As the son of longtime Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan, Josh Doan understands he comes from hockey royalty.
He takes it in stride and has proven himself as a future star in the sport.
Doan will be among the Tucson Roadrunners players taking part in Roadrunners Give Back, a branch of the Arizona Coyotes Foundation on Monday, Jan. 22. At the Dave & Buster’s dinner, Roadrunners players will be working as celebrity waiters and serving dinner to registered guests for tips to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“We are excited to showcase our community efforts and work with our fans and partners to raise money for Southern Arizona,” said Bob Hoffman, Roadrunners president.
“We are excited to partner with Dave & Buster’s and to have the best players in the American Hockey League serving dinner for the night to our faithful following.”
The players will be wearing specialty jerseys themed to the event that will be available through an auction and awarded to the winning bidders.
Doan said building community is one of the keys to being in the spotlight as a professional athlete.
“It’s awesome to be able to give back,” he said. “Hospitals are not enjoyable places for kids and people to be. We bring a little light into their day and world. It means a lot to the group, too. We have a good group of guys and we’re excited to give back.”
Doan was born to follow in his father’s footsteps. He started his career early, playing with the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes program until the Chicago Steel of the U.S. Hockey League selected Doan with the 95th overall pick of the 2018 futures draft.
He played one more season with the Jr. Coyotes before his first season with the Steel in 2019, tying for 16th on the team with 14 points (five goals and nine assists) in 45 games.
In June 2019, he committed to play for ASU and began his collegiate career there in 2021.
In his second year of draft eligibility, Doan returned to the Steel and was one of the scoring leaders on the USHL’s Clark Cup championship team. He finished third on both the Steel — behind Sean Farrell and Matthew Coronato — and in the entire league with 70 points (31 goals, 39 assists) in 53 games.
Doan, who turns 22 on Feb. 1, was selected in the second round by the Coyotes with the 37th overall pick in the 2021 draft.
After he finished his sophomore year as captain of the Sun Devils in the 2022-23 season, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the ‘Yotes on March 16, 2023. His contract wasn’t set to begin until the 2023-24 season, so he traveled to Tucson to play in the American Hockey League.
This season, Doan has played in 35 games, and scored 15 goals and has 10 assists. He said he brings an upbeat attitude to the team.
“I can shoot the puck and create offense,” he added. “I can also be the guy in the locker room who gets along with everybody and is fun to be around.
“That said, we’ve been starting to find our groove a little bit. It’s been a little bit more fun.”
When he’s not playing, the Scottsdale native enjoys going for walks in the desert, and hiking Camelback and Pinnacle Peak. He said he’s feels fortunate that he can take part in outdoor activities year-round.
“If I’m not doing that, I’m at sporting events, supporting local teams,” he said. “The Diamondbacks, for example, gave us so much this year. I was upset they didn’t win the World Series, but you have to consider the season a success with how young they are.
“Success like that is exciting and it gives you hope for what the Valley can do.”
Tip-a-Roadrunner
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22
WHERE: Dave & Buster’s, 1390 E. Tucson Marketplace Boulevard, Tucson
COST: $75; tickets include dinner, a drink ticket, a souvenir item and a $10 Dave & Buster’s Power Card
INFO:
www.tucsonroadrunners.com/tips
This article appears in Jan 11-18, 2024.
