Arizona Coyotes Shift Focus to Incoming Prospects
By Ryan Ritchie
Arizona Coyotes Shift Focus to Incoming Prospects Following Antoine Vermette Buyout
Earlier this week, the Arizona Coyotes bought out veteran center Antoine Vermette. Said to be strictly a business decision, it sound as though new GM John Chayka is gearing up for a youth movement in 2016-17.
At this point, most have assumed the Coyotes are specifically making room for one of (or both) Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak. The pair rank as Arizona’s top two prospects up the middle, and are both coming off a monster year in the OHL.
There’s no guarantee that either make the team out of training camp, but they should get every opportunity to secure a roster spot.
While the focus lies squarely on the shoulders of Strome and Dvorak, it’s worth noting that Arizona owns one of the NHL’s deeper prospect pools. In fact, there a number of promising players who should be looking to secure a full-time roster spot in the Fall.
Let’s take a moment to explore five potential Arizona Coyotes prospects (other than Strome and Dvorak) who could impress in training camp.
5 Arizona Coyotes Prospects Vying for a Roster Spot
Laurent Dauphin
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A former point-per-game player in the QMJHL, Dauphin officially began his pro career in 2015-16 (after a four game AHL stint in 2014-15) with Springfield.
He posted 24 points in 66 games and also made his NHL debut suiting up for eight games (one assist) with Arizona.
Laurent is regarded as a well-rounded two-way center. He doesn’t make offensive plays that allow him to stand out, but he also isn’t known for mental lapses or blunders. Long-term, Dauphin might best project to be a quality third line role player that can add some scoring depth.
Brendan Perlini
2015-16 was a disappointing season for Perlini. He only had 45 points in 57 games with OHL Niagara, and almost looked out-of-place with Team Canada at the World Juniors.
Given his size (6’2 212lbs) and skill-set which saw him taken 12th overall in 2014, there is reason to believe Brendan Perlini can impress this Fall if he manages to commit to a solid offseason of training.
Conor Garland
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These undersized forwards continue to be disrespected.
At 5’8 163lbs, Hockey’s Future has Garland listed as a “D” grade for probability of success at the pro level – this is directly related to his size.
Garland is an elusive winger coming off two straight years of dominating the CHL/QMJHL with Moncton – Conor posted 129 points in 2014-15, followed up by 128 points in 2015-16.
He takes some criticism for his defensive game, but it seems his playmaking/vision far outweigh the negative.
Christian Fischer
Christian was a second round pick in 2015 from the USNTDP. He made the jump to major junior in 2015-16 joining OHL’s Windsor Spitfires and had a stellar season posting 40 goals (90 points) in 66 games.
The 6’2 210 pound power forward is a nice blend of skill and grit. He sees/thinks the game very well, and seems to find his way to the right places at the right time.
Kyle Wood
While all the buzz at the deadline surrounded Mikkel Boedker and Conner Bleackley in the Yotes-Avs deal, more focus should have been put on this underrated steal.
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At 6’5 223lbs, Wood already possesses a big NHL body, and has the skill-set to impress early on. Coming off a 39-point campaign with OHL North Bay, Kyle Wood is an excellent two-way defender best regarded for his play in his own zone. Also capable of manning the powerplay, the right-handed shooting Wood has the complete package to impress at 20-years-old.