The Arizona Coyotes will kick off their 2023-24 season on Sept. 22 with the beginning of the preseason. With a revamped/retooled roster mixed with some young talent, they will try to put the league on notice with a much stronger, more competitive team. With additions such as Sean Durzi, Alex Kerfoot, Jason Zucker, Nick Bjugstad, Troy Stecher, and others, the Coyotes look to shed their long-associated “bottom dweller” reputation with a contender title.
General manager Bill Armstrong has added some worthy veteran additions this offseason, but the Coyotes aren’t expecting just their leaders to play a critical role this season. The team will enter 2023-24 with a flurry of young talent looking to build off positive seasons in guys such as Barrett Hayton, Matias Maccelli, Jack McBain, and J.J. Moser. Perhaps the biggest eye, though, will be on the Coyotes’ top two prospects, Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley, who signed his entry-level contract this past week. This has left fans with a renewed sense of optimism, one that hasn’t been felt since the 2019-20 season.
Renewed Sense of Optimism in the Valley
Hope has never been higher in the desert if you ask Coyotes fans. After a monumental 86-point season in 2022-23 by forward Clayton Keller, the Coyotes are hoping their newest additions can help contribute on the scoresheet. Add in the aura that both Guenther and Cooley bring to the valley of the sun, and all of a sudden the Coyotes are looking like a serious wild-card team.
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What exactly is it about these two prospects that have ‘Yotes fans falling head over heels for? Well, for starters, look at Guenther and the path he’s taken to get to where he is today. Originally the ninth-overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, Armstrong’s first year as GM and the beginning point of the Coyotes’ rebuild, he wowed scouts with his explosive shot and top-of-the-class off-puck timing and instincts around the net. Upon being drafted, the young Canadian forward terrorized the Western Hockey League (WHL) the following season, registering 91 points in 59 games.
Guenther’s play caught the attention of the organization, prompting his ascension to the Coyotes roster at the beginning of this past season. His rookie stint lasted just 33 games, before being sent back down to the WHL, where he made an impact once again, putting up 29 points in 20 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds. He then scored the ‘golden goal’ for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship a few months later. Ranked as one of the top draft night steals, he has continued to impress at every stop he’s made. The Coyotes hope to see him only pick up where he left off and live up to the expectations this season.
What about Cooley though? The third overall selection in the 2022 Draft. The guy many thought could end up being taken first overall over Shane Wright and Juraj Slafkovsky. The guy who scouts raved over, continuously going on about his playmaking, speed, overall hockey IQ, and attention to detail. He was even quoted as, “like watching a wide receiver with an unlimited catch radius.” Unlike his fellow prospects who went two spots ahead of him and made the jump straight to the NHL, Cooley instead went the college route and joined Bob Motzko’s squad at the University of Minnesota. In his freshman season, he registered 60 points in 39 games on 22 goals and 38 assists, ending the year as a Hobey Baker finalist. The Gophers ultimately fell just short in the national championship game, losing in overtime to Quinnipiac.
Entering the offseason, many expected Cooley to make the transition to pro. As a result of the failed Tempe Arena vote (partial reason), along with a desire to capture a national championship and the Hobey Baker Award, he opted instead to return for his sophomore season at Minnesota. His decision to remain in school lasted just a little over three months before flipping his decision and signing his three-year entry-level contract with the Coyotes this past week. Citing offseason moves made by the team and his own personal belief in making the transition as factors, his signing has proved to be a game-changer for the new-look Coyotes. This has, in turn, resulted in Arizona catapulting up the offseason rankings heading into the season.
Time to Be Alive In Arizona
Now is the time to be alive in Arizona. The Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks have both made significant strides thanks in part to some young talent and veteran leadership. The Coyotes have made clear their intentions to move on from ‘tanking’ and become a contender in the Western Conference and Central Division. Guys like Maccelli are coming off a spectacular rookie season, finishing as a contender for the Calder Trophy, and Hayton finally looks to be a legitimate first-line center, gaining success with linemates Keller and Nick Schmaltz last season.
McBain, who just signed a two-year contract extension, is coming off his first full season in which he set the Coyotes’ single-season hits record with 304 recorded hits, and defenseman Moser saw a spike in his game and overall production after the acquisition of his defense partner Juuso Välimäki. Add in another solid draft by Armstrong and the Coyotes have single handily turned their roster into one that can make some noise this season. The days of being a cash/dead contract dumping ground are past the Coyotes, who currently have about $7 million in cap space. The time to be excited about hockey in the desert is now. As the team awaits word on a new arena deal, expect the Mullet to be rocking once again this season, as the Coyotes look to be a dark horse threat in the Western Conference.