There has been a lot of losing in the desert over the years with only one playoff appearance in 11 years. That should translate to a lot of high draft picks to populate the prospect pipeline. They did have to forfeit a second-round pick in 2020 and a first in 2021, GM Bill Armstrong’s first draft in the driver’s seat. Nonetheless, development has been an issue as many high picks have just not reached their potential compared to where they were drafted. Only four graduations in Janis Moser, Matias Maccelli, Barrett Hayton, and Kevin Bahl in the last five drafts. They may all be fine NHL’ers but few home runs. 2019 11th overall pick Victor Soderstrom has not made the leap yet and seems stagnant as a prospect.
Since Armstrong has been in charge, they have added two blue chip prospects, including the number one overall prospect on our McKeen’s list in Logan Cooley. He is followed closely by number six ranked Dylan Guenther. Last year’s 11th overall pick, Conor Geekie ranks #49 on our list, and brings size, strength, puck skills, hands and a good shot in an intriguing package with the right development. Jan Jenik would likely have joined the graduate list in a breakout season if not for injuries. The Coyotes have 12 picks in the first three rounds of the next two drafts, 2023 and 2024. Armstrong has been busily gathering those in trades. How he deploys them may best be seen in his flipping three picks (#27, #34, #45) for the 11th pick, in which he grabbed Geekie after getting Cooley third. He has extracted reasonable prices in moving his veterans, but how he and the organization handle the development of these promising pieces going forward will be critical if they are ever to be competitive. That is how we will know change has indeed arrived in Arizona.
Cooley grew up in Pittsburgh during the peak of Sidney Crosby's career, and it's almost uncanny how much of the former's game has been clearly influenced by the latter. While the University of Minnesota center doesn't project to become a generational player like Sid is, his game is built around a very similar foundation: ample lower body strength and balance, excellent hockey sense, tenacious competitiveness, sublime puck skill, commitment in all three zones and an advanced maturity for how he conducts himself. There were some scouts in the industry who argued for him to be the first prospect picked in the 2022 draft, and that argument is even stronger now than it was a year ago. Arizona is trying to build things from the ground up (figuratively and literally), and Cooley is about as good as it gets for a foundational piece to build around.
2. Dylan Guenther
Guenther started his 2022-23 season in the NHL and looked right at home, scoring at a nice clip. When Arizona let him go to the World Juniors and then back to the WHL afterwards it wasn't done as a punishment — it was to let him stretch his legs a little more, add a gold medal that he didn't already have, maybe get a healthy crack at the Memorial Cup after injuries held him out last year, and come back to the NHL an even better player next year. It must feel like a punishment to all the junior-aged players he's going up against, though, because he's basically too good for this level now. He was lighting up the WHL playoffs in Seattle and barely looked like he was breaking a sweat doing it. He should enjoy the moment, because once he's back in the NHL he won't be leaving again.
3. Conor Geekie
Geekie did not seem to progress very much this season compared to last season, which is concerning when you consider the incredibly favourable situation he is in, playing on a dominant Winnipeg Ice team. With talented linemates to work with, and opposing defense spread thin with too much to handle, it should have been a feast for a prospect with such an overflowing toolbox. Instead, he blended into the scenery more than he stood out. Luckily for the Coyotes, though, there is still a ton here for their development staff to work with. His puck skills, hands and shot are all high end, and he should be able to make improvements with his skating ability and using his size and strength to bully opposing defenses in the cycle. When all the cylinders are firing for him at the same time, he's one of the scariest prospects in the country, and getting that to happen more frequently is the long-term focus.
4. Jan Jenik
It's a real shame that Jenik has battled through injury issues this season, because if he had stayed healthy he was on course to have a big breakout season in the NHL. He is one of the most well-rounded and complete players in the Coyotes organization, and it's hard to find any real faults in his game. Coaches love to send him over the boards in various situations because he's always around the puck or involved in the play, battling or thinking his way into earning copious puck touches, and when he gets to work in the offensive zone, he is very hard to contain thanks to his size, puck skill and offensive versatility. Everything about his game just screams long-term professional. Expect him to see a lot of NHL minutes next season if he is healthy.
