Carolina Hurricanes: The David Cotton Saga
Drafted almost half a decade ago – way back in 2015, it’s been a long wait for David Cotton. But will the Carolina Hurricanes’ patience ultimately pay off for the team?
When teams elect to draft a player bound for the US College Hockey ranks to develop their game, there’s always a chance that the wait for that player’s arrival into the organization will be a long one. David Cotton, the Hurricanes’ 6th round pick from way back in 2015, is a fitting example.
In the Hurricanes hockey world, 2015 seems like almost a millennium ago. For the sake of you marvelous Cardiac Cane readers, I went back and checked out the Canes roster from the 2014-15 season, the season that ended right before the Canes drafted Cotton. From that team, only ONE player (Jordan Staal) remains. Think about that for a second.
Despite the roster seeing an absolute overhaul (seriously – none of the prospects recalled that year even remain!) since then, David Cotton has yet to progress to the pro level. Of course, he’s had some choice in that fact – but he’s developed his game dramatically at a storied Boston College program, and seems poised to take the next step.
Luckily, we know when that next step will be. Cotton is now in his senior season at Boston College, and won’t be able to return there for another year. That means he’ll be turning pro after their season finishes up. So the questions that remain are: what will that next step for Cotton be (NHL/AHL?), and most importantly – with whom?
Before I get into the hypotheticals, sit back and enjoy a detailed look into the journey and history of David Cotton, who’s undoubtedly become one of the Canes’ most talented and mysterious prospects.
*The 2015 Draft*
As I mentioned on the previous page, Cotton was drafted in the 6th round of the 2015 draft by Carolina, 169th overall (nice). A native of Parker, Texas, Cotton was playing at a US Prep school hockey program when he was picked. He dominated at that program, but the level of competition likely worried scouts of his potential upside, causing him to slide in the draft.
For what it’s worth, he was ranked #62 by NA Central Scouting, and #74 by hockeyprospects.com, so he had some real pedigree in his draft year. A scouting profile of him on eliteprospects said the following of Cotton at the time:
“Possesses a prolific skill set; he can snap the puck to the back of the net, make a seemingly tricky pass look easy, or hold onto the puck and establish a firm forecheck until the right opportunity shows itself. All-in-all, a player who has the ability to dominate offensively and defensively due to his size, speed, individual skills, and intelligence with and without the puck” – eliteprospects on Cotton in 2014-15.
Obviously, the Canes were prepared to wait for Cotton, who’d already committed to Boston College back in early 2014 – over a year before being drafted. Cotton spent his draft+1 year with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL, where he posted 15 goals and 15 assists in 48 games with a team-worst -12 rating.
After that season got him acclimated to the test of solid competition, Cotton began his journey at Boston College, where he’s since gone on to become a top prospect.
His College Career
For the average casual prospect observer, you’ll immediately notice a trend in Cotton’s stats when you look at how his career has played out at Boston College. Each year he’s managed to improve upon the previous one, showing a steady rate of growth offensively to add to his already solid defensive game.
As a rookie there in 2016-17, he stepped into a prominent role immediately. He posted 10 goals and 14 assists in 40 games, playing on a team that included a 2015 1st Round pick by Ottawa (Colin White) and also Matt Gaudreau, who’s the brother of a guy you may have heard of – Johnny Gaudreau.
Cotton took another step forward in 2017-18. With aforementioned teammates Colin White and Matt Gaudreau moving on from the program, Cotton was elevated into a bigger role, and he blossomed. Though he scored just 9 goals, he added 19 assists for a total of 28 points in 37 games, which was good for second place on the team.
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After a positive showing at the Carolina Hurricanes’ prospect development camp that got fans (myself included) buzzing and interested in Cotton’s potential future, there were high hopes surrounding Cotton’s junior season at Boston College – with many hockey people speculating that he could turn pro after the year, especially with another step forward in development.
Cotton didn’t just step. He leaped.
Last year, he scored 23 goals and 13 assists in 39 games, with his 0.59 goals per game ranking 4th in NCAA Division 1 hockey. Cotton was an absolute force to be reckoned with, and he started to play with a real swagger to his game. He knew he was on fire.
“Once I got off to a hot start, I was riding a confidence high. And that confidence kind of took wind and just kind of kept going.” – David Cotton on his junior season.
For his spectacular showing in the season, Cotton was named to the All-Hockey East First Team, alongside now-NHL defenseman Cale Makar. From there, many expected Cotton to turn pro with the Hurricanes, as on the surface it looked like Cotton had little left to prove at the collegiate level and was ready to move on.
