CAS 4-2-1-2026 Josh Kotai-Augustana Hockey Goalie (Signed with NY Islanders)

April 2, 2026·26 min·2 clips

Josh Kotai, a goalie who won CCHL MVP, explains why he chose the Islanders as a free agent.

It starts locally. The show opens with sponsors, April weather, and a Fox Run delay, then eases into the hockey conversation. That pace fits the room. The host lets the everyday setup carry the listener toward Josh's bigger moment without rushing it. Josh talks about opportunity. Asked why Augustana made sense, he points to Garrett Raboyne and the chance to compete right away. Augie was still a leap. The host reminds him that Augustana did not even have a hockey team three years earlier, which makes the choice feel less obvious and more earned. Josh does not dress it up. He says he knew little about Augustana, but trusted Raboyne's vision and believed his own game could work in the NCAA. Compete is the word. His answer keeps landing on work ethic, performance, and a real shot at ice time. Raboyne matters here too. Josh sounds happy the coach stayed, talking about the team celebrating and Raboyne wanting to keep building the program. The host widens the lens near the end. The segment turns into an appreciation of what Josh did for Augustana on a short runway. They were that close. Augustana finished team number 17 while the top 16 made the national tournament, and the host puts Josh right in the middle of that push. The praise is plain: best goalie in the league, best player in the league, and now signed with the New York Islanders. Bridgeport comes next. The host treats the American Hockey League stop as the next step toward an NHL chance he thinks could come as soon as next year. It lands warmly, like a sports voice enjoying a great kid getting the opening he earned.

As heard by us

A local hockey success story that feels earned without overselling it.

Josh Kotai's climb from Augustana starter to a New York Islanders contract gives this Calling All Sports segment a clean local-sports payoff. The conversation starts in familiar radio territory, then settles into the part that matters: Kotai saying he picked Augustana because he…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want the story behind Josh Kotai choosing Augustana when the program was still new and working his way to the Islanders system.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Calling All Sports