Arizona Coyotes: Top 10 Prospects Entering 2019
The Arizona Coyotes, a team in the midst of a rebuild, have delivered themselves several excellent prospects. Here are the best of them.
The Arizona Coyotes haven’t made the postseason since 2011. Since then, they’ve been stuck in mediocrity. Led by a young core, the Coyotes are hoping to end their playoff drought. They’ve got some help on the way, as their prospect pipeline is pretty impressive considering how many recent graduates they’ve had.
Before I list their top 10 prospects, let me define what a “prospect” is. Everyone has different definitions, but mine is simple. Anyone who is under 25 years old and has yet to play in a full NHL season (50+ games in any season or 100+ games overall) is a prospect.
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By the way, these rankings are purely my opinion and are based on NHL readiness, how great a prospect can be, and what their floor is. Let’s take a look at who their top 10 prospects are. First, the goaltenders because they are in a special category of their own.
Goaltenders
1. Adin Hill
Acquired: 2015 draft, third-round pick
Stats: 13 appearances, 11 starts, 7-5-0 record, 2.76 GAA, .901 save percentage (NHL); 36 games played, 2.61 GAA, .906 GAA (AHL)
Adin Hill held down the starting role with the Tucson Roadrunners in the AHL. He also got an extended run of 13 games in the NHL and even got his first NHL shutout. Hill has great size at 6’6″ and has a lot of potential.
The 2019-20 season will be an important one for him. He’s got to turn that potential into results. 49 games played is a good start, but he’s got to further improve his durability. Hill should be at worst a nice depth goalie, but I think he could be a quality NHL backup.
2. Ivan Prosvetov
Acquired: 2018 draft, fourth-round pick
Stats: 53 games played, 2.94 GAA, .910 save percentage, 12 playoff games played, 2.38, GAA, .930 save percentage (Saginaw Spirit, OHL)
Ivan Prosvetov took a huge step forward in the 2018-19 season. I admittedly wasn’t a huge fan of him as an overager in the 2018 draft and he was going into an uncertain situation with the Saginaw Spirit. However, Prosvetov grabbed the starting role and didn’t look back.
He’s a huge goalie at 6’6″ and he’s very athletic. Prosvetov improved his positioning quite a bit throughout the year and he was quite impressive in the postseason. He’s shown he has the potential to be a starter. I wouldn’t be surprised if Prosvetov joined the AHL at some point during the 2019-20 season.
Honorable Mentions
Liam Kirk (2017 pick) and John Farinacci (2019 pick) were both close to being number 10 in my rankings. Didn’t see enough of either, so I felt making judgments off a really small sample size for both wouldn’t be fair. I think both are definitely worth keeping an eye on, though. Especially Farinacci.
10. Matias Maccelli
Acquired: 2019 draft, fourth-round pick
Position: Left wing
Stats: 62 games played, 31 goals, 41 assists, 72 points (Dubuque Fighting Saints, USHL)
Matias Maccelli had a breakout season in his draft year. I wasn’t huge on him before last year, but he finally started to show his true potential in the USHL. Maccelli was one of the Fighting Saints most reliable forwards last year, as he played in every situation for them.
My favorite thing about him is his skill. Maccelli can take over games and can score goals. The Coyotes need more forwards like that. He’ll get a nice challenge next year, as he’ll be heading to Liiga. It will be his first test against professionals, so I’m curious how Maccelli will look. My biggest concern is his inability to make plays at a high speed.
9. Jordan Gross
Acquired: Undrafted free agent
Position: Defensemen
Stats: 61 games played, 5 goals, 20 assists, 25 points
For better or for worse, Jordan Gross will graduate from this list next year. He’ll be 25, but I think he’ll graduate because he’ll find a spot in the NHL. The Kevin Connauton trade leaves a spot open on the Coyotes blueline, and I think Gross could wind up winning it.
He’s a nice puck mover and I really liked what he did in transition last year. Gross’s points weren’t overwhelming, but keep in mind the Roadrunners weren’t a very good team last season. He lacks size, but his hockey IQ and agility help him make up for it.
8. Michael Bunting
Acquired: 2014 draft, fourth-round pick
Position: Left wing/Right wing
Stats: 52 games, 19 goals, 22 assists, 41 points (AHL); 5 games, 1 goal, 1 point (NHL)
Michael Bunting had a very solid season in the AHL despite an injury that caused him to miss some time. But what fascinated me about him is he turned into a pest. And a darn good one at that. Bunting has also improved his defense quite a bit and plays a physical game despite being under 6 feet tall.
He’s got the potential to be a third-line forward in the NHL. Bunting is a good penalty killer and I’d like to see him work around the net on the power-play. The Coyotes haven’t really given him a chance to prove himself yet, but I think Bunting is on the verge of forcing their hand.
7. Pierre Oliver-Joseph
Acquired: 2017 1st round pick
Position: Defense
Stats: 62 games played, 9 goals, 38 assists, 47 points, 16 postseason games, 2 goals, 7 assists, 9 points (QMJHL, split between Charlottetown Islanders and Drummondville Voltigeurs)
Pierre Oliver-Joseph‘s offense is pretty consistent and his intangibles are strong, as he once again served as the Charlottetown Islanders’ captain before a trade. I expected him to be more productive last season, though he looked much closer to what I expected from him after his trade.