Cotton, though, had other ideas. He decided to return to Boston College for his senior season.
“By no means was my decision about Carolina. My decision was solely based on my wanting to establish a legacy here at Boston College. Earlier I was elected captain and that’s a pretty select group, so that was the main reason” Cotton said about his decision.
Cotton being named the captain of the team and wanting to lead that team to the promised land after 3 tough seasons there swayed his decision to return. You have to respect the determination and commitment of the kid – he’s got real character to him, and has been warmly embraced by Boston College’s coach Jerry York, who raved about him:
“I think he’s been on a major trajectory with his skill and hockey ability over the last couple of years. He had a chance to turn pro but he decided to come back and try to lead us back to where want to be. He looks stronger and more assertive. He’s our captain and I think he will be a major factor for us this season with his leadership ability. There’s a lot of upside for his long-term development.” – Boston College coach Jerry York on Cotton.
That quote was from before their season got underway and was obviously a glowing review, and it’s been one that Cotton has lived up to. He’s got 22 points (8 goals) in just 15 games thus far, leading his team in scoring and currently ranks tied for 5th in the entire NCAA in terms of points. He’s also led his team to an 11-4-0 record thus far, which is the best start they’ve had in any of Cotton’s 4 years with the program.
He became a member of the 50-goal club at Boston College, an honor that also includes the likes of Cam Atkinson, Brian Gionta and Johnny Gaudreau.
https://twitter.com/bchockey/status/1203839913508114432?s=21
Look for Cotton to continue his torrid pace throughout the season, and a with a strong Boston College roster, he’ll have a chance to compete at the prestigious levels of NCAA hockey this year. But what Canes fans need to be most worried about is what happens after his final collegiate season.
Cotton’s Future
The only real concern there is regarding David Cotton is his currently uncertain future in the Carolina Hurricanes organization. As a college senior, he will have the option to bypass signing an entry-level contract with the Hurricanes, and if he insists on playing elsewhere he can become an unrestricted free agent on August 15, 2020.
The Hurricanes are well aware of this possibility, and I’d like to assume they’re considering all possibilities in regards to how to proceed with Cotton’s rights. At the 2019 prospects camp, coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed optimism in Cotton eventually signing with the team.
“The hope is when he gets done he’ll want to sign with us based on the relationship we have with him and him wanting to be here” Rod said.
Cotton has been pretty complemental about the organization during his four years at prospect camp, where he was also named one of the two team captains in the 2019 edition. After the camp ended, Cotton said the following about Carolina:
“You know, just every time you get to put on that white and red [Hurricanes] jersey, and see the logo on it, it kind of all just hits you at once that like wow, I’m here. And that’s a feeling that won’t go away for a while … it’s extremely special for me.”
But alas, despite all the positive signs from both sides regarding Cotton coming to Raleigh, the Hurricanes organization can’t help but proceed with caution until the ink on the contract has dried. Let’s not forget, GM Don Waddell had said he was “99.9 percent sure we’ll get [Fox] signed”, which obviously didn’t come to fruition.
Unfortunately, unlike in the Fox situation, the Canes have limited options as to how to proceed with Cotton. The easiest situation for Carolina would be that Cotton signs an entry-level contract with them, and they reap the benefit of having drafted and developed the kid since they selected him back in 2015. Where it gets tricky though, is if Cotton opts against signing.
With Fox, he was still a year away from unrestricted free agency, which forced the New York Rangers to give up assets for him to accelerate his timeline to their team. Otherwise, they would’ve had to wait another year. With Cotton, the team he wants to sign with may be reluctant to part ways with assets for him, knowing that they can wait until August and sign him without giving anything up.
That really limits the Hurricanes’ options if Cotton decides he doesn’t want to be here. However, the only on-roster centers the Canes have under contract for 2020 are Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal. Erik Haula is an impending UFA and Lucas Wallmark will be an RFA, clouding each of their futures. If Cotton is confident he’s better than kids like Eetu Luostarinen and Clark Bishop, he could see a clear pathway directly to the Hurricanes roster.
Regardless, it will be an interesting storyline to follow, seeing that Cotton will unquestionably be one of the most highly coveted college UFAs this year if it gets to that point. The Hurricanes were able to lure Chase Priskie this summer after he opted against signing with the Washington Capitals, so despite the Fox fiasco they have had success luring college players into their system.
Boston College’s season will likely end sometime around late March to early April, so this whole situation could see some clarification around that time. Fingers crossed that the Hurricanes can get their man signed. It would be a real shame to see Cotton blown away with the wind.
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Question for CC Readers: Do you think Cotton will sign with Carolina?