 11 4
2017–18 Sacred Heart University AHA 39 12 9 21 8
2018–19 Sacred Heart University AHA 37 9 14 23 6
2019–20 Sacred Heart University AHA 34 20 17 37 14
2020–21 Chicago Wolves AHL 1 0 0 0 0
2020–21 Fort Wayne Komets ECHL 17 4 2 6 2
NCAA totals 118 41 40 81 30

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2012 United States IH18 7th 4 0 0 0 0
Junior totals 4 0 0 0 0

Awards and honors

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Award Year
USHL
USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2013
College
AHA First All-Star Team 2020 [10]
AHA Player of the Year 2020 [10]
East Second All-American Team 2020 [11]
New England D1 All-Stars 2020
New England Hines Award 2020
Hobey Baker Finalist 2020 [10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Jason Cotton". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Jason Cotton". shubigred.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  3. ^ Rule, Heather (April 22, 2020). "From Texas to Carolina, The Cotton Brothers Are Back Together Again". usahockey.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  4. ^ McMahon, Mike (July 12, 2012). "Northeastern receives commitment from Jason Cotton". themackreport.com. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  5. ^ "WARRIORS PICK UP COTTON". westkelownawarriors.com. September 19, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  6. ^ "COTTON SPARKLES IN DEBUT VS. SALMON ARM". westkelownawarriors.com. September 20, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  7. ^ "Parker's own Jason Cotton is Ranked #162". parkertexas.us. 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  8. ^ "Northeastern freshman Cotton withdraws from school, leaves team". uscho.com. July 11, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  9. ^ "Phantoms Add Forward Jason Cotton". oursportscentral.com. January 12, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Cotton Named to Hobey Baker Top Ten Finalist List". shubigred.com. March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Cotton and Lee Named CCM/AHCA Hockey Division 1 All-Americans". shubigred.com. April 12, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  12. ^ "Canes Agree to Terms with David and Jason Cotton". nhl.com. National Hockey League. March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  13. ^ "Canes Assign Five Players to Taxi Squad". nhl.com. National Hockey League. January 12, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  14. ^ "GAMEDAY: ALL IN THE FAMILY". chicagowolves.com. February 16, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  15. ^ "Forwards Cotton, Rau placed on waivers". The Sports Network. April 7, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
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