The NHL does things a little differently than some of the other major sports we’ve been accustomed to watching. There is typically a very defined college season, and then a separate, turn-the-page, professional season after it’s all done during the next season.
However, in the NHL, players can finish their college season and jump right into action if they’ve been signed after waiting their turn to finish out their college careers.
Such was the case with Ohio State defenseman Cole McWard. He was signed by the Vancouver Canucks after the Buckeyes were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament and is already on the ice at the game’s highest level.
And wouldn’t you know it, just two games into his NHL career, McWard lit the lamp for his first-ever NHL goal over the weekend on a sharp wrister that found its way through traffic and into the back of the net.
WELCOME TO THE NHL, COLE MCWARD! pic.twitter.com/2MD1weMMXJ
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 9, 2023
Way to make an early mark Cole and make Buckeye Nation proud. Here’s to hoping this is just one of many goals and other highlights over a long NHL career.
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