Since the Arizona Coyotes are a rebuilding team, putting together a good prospect pool is necessary. We’ve repeatedly learned that the overall base of teams gets built through the draft. Some of the greatest teams in NHL history have followed this blueprint. Heading into the 2022 NHL Draft, Arizona had already owned one of the better groups of amateurs in the game.
Players like Josh Doan (son of Coyotes legend Shane Doan), Victor Söderström, Dylan Guenther, Vladislav Kolyachonok, Liam Kirk, Jan Jenik, Matias Maccelli and even Barrett Hayton were the headliners of what many considered a talent-rich prospect pool.
A Look At The Arizona Coyotes Prospect Pool Additions
Some of the aforementioned have seen some action at the NHL level and others haven’t been able to crack the NHL lineup just yet. However, those who haven’t gotten a chance have still been extremally productive in their respective ranks and have shown flashes of what might come.
Because of a few trades, the team in the desert gained three first-round picks in the 2022 draft. The Coyotes had their own selection at the third spot in the first round. They used that #3 overall selection to take Logan Cooley.
Cooley, who was ranked as the second-best North American skater according to NHL Central Scouting, plays center as his primary position. He comes from the USA National Team Development Program U-18 squad. He is a strong two-way player. He has amazing speed, and in 51 games Cooley scored 27 goals and 48 assists for a total of 75 points. He will play this upcoming season at the University of Minnesota.
The Coyotes then traded up with the San Jose Sharks to grab the #11 overall pick in the first round, using the pick to draft Connor Geekie.
Connor Geekie is the younger brother of promising Seattle forward Morgan Geekie. Connor comes from the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL. He was ranked as the fifth-best North American skater by NHL Central Scouting.
Geekie was a high-scoring forward in the amateur ranks. In 15 WHL playoff games, he totaled 3 goals and 8 assists for 11 points.
Connor came into this draft as one of the best playmakers simply because of his strong hockey IQ. The 18-year-old has shown tremendous poise in high-pressure situations and he is an excellent puck handler for someone of his caliber.
His quick shot will allow him to become a great scorer in the NHL. The only knock on him coming into the draft was his skating as he sometimes struggles to skate efficiently throughout a game. However, that’s a minor problem and an easy fix. He isn’t a horrible skater.
With his 29th overall pick, Armstrong chose the biggest wildcard in the Coyotes draft this year. He took a risk and picked defenseman Maveric Lamoureux. Lamoureux came from the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL.
He is only the third right-shot defenseman who is 6’7″ or taller to get drafted into the NHL in history. The other two were Kristian Kudroc (#28 pick in 1999) and Tyler Myers (#12 in 2008).
Lamoureux has phenomenal mobility for someone of his size, which can catapult him into the NHL. He can play an extremely physical game, which is something the Coyotes need from their defenseman prospects. He has great defensive instincts and is more than capable of holding his own in the defensive zone.
Only time will tell how good this guy can be. He has the potential to be a very useful and dependable top-4 defenseman on the Coyotes if he can figure out things on offense.
The Coyotes continued to find potential NHL talent in the next few rounds and in the free agent market as well. In the second round, they chose Russian defenseman Artem Duda, who is primarily an offensive-minded defenseman, and a two-way forward from Germany named Julian Lutz.
Lutz’s main position is as a left winger. Duda can develop into the main powerplay specialist on the backend and Lutz was one of the main scorers on the German U-18 team. Lutz was injured for much of last year but is expected to return to his usual self.
In the third round, the Coyotes rounded out their selections in the top 100 overall picks with Miko Matikka, a right winger from Finland who is known for being physical. Then they chose Jérémy Langlois, a defenseman from the Cape Brenton Eagles of the QMJHL.
They also picked up two more center prospects in free agency with Jack McBain and Nathan Smith. Both played in the NCAA. McBain played for Boston College, and Smith played for Minnesota State at Mankato.
Both give depth at the center position for the prospect pool, and they could compete for a bottom-six role down the line. With those two, Cooley and Geekie, the Coyotes have assembled a promising quartet of centers that could pay dividends for them in a few years.