He’s intriguing to me because he’s a big defenseman (6’2″) who plays like he’s at least four inches smaller. Oliver-Joseph excels at what you’d expect a smaller defenseman to excel at – transition and moving the puck. He’s a very good skater, too. I’d have him higher, but he never really dominates the way you’d expect him to.
Oliver-Joseph turns 20 on July 1, so I expect him to play for the Tucson Roadrunners next season. That should be an important test for him. He’s been fairly dominant against his peers. Now he has to adjust to doing it against adults. I like his chances.
6. Nate Schnarr
Acquired: 2017 third-round pick
Position: Center
Stats: 65 games, 34 goals, 68 assists, 102 points, 24 postseason games, 8 goals 11 assists, 19 points (Guelph Storm, OHL)
Nate Schnarr took a giant step forward last season. It took him until his draft +2 season, but he finally looked like an extremely dominant player. Schnarr’s hockey sense has always been strong, but his skill finally shined.
He should be joining the AHL next season. Schnarr has a ton of momentum right now. He projects to be a third-line center, but last season is intriguing enough for me to be optimistic about his chances of being something more.
5. Kyle Capobianco
Acquired: 2015 third-round pick
Position: Defense
Stats: 40 games, 7 goals, 25 assists, 32 points (AHL); 2 games, 0 points (NHL)
Kyle Capobianco was the Tucson Roadrunners best defenseman last year. He flirted with a point per game, which is impressive for a 21-year old. Capobianco nearly got an extended stint with the NHL, but an injury ended his season in February during a game against the Nashville Predators.
I expect him to compete for the open defenseman spot with Gross and Ilya Lyubushkin, assuming the Coyotes don’t sign anyone else. Capobianco is probably going to start the season in the AHL if nothing else so he can get his skates back under him after his February injury. But expect him to become a permanent part of the Coyotes roster fairly soon.
4. Nick Merkley
Acquired: 2015 first-round pick
Position: Right wing/center
Stats: 45 games, 10 goals, 24 assists, 34 points (AHL)
Nick Merkley had a better season than his stats suggest. He took a while to recover after a knee injury. Merkley struggled at times, going as many as 27 games without a goal midseason. But then, he came back with a vengeance in the second half, nearly leading the Roadrunners to the postseason.
I don’t think he’ll stick at center, but he’s made a nice transition to right wing. This is good for his NHL chances, as the Coyotes have a number of options at center. Merkley is a candidate to jump up to the NHL this season.
3. Conor Garland
Acquired: 2015 fifth-round pick
Position: Right wing/Left wing
Stats: 21 games played, 12 goals, 13 assists, 25 points (AHL); 47 games played, 13 goals, 5 assists, 18 points (NHL)
Conor Garland has a history of being a productive forward. He put up two consecutive 100+ point seasons after being drafted. Garland finally earned himself an NHL spot last season and, though he only played in 21 games in the AHL, still averaged over a point per game there.
Garland did pretty well in the NHL last season, pushing nearly a 0.50 point per game pace, which is impressive considering he was primarily in a third-line role. He should get more power play time, which should see his point totals increase.
2. Victor Soderstrom
Acquired: 2019 first-round pick
Position: Defense
Stats: 44 games, 4 goals, 3 assists, 7 points (Brynas, SHL); 14 games played, 1 goal, 7 assists, 8 points (Bryans J20, SuperElit)
Victor Soderstrom was a surprise first-round pick of the Coyotes. I’m a little concerned about his offensive upside, but he possesses a very strong game that I believe will make him a top-four defenseman in the NHL.
His skating is quite impressive, as he’s able to keep up with fast forwards. Soderstrom’s hockey IQ is high and it helps him overcome a lack of size (6’0″, 183 pounds). His positioning and gap control in the defensive zone is outstanding for a prospect as young as him.
There’s a reason Brynas immediately trusted Soderstrom with heavy minutes – there’s a ton of things to like about him. I’d like to see his offense develop a bit more, as I think there’s something there. To be fair, Soderstrom’s deployment put him in tough situations. But still, if his offense develops, it would be well within the realm of possibility to see him as a top-pairing defenseman.
Soderstrom is close to being NHL ready, as he didn’t look out of place in the slightest as a teenager playing in the SHL, which is one of the most competitive leagues in the world.
Next. Grading Each Team's Draft Class. dark
1. Barrett Hayton
Acquired: 2018 first-round pick
Position:
Stats: 39 games, 26 goals, 40 assists, 66 points, 11 postseason games, 6 goals, 10 assists,16 points (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, OHL)
Barrett Hayton is someone I was high on in 2018. The Coyotes showed a ton of faith in him by drafting him with the fifth overall pick. Even in an injury-shortened season, Hayton showed why the Coyotes loved him so much.
He was still in the top 10 in five-on-five points per game and power-play points per game in the OHL. Hayton improved his skating, which was a concern of mine about him going into the season. Next season, hopefully, he can stay healthy and show the same proficiency he showed during the 2018-19 season.