Follow @james_tanner123 I nearly quoted Limp Bizkit to kick this off this morning, but then I realized that if music was a religion, then doing so would be the most sacrilegious thing a man could do.
So I won't be quoting the much maligned kings of the mall, circa '99, but I will say this: the Coyotes /Glendale feud is getting ridiculous to the point of a soap opera:
This guy said this.
That guy might be a conspirator.
Oh look: a secret document!
Wake me up when Stefano gets here. 'Cause this is super boring.
2014
Although it's pretty hard to tell just a year later, it does seem like the Coyotes had a very successful draft last year. They picked nine players in total, and three in the first sixty.
At 12, they selected Brendan Perlini, a left winger with good size and skill. Like virtually all coyotes prospects, his father played in the NHL as well (8 career games with the Leafs). It's a curious thing the Coyotes do, focusing so much on second generation players (Besides Perlini, they have a Samuelson, Murphy, Burke, MacInnis, Domi and a few I'm probably forgetting).
The Coyotes selected Perlini in the first round after a 36 goal OHL campaign, but injuries forced him to regress this past season. Still, he's an exciting prospect because he already has an NHL shot and is known as a great skater who's very intelligent on the ice(if surprisingly non-physical, given his size). Maybe he projects as a slightly shorter JVR, although hopefully with better defensive abilities.
Perlini, along with Duclair, Domi and Boedker gives the Coyotes a very nice group of wingers from which to build around.
Next, the Coyotes selected Ryan MacInnis with the 43rd pick. Like his father Al, he is known for a booming shot. He's also a massive 6'4, and, although he isn't known for his high-end offensive skills or blazing speed, there's hope that he can develop into an NHL centre, maybe a third liner who can chip in some offense and shut-down the other team. That being said, he nearly doubled his point production last year in the OHL, so who knows? Maybe he develops better than anticipated - because his scouting report profiles him as a potential late-bloomer, saying he has a "great shot that can be wild," and is a "strong skater, but lacks speed," both of which read to me like he has a ton of raw upside.
Either way, along with Perlini, he's an interesting prospect with maybe a tad more upside than his draft position would necessarily suggest.
The Coyotes third pick last year - also a second rounder - was Christian Dvorak, famous for playing on the London Knights with Domi and Mitch Marner. Given the Coyote's history and previous picks, you'd think he was the son of ex-NHLer Radek Dvorak, but that is not the case.
A first generation (potential) NHL player, Dvorak is actually an American.
When the Coyotes drafted him, he was coming off of a season in which he scored 14 points in 33 games. This year, he EXPLODED for 41 goals and 109 points in 66 games. He even played in the AHL for two games and got a goal and an assist.
Dvorak would probably be a first round pick if the draft was done over, so he looks like a steal with the Coyotes second pick of the second round. All in all, even knowing next to nothing about the other six players they drafted, the 2014 draft looks like it will end up being pretty kind to the Coyotes.
As for 2015, they pick 3rd overall, 30th (Blackhawks) and 32nd - which is fantastic, as their second round pick is just basically a late first. It also gives them options to package both picks and maybe move up into the middle of the first round - on draft day, options are as good as anything.
They'll also pick 60th, 63rd, 81st, 123rd, and 183rd.
It's going to be a fun couple of days, and who knows, maybe there'll even be some actual hockey news to talk about between now and then.
Thanks for reading.