| Round | Overall |
| 3 | 33 |
 |
 |
Left-hand shot
Pre-Draft Statistics
| Year | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM |
| 1967-68 | Kamloops | BCJHL | 40 | 45 | 28 | 73 | 22 |
| 1968-69 | Calgary | WCHL | 33 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 2 |
| 1969-70 | Calgary | WCHL | 60 | 43 | 47 | 90 | 43 |
Pre-Draft Notes
Also played center. ... Won WCHL Most Sportsmanlike Player award in 1969-70.
Career Vitals
| First contract: | 1970 |
| Debut: | November 14, 1972 (Montreal at N.Y. Islanders) |
| Final NHL game: | October 5, 1976 (Colorado vs. Toronto) |
| Retired: | 1978 |
| Stanley Cup: | Never won |
| Numbers worn: | 21 (Montreal); 25 (Los Angeles); 25 (Kansas City/Colorado) |
Career NHL Statistics
Teams: Montreal,
Los Angeles, Kansas City/Colorado
Years: 1972-1976. Playoffs:
1974
| Regular Season | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 5 years | 212 | 38 | 39 | 77 | 60 |
| Stanley Cup Playoffs | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 1 year | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Complete statistics available at NHL.com | |||||
Pre-Draft Highlights
Led BCJHL with 45 goals for Kamloops in 1967-68 season. ... Missed part
of the 1968-69 season with broken ankle. ... Won Calgary (WCHL) team Most
Efficient Player
award for 1969-70 season. ... Won Calgary (WCHL) Sportsmanship Award for
1969-70 season. ... Was also an outstanding baseball player, who was offered
contracts by both the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres during his
junior hockey career. ... Graduated from Norkam High School in Kamloops.
Career Highlights
Also played center and right wing during his pro career. ... Won AHL Calder Cup with Nova Scotia in 1972. ... Scored his first NHL goal against Hall of Famer goaltender Billy Smith at 16:21 of the second period of his first NHL game -- on Nov. 14, 1972, at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Rota's goal, which stood up as the game-winner, gave Montreal a 3-1 lead en route to a 7-2 victory. Rota spent part of the game playing left wing on a line with Frank and Pete Mahovlich, who got the lone assist on the goal. Rota also had an assist on a goal by Marc Tardif at 9:40 of the second period, giving him two points in his NHL debut. ... Played a total of two regular-season games for Montreal team that went on to win 1973 Stanley Cup, but was not with team during playoffs. ... Tied for AHL playoff lead with 10 goals for Nova Scotia in 1973. ... Played on first Kansas City Scouts (franchise that became New Jersey Devils) team in inaugural 1974-75 season and assisted on a goal by Lynn Powis in the team's first-ever game on Oct. 9, 1974, at Toronto. ... Was one of only two players to appear in all 80 games of Kansas City's inaugural season.
Transaction History
Oct. 8, 1971 -- Traded by California to Montreal in exchange for Lyle Carter and John French. May 29, 1973 -- Traded by Montreal with Bob Murdoch to Los Angeles in exchange for 1974 first-round pick (Mario Tremblay) and future considerations (cash). June 12, 1974 -- Claimed by Kansas City from Los Angeles in NHL Expansion Draft. November 1976 -- Professional playing rights sold by Colorado to Edmonton (WHA).
Significant Injuries
Missed part of 1976-77 season with separated shoulder.
Life Outside the NHL
Full Name: Randy
Frank Rota
Nickname: "Rocket"
Other Post-Draft Teams: Providence, Nova Scotia (AHL); Oklahoma City (CHL); Edmonton (WHA);
Kamloops (B.C. Sr.)
Coaching Career: Coached
PeeWee teams in British Columbia after his retirement, leading Kamloops
to province's 1981 Pee Wee AAA title. One of his players was Mark
Recchi.
Career Beyond Hockey: Returned home
to Kamloops, British Columbia, after his retirement and went into the
insurance business with Mutual Life of Canada while also working as a
minor-hockey coach. He eventually opened his own insurance agency, as
part of Sun Life Financial, before retiring from it.
•
Rota on LinkedIn
Family: Father of former
minor-leaguer Blair Rota. ... Cousin of former NHL player
Darcy Rota.
Miscellaneous:
| Selected by Calgary Broncos in 1972 WHA Draft -- the first-ever WHA Draft -- in February 1972. | Shifted from left wing to right win with Kansas City during the 1974-75 season. | Played on line with Simon Nolet and Wilf Paiement for Kansas City in 1974-75. | Was member of Kansas City team that relocated to Colorado on July 15, 1976. |
| SNAPSHOT '70 | |
| Total Selected: | 115 |
| Forwards: | 67 |
| Defense: | 36 |
| Goaltenders: | 12 |
| Major Junior: | 87 |
| College Players: | 18 |
| Canadian: | 109 |
| Euro-Canadian: | 0 |
| American: | 6 |
| European: | 0 |
| Reached NHL: | 62 |
| Won Stanley Cup: | 12 |
| Hall of Fame: | 3 |
| All-Star Game: | 11 |
| Year-end All-Star: | 4 |
| Olympians: | 2 |
| Picks Traded: | 13 |
| 1970 PICKS BY TEAM | ||
| Boston | Buffalo | Chicago |
| Detroit | Los Angeles | Minnesota |
| Montreal | New York | Oakland |
| Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | St. Louis |
| Toronto | Vancouver | |
OTHERS DRAFTED IN 1970