5. Victor Soderstrom
After three seasons in North America Soderstrom has still yet to establish himself as a full-time NHLer, and questions are beginning to arise about where things are going to go with his career next. It's never a good sign when a player hits a plateau season over season in his early 20s. His mobility and hands are both still assets, but he is having trouble utilizing them in ways that make a positive difference. The offensive production isn't really coming along, and he's struggling with defending and moving pucks out of trouble. At the same time, the whole organization is going through growing pains, so further patience is needed to fully analyze the situation. The Coyotes want Soderstrom to be a key piece on their roster and will likely give him more chances to prove that he can be one.
6. Josh Doan
Doan finds himself in a truly unique situation, not just as the son of a former NHLer who was drafted by the same organization that his father starred for, but also because he is already playing in the same state that his dad helped bring hockey to for the first time. But if the built-in expectations and scrutiny created any unwanted pressure, the younger Doan certainly doesn't show its effects. If anything, he seems to relish being a future face of hockey in Arizona. His game presents a three-zone blend of skill, grit and leadership, and there is little question where he gets that from. He'll be a huge part of this organization for years to come, both as someone who can log a lot of ice time in all situations, and also as someone that can help instill a culture and identity in the locker room.
7. Maveric Lamoureux
Lamoureux missed the first half of his season due to injury, and once he was healthy joined a Voltigeurs team that has struggled to climb out of the basement of the league. But what matters most is that he's playing again, and in an important role, because he is very much a long-term project who needs as much ice time as possible if he's going to reach his full potential. It's so rare to find a prospect of this size who has this much raw skating ability, but that kind of player usually takes a long time to grow into his body and figure out the necessary small-area skill. The hope is that his reach and range will help him eventually grow into a space-dominating player who can log Top 4 minutes without having to expend as much energy as other defenders moving around the ice.
8. Julian Lutz
EHC München did a fantastic job of developing young Buffalo Sabres winger John-Jason Peterka, and the Coyotes are hoping that the same environment — which notably features a few former NHLers on the roster — will have similar benefits on Lutz. It has been a tough couple of years for the highly touted German winger, as injuries have limited his games played and, in turn, held back his growth. He possesses a high-end shot and the frame and hands to protect pucks, but the actual goals haven't materialized for him much lately because he's still working on how to get into prime shooting spots against top competition. Correcting his stiff skating stride and gaining more agility will be his main focuses moving forward, as right now it's too easy to gap up on him and neutralize him from the play.
9. Artyom Duda
Duda is a real jack-of-all trades defenseman, and already plays a very professional style of game that is responsible yet effective. He's the type of blueliner who you don't notice often, good or bad, but usually ends up with a few points on the score sheet. He's just very efficient with his puck touches, moving the play up the ice over and over with minimal mistakes, and then helping find ways to crack opposing defenses from the blueline in. It doesn't have to be exciting work, so long as it leads to more goals scored than goals allowed, which he accomplishes. He's even started slowly doing that at Russia's higher levels, too, spending about half of his 2022-23 season in his nation's top two pro leagues and holding his own. He might even have what it takes to move to the KHL full-time next year.
10. Aku Raty
The older brother of Vancouver Canucks prospect Aatu Räty, Aku isn't as purely talented as his younger sibling, but the argument could easily be made that he's a more well-rounded player. He was drafted for attributes like his forechecking, consistent effort and responsible off-puck play, but maybe there is some brotherly sharing of tips and tricks going on, because he played his way up the lineup into a Top 6 role this season and didn't look out of place at all, emerging as one of the top scorers for Ilves. After a season like that in a professional league, combined with his ability to thrive as a Bottom 6 winger, it's easy to project Räty as an eventual NHLer, with the possibility that he could become a true core piece on a team's roster. Championship teams can't be made up of entirely star players, after all.
