Arizona Coyotes: Top 8 prospects worth getting excited about
2. Matias Maccelli
At the time the Coyotes selected Finnish forward Matias Maccelli in the fourth-round (No.98 overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, they knew they were getting a highly skilled player. He had just wrapped up his second season in the USHL with the Dubuque Fight Saints, where he posted 31 goals and 72 points in 62 games. They likely never imagined he would become as good as he has just a year-and-a-half later, however.
The recently turned 20-year-old had a fantastic 2019-20 season in the SM-liiga with Ilves Tampere, posting 30 points in 43 games. Considering this is a professional league with much older players, featuring some former NHLers, it was a very impressive total. Like Soderstrom, his 2020-21 season has already begun. As good as he looked last year, he seems to have improved even more early on this season with 12 points in 12 games. The future is very bright for Matias Maccelli.
1. Jan Jenik
Similar to Matias Maccelli, Jan Jenik was another fantastic mid-round pick by the Coyotes, being selected in the third-round (No.65 overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Not much was known about the Czech forward at the time of the draft, as he had only played six games in Czech’s top professional league that season. The next season, however, (2018-19) he came over to the OHL and has since shown people just how good he is.
Related Story. Top 8 Anaheim Ducks Prospects. light
During that 2018-19 season he appeared in 27 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs, posting 13 goals and 30 points. That was solid production, but this past season is why Jenik tops this list. In just 27 games, he put up a ridiculous 22 goals and 56 points. That points total was good enough for second in team scoring despite the majority of his teammates playing over 30 more games than he was able to.
Next. Pulock inks two-year deal. dark
This upcoming season will mark his first as a professional, and though the Coyotes do need skill, it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see them start Jenik out in the AHL in order to get some seasoning. When the time does come for him to make his NHL debut, teams better look out.