REGINA, SK – Battlefords North Stars alum Josh Kotai has been named to the United States Collegiate Selects team that will participate in the Spengler Cup in Switzerland in December.
Kotai, 22, was the SJHL SaskTel Goaltender of the Year in 2022-23, when he backstopped the Stars to the SJHL championship and the National silver medal.
He posted a 32-4-3 record and league bests in goals-against average (2.39) and save percentage (.935) over that ’22-’23 regular campaign. The Abbotsford, BC native added a 12-1-0 record, a 1.72 GAA and a .945 save percentage in 13 post-season contests en route to helping Battlefords earn the title.
Kotai is currently in his third season with Augustana University in South Dakota, a club that plays in NCAA Division I and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.
In 54 college appearances, he owns a record of 25-23-5, with a sparkling 2.23 GAA and a .928 save percentage.
His younger brother, Reilley, won the national silver medal and the Canterra Seeds Cup with the Melfort Mustangs last year, while also claiming the SJHL’s scoring title. He is over a point-per-game with the UBC Thunderbirds of USports at the time of writing.
Josh’s youngest brother, Nick, is currently a goaltender for the Humboldt Broncos.
Fellow SJHL alum Max Chakrabarti, who played for the Weyburn Red Wings, is also at Augustana.
See below for the University of Augustana’s release.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Josh Kotai of Augustana men’s hockey garnered a spot on the United States Collegiate Selects roster that will compete in the Spengler Cup from December 26-31.
The U.S. Collegiate Select team will be made up of 25 student-athletes from across NCAA men’s ice hockey. The competition will include six participating teams, along with the Selects, host HC Davos, Team Canada, HC Fribourg-Gotteron, Sparta Praha and IFK Helsinki will be taking part in the 2025 edition.
Kotai, a British Columbia native, owns a 6-4 record in the 2025-26 season with a goals against average of 1.81 and a save percentage of .940. He finished his sophomore season as a Mike Richter Award Finalist and earned HCA Goalie of the Month honors twice.
For the first time in the 102-year history of the Spengler Cup, a team of select college hockey players representing NCAA Division I hockey will compete in the prestigious men’s tournament in 2025. Held annually in Davos, Switzerland, since 1923, the six-team invitational tournament traditionally features club and national teams from Europe and North America.
All returning First and Second Team AHCA/CCM All-Americans received an automatic invitation to the team. The remainder of the roster, which includes representation from all six conferences, was constructed by the USCS coaching staff and organizing committee, with guidance from select NHL scouts.
The U.S. Collegiate Selects will face Team Canada to open play Spengler Cup play on December 26. Each team will play a minimum of three contests and a maximum of five during the six-day event.
This will be the second time an American-based select team has taken part in the Spengler Cup, following a U.S. squad that won the tournament in 1988.
