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Brayden Pachal scores first career NHL goal

Pachal was part of the Vegas Golden Knights team that won the Stanley Cup in June.
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Brayden Pachal of the Vegas Golden Knights scored his first career NHL goal on Thursday.

SAN JOSE - Estevan's Brayden Pachal scored his first goal in the NHL Thursday night during the Vegas Golden Knights' 4-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

Pachal scored at the 2:11 mark of the third period. Pachal snuck in from the point, took a pass on his backhand, spun and fired a shot past the San Jose goaltender. He was mobbed by his teammates after the milestone. 

He has been in the lineup for both of the Knights' games this season. He dressed on opening night when Vegas raised the 2023 Stanley Cup champions banner.

Pachal hails from Estevan and played most of his minor hockey in the Energy City. He played several games for the junior Estevan Bruins as a call-up from U18 AAA in the 2014-15 season. In 2019, he was the captain of the Prince Albert Raiders team that won the Western Hockey League title.

He signed with the Knights in the fall of 2019 and has been part of their organization ever since, serving as the captain of their American Hockey League affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.

He made his NHL debut during the 2021-22 season, playing two games that season. Pachal played 10 games for Vegas in the 2022-23 regular season and recorded his first NHL point last December. He was part of the Golden Knights team that won the Stanley Cup in June and brought the cherished trophy home to Estevan for a massive community celebration in July.