With both Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden McNabb off the active roster, the Vegas Golden Knights called up prospect Dylan Coghlan from the taxi squad to join the active list. In addition, Coghlan, 22, will make his NHL debut Friday against the Los Angeles Kings.
Coghlan has appeared in two AHL seasons and in both scored more than 10 goals. In his rookie campaign, Coghlan scored 40 points with the Chicago Wolves. He has spent the season on the Golden Knights’ taxi squad and is on the final year of his entry-level contract. He signed with Vegas on Sept. 20, 2017.
“I spent a lot of time with Dylan in the bubble. He was on our taxi squad, got to see him every day. Didn’t know him as a player prior to that, but got an appreciation for his toolbox and all the things he can bring to the table,” said Golden Knights coach Pete DeBoer. “I’m excited to see him. In a regular year, he would’ve gotten a training camp, plus a bunch of exhibition games to give him a good look at this level. He’s jumping in mid-season, but he’s ready. I’m very confident in his abilities. It was just a matter of getting the butterflies out.”
Coghlan played with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL before playing with the Wolves and has 26 goals and 38 assists in 126 AHL games. He played heavy minutes on the Wolves’ power play last season and is an offensive, puck-moving defenseman who could be paired well with a solid defensive player like Zach Whitecloud or Nicolas Hague. He spent time as a teammate with both in Chicago the last two seasons.
Coghlan was impressive in the last two Golden Knights preseasons and it was likely a limited time before he was called up. With the Golden Knights’ top pair missing time, he’ll have an opportunity to impress.
The Golden Knights play the Kings at 7 p.m. on Friday.