Josh Kotai has been listed as a top 35 goalie to watch in the NCAA for the Mike Richter Award. (BattlefordsNOW Staff) (Dan Eggen/Intertia)

By Austin Mattes

Josh Kotai

North Stars alumni named on list for top goaltender in the NCAA

Jan 21, 2025 | 2:34 PM

From winning the Canterra Seeds Cup with the Battlefords North Stars to currently leading a second year NCAA DI program to second overall in their conference, Augustana University goaltender, Josh Kotai continues to add to his resume as he has now been named as a top 35 goalie to watch in the NCAA for the Mike Richter Award.

“It’s a huge honour but I think it’s just a testament to how hard our guys have worked, because it’s not just me, it’s our whole team, so it’s kind of cool to see our hard work come into fruition and be recognized for it nationally,” Kotai said.

The Mike Richter Award is an annual award that has been given since 2014 to the most outstanding goaltender in Division I NCAA men’s hockey during the regular season. Some of the most notable players who have won the award in years past are current Winnipeg Jets goalie and 2024 Vezina winner, Connor Hellebuyck, starting goalie for the Vancouver Canucks, Thatcher Demko and current netminder for the Boston Bruins, Jeremy Swayman.

Kotai played for the North Stars during the 2022/23 championship season, boasting a .935 save percentage, 2.39 goals against average and a 32-4-3 record, as well as being named the top goaltender in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).

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Now, Kotai is in his sophomore campaign with the Augustana University Vikings out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and has been lighting up the competition since the beginning of the season. He currently has the top save percentage in the NCAA with a .945 and is third overall in goals against average with a 1.683, on top of that, he was also awarded the Co-National Goaltender of the Month back in October.

However, even though the stats and recognition are well deserved, Kotai said that those aren’t his main focus when it comes to determining success.

“Focusing on awards or whatever comes your way, I think it’s just only distractions…keeping humble and then just going to work each and every day and putting those little recognitions in your back pocket as motivation, I think that’s the best way to approach it in terms of using it towards your success,” he said.

Apart from Kotai’s individual success, the success of the Augustana team is also something that has been quite impressive. This season is only Augustana’s second year having a men’s hockey program and after going 12-18-4 in their inaugural season, the team has emerged as a big threat to some of the top contenders in the NCAA this season. Right now, the Vikings stand with a 13-7-2 record overall and had wins over top ranked opponents like the University of North Dakota, University of Omaha and Colorado College. They are also second in the standings in their conference, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and are just a few votes shy of being in the top 20 NCAA power rankings.

“It’s kind of a cool thing to be able to kind of start from scratch and kind of see success right away…but we knew our coaches were one of the top coaches and they know how to run things at such a high standard, so we knew that success can only come from this,” Kotai said.

Over the next three weeks, a committee of voters consisting of coaches, administrators, scouts and media will cut the list down for the Mike Richter to 15 names and the award winner will be announced at the Frozen Four in St. Louis, Missouri in April.

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austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes