The Las Vegas Golden Knights have made a new addition in spite of the current season shutdown and no doubt it is due in large part to the outstanding performance this young man had in his most recent campaign. On Monday the Golden Knights announced that they had signed defenseman Connor Corcoran to a three year entry level contract, unsurprisingly his first National Hockey League deal given that he is currently just 19 years of age.
As previously stated Corcoran had himself a breakout campaign during the 2019 - 2020 regular season where he was a member of the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires. Corcoran made 62 appearances from the Spitfires last season and had a very impressive offensive performance with 19 goals and 35 assists for a combined total of 54 points over that stretch. He finished the season with a plus minus rating of +11 on the season giving him a personal best in that category as well as a personal best for goals, assists and points in a single season.
What makes this all that much sweeter for the Golden Knights is that Corcoran was selected in the 4th round (154th overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. If he can maintain his current level of growth once he transfers his skills to the American Hockey League and eventually to the National Hockey League as well this will have proven to be yet another shrewd pick from the organization.
Additionally Corcoran is a right handed shot, an asset that is always highly valued on the blue line at the NHL level, and he does appear to have some leadership qualities as well having been named an alternate captain of the Spitfires during his most recent season with that organization. At 19 years old it seems unlikely that he will be fast tracked to the NHL, especially given that he is a defenseman, but it may not be too long before fans in Vegas will have the chance to get an up close and personal look at Corcoran in action.
In spite of the fact that players like Colorado Avalanche Cale Makar have been signed in the past and immediately made the jump into the postseason, the league has indicated that this will not be the case for its modified 24 team playoff format this season, which means we likely won't be seeing Corcoran making an appearance this year.
