Rota played his junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WCHL, helping the club reach the Memorial Cup in 1971 and 1972.

Late in the 1978–79 season, Rota was dealt along with Ivan Boldirev to the Atlanta Flames in a blockbuster trade which saw Tom Lysiak moving to Chicago.

Midway through the season, he and Boldirev were dealt again, this time to the Vancouver Canucks, giving a delighted Rota a chance to play for his hometown team.

He would miss a substantial chunk of the 1981–82 campaign with a knee injury, but was a key component of the squad that reached the 1982 Stanley Cup finals, notching 6 goals in 17 playoff games.

He appeared to be on target for another season of close to 40 goals when he suffered a serious neck injury on a check from Jay Wells of the Los Angeles Kings.

Rota was hired to work in public relations for the Canucks, and served in various positions in the team's front office, including a spell as Director of Player Development, until they parted ways in 1990.