2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Arizona Coyotes
For all the off-ice shenanigans surrounding the Arizona Coyotes, their work on the draft floor has been pretty impressive.
It all starts with Logan Cooley, one of the hottest prospects in the game today. He’s the team’s future No. 1 center, and many scouts believe that, based on his development in 2022-23 alone, Cooley could end up being the top prospect for the 2022 makeovers before too long.
But it goes much further than that.
The Coyotes have a top-10 prospect pool, and that helped them draft so well in Nashville a few weeks ago. And while Cooley isn’t ready to leave his mark just yet, a handful of others – like Dylan Guenther and Victor Soderstrom – are ready to take the next step in their development.
The Coyotes have made quite a few sales over the past few years and currently have nine picks in the first two rounds of the next two drafts. With their strong young roster, along with the already established core of Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse and Karel Vejmelka, the Coyotes are hopefully heading for better days sooner rather than later.
The greatest strength
There may not be a prospect pool as big as Arizona’s right now. Aside from Cooley, who is only 5-foot-10, the majority of the team’s top prospects are 6-foot-1 and taller, ranging up to 6-foot-7. The Coyotes have drafted BIG over the past few years, but they’ve also drafted players who offer value well beyond size. But, if all goes well, they will be a tough team to face.
Biggest weakness
The Coyotes addressed their biggest issues in the draft, taking a top defenseman (Dmitri Simashev) and potential No. 1 goaltender (Michael Hrabal). That being said, the Coyotes are missing another potential defenseman for the best pairing, and if Hrabal doesn’t make it, there isn’t a goalie in the system yet with a starting goalie pedigree. Even with decent depth at both positions, they will need more in the years to come.
TOP 10 PROSPECTS
Rating: A-
1. Logan Cooley, C, 19 (University of Minnesota, NCAA)
Draft: No. 3, first round in 2022
Before the 2023 NHL Draft class was added to the talent pool, no NHL-affiliated prospect was better than Cooley. A finalist for the NCAA’s Hobey Baker Award as the best male college player, Cooley had an outstanding rookie campaign with 60 points – good for second place behind Adam Fantilli. Cooley also got off to a slow start at the world junior championships scoring seven goals and 14 points for the United States, earning him tournament star honors after winning bronze. Cooley is the future of this group, but Coyotes fans will have to wait a little longer after opting to stay with the Minnesota Golden Gophers for another year.
2. Dylan Guenther, RW, 20 (Arizona Coyotes)
Drafted: No. 9, first round in 2021
It’s been a turbulent season for Guenther, who had 15 points in 33 games with the Coyotes to kick off the year. He then scored the winning goal for Canada at the World Junior Championship before his WHL rights were traded from Edmonton to Seattle. Guenther was returned to junior guards and smashed on schedule, helping the Thunderbirds win the WHL title. He’s too good for the junior and will once again be competing for full-time action with the Coyotes.
3. Dmitry Simashev, D, 18 (Yaroslavl, KHL)
Draft: No. 6, first round in 2023
Simashev’s late-season play really made him one of the best defensemen in the 2023 draft, especially in the MHL playoffs. Against his own age group, he can carry the load on the blue line and can be physically intimidating. There were some concerns about his play against the men, but most can be attributed to the fact that he was 17-18 years old and was forced into difficult situations he had never faced before. He has a contract in the KHL until 2025, but by then he should be ready to fight for a big spot on the Coyotes’ blue line.
4. Conor Geekie, C, 19 (Wenatchee, WHL)
Drafted: No. 11, first round in 2022
You can’t go wrong with a 6-foot-4 center who can skate well and knock everyone down. Geekie broke the 70-point mark for the second straight season, scoring a career-high 35 goals and 77 points. While not a huge jump from his 70 points the year before, Geekie has added more straight-line speed and defensive awareness this year. He’s not going to blow you away with his high-impact NHL scoring, but his frame and two-way play will make him an effective forward.
5. Daniil But, LW, 18 (Yaroslavl, KHL)
Draft: No. 12, first round in 2023
Speaking of size, you might start to see a trend here. But he’s as creative and quick as you’ll find a 6-foot-5, 203-pound winger. There’s so much finesse that you don’t see in guys this size. He was a point-per-game player in the MHL and even scored two goals in 15 KHL games. This coming season is all about being a real game breaker and making the best decisions with the puck.
6. Maveric Lamoureux, D, 19 (Drummondville, QMJHL)
Draft: No. 29, first round in 2022
You thought 6ft 5in was tall? Try 6 feet 7 inches. This towering defender can beat you physically, but it’s his defensive zone play that makes him so difficult to play against. He’s a solid puck thrower who can manipulate forwards into thinking he’ll do one more before jumping the other way. Lamoureux is as good as anyone in the Arizona system at stopping a run right at the blue line, and if he can’t, he’ll lay you down before you get near the goalie. Lamoureux is the type of player his teammates and coaches adore.
7. Michael Hrabal, G, 18 (University of Massachusetts)
Draft: No. 38, second round in 2023
At 6-foot-6 with incredible athleticism, Hrabal is the perfect size for the NHL, and his ability to carry the load even when his team is outshot is quite something. The NCAA-bound goaltender has done more than his share of heavy lifting with the Czech Republic and the USHL’s Omaha Lancers. He seems to be playing better the more shots he faces. Hrabal might be the goaltender with the best shot to be a starter among the 2023 NHL Draft class.
8. Josh Doan, C/RW, 20 (Tuscon, AHL)
Draft: No. 37, second round in 2021
Even Doan is a big dude at 6-foot-2, and he’s not afraid to use it. It wasn’t in his first junior season with the Chicago Steel, but he really started to come into his own during his 2020-21 draft campaign. Eyes definitely rolled when the Coyotes took on the son of their most famous player, Shane Doan, but the 21-year-old has emerged as a solid young prospect. He had 38 points for the offensively challenged Arizona State University team last year and turned pro after his second season. Doan had six points in 14 regular season games with Tuscon, where he will return next year. Doan continues to improve his stock every year and could be a solid mid-six striker in the near future.
9. Artem Duda, D, 19 (University of Maine, NCAA)
Draft: No. 36, second round in 2022
After playing his first 14 professional games with CSKA Moskva in the KHL last year, the 19-year-old is ready for the University of Maine next year. The 6-foot-1 defenseman has a good size, can play a solid offensive game, execute a power play and block shots. Against his own age group, Duda is among the best, and he would have been a standout at the world junior championships if Russia hadn’t been banned. Now against the college kids, it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the fast pace of NCAA hockey.
10. Victor Soderstrom, D, 22 (Tucson, AHL)
Drafted: No. 11, first round in 2019
If Soderstrom is going to have a successful NHL career in Arizona, it’s going to have to happen sooner rather than later. He’s been in the team’s system for four years but failed to hold a full-time gig. This year was his most efficient with nine points in 30 NHL games, but his average ice time of 16:10 was down from his 16:19 set in 14 fewer games the previous year. He has the traits you look for in a defenseman these days – solid size, mobility and hockey IQ. We just seem to find consistency across games an issue. He’s set for full-time duty this year, but it’s up to Soderstrom to show if he really is a long-term option here.
Other notables: Jan Jenik, RA, 22 (Tuscon, AHL), Maksymilian Szuber, D, 20 (Munchen, DEL),Julian Lutz, LW (19), Ilya Fedotov, RW (19), John Farinacci, C (21), Miko Matikka, RA (19), Tanner Ludtke, C (18), Vadim Moroz, RA (19), Carsen Musser, G (18), Ivan Prosvetov, G (24)
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