Golden Knights celebrate defenseman’s milestone

Brayden Pachal estimated teammate Paul Cotter congratulated him five or six times on the bench Thursday night.

It took the Golden Knights defenseman 14 games and 20 shots to score his first NHL goal in his team’s 4-1 road win over the San Jose Sharks. His teammates might have been just as happy as he was.

The Knights know better than most the journey Pachal took to achieve that lifelong dream. He was undrafted and needed to earn his first contract with the team with a strong camp showing in 2019.

He slowly rose up the organization from there. He was the Silver Knights captain for two seasons and got his name on the Stanley Cup after being trusted to fill in during the playoffs.

Pachal started in the NHL for the first time this season, and he’s trying to earn his keep. More moments like Thursday’s could ensure he carves out a role even when the Golden Knights get healthier.

“It’s super cool,” Pachal said Thursday. “Growing up, playing hockey, it’s one of the things you dream of is scoring your first NHL goal. I’m super fortunate and grateful to have done that tonight.”

The irony of Pachal producing such a pivotal play in a win is he’s not known as a goal scorer.

The 24-year-old knows his calling card has to be sharp defense in his own zone and physical play along the boards if he wants to succeed at the NHL level. Coach Bruce Cassidy has compared Pachal to the Knights’ other Brayden in that way.

Veteran defenseman Brayden McNabb has been a stalwart on successful teams despite never scoring more than five goals or 24 points in 12 seasons in the league.

Pachal is attempting to follow a similar blueprint. His playing time will come by being trusted defensively at five-on-five and on the penalty kill. It earned him a spot in the lineup for Game 5 against the Winnipeg Jets in the first round last postseason, which the Knights won to advance.

“The guy’s just got a motor,” said goaltender Logan Thompson, who knows Pachal going back to their days in Henderson. “He never quits. … He’s going to give it his all every night.”

It’s important Pachal shines in his opportunities because he doesn’t know how many he’s going to get.

He and partner Ben Hutton have played the Knights’ first two games because defensemen Alec Martinez and Zach Whitecloud are on injured reserve with upper-body injuries. They could push the new-look third pair to the bench whenever they return. The Knights also have prospect Kaedan Korczak, a 2019 second-round pick, waiting in the wings if Pachal struggles.

That’s what made the goal seem so special.

It was a heads-up play — Pachal picked up a deflected puck in the right circle, spun and fired — made by a guy who had to fight his way up the ranks and is still seeking to take the next step. It got a huge reaction from the Knights’ bench, and Pachal said the team was still hooting and hollering at him when he walked into the locker room after the game.

“He’s a hard-nosed guy, good defender, but you still want to see those guys score,” said Cassidy, who had four goals in 36 games during his NHL career. “It’s a good moment. And, for him, he knows that with Whitecloud and Martinez out, regulars, that he has to do things to help the team win. He certainly did.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.