LAS VEGAS — When Parker Wotherspoon saw a missed call from his general manager followed by a text telling him to call right away, it was obvious something was coming.
“I look over at my girlfriend and I go, ‘Uh-oh,’” Wotherspoon said.
The concern quickly turned to excitement when the 29-year-old defenseman learned he had been traded to the Vegas Golden Knights.
WATCH | Parker Wotherspoon embraces fresh start with Golden Knights after breakout NHL season
Wotherspoon arrives in Vegas after the best season of his NHL career, appearing in 80 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a breakthrough years in the making for a player who spent much of his professional career trying to establish himself at the NHL level.
“You have to believe in yourself, and I think I had that confidence all the way through,” Wotherspoon said. “I knew I had the game and the defensive ability to play in the NHL. It was just needing someone to give you a shot.”
Wotherspoon said opportunities with Boston allowed him to prove himself before taking on a larger role in Pittsburgh.
“When you’re given that role, you gotta take it,” he said. “All in all, I just kind of want to be resilient in my career, and I’ve always just wanted to be an NHLer.”
His season in Pittsburgh also gave him the chance to play alongside Erik Karlsson. Wotherspoon said the veteran defenseman helped him with everything from small details to decision-making with the puck.
“He helped me all the way through,” Wotherspoon said. “Every time we’d get off the ice, we’d be talking back and forth.”
In Vegas, Wotherspoon plans to prioritize his defensive game while using one lesson from Karlsson in particular: getting the puck quickly into the hands of his forwards.
The transition has already been made easier by his new teammates. Wotherspoon said Mark Stone was among the first to welcome him, but he estimates 10 to 15 Golden Knights players reached out after the trade.
“That usually doesn’t happen,” Wotherspoon said. “It’s pretty cool.”
Vegas itself is also a destination Wotherspoon has long been interested in calling home.
“I’ve always wanted to live in Vegas,” he said, pointing to the combination of the Strip and suburban life. “You get a bit of both if you need it.”
Now, after waiting years for his NHL opportunity, Wotherspoon begins his next chapter with a Golden Knights team he called “one of the top destinations in the league.”
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