The Arizona Coyotes have constructed one of the premier prospect pools in the NHL. There are plenty of reasons for this, one being the amount of draft capital they’ve accumulated throughout the rebuild. General manager Bill Armstrong warned fans this process of building a sustainable winner wouldn’t be easy, and while that’s true, we are slowly starting to see gluts of prospects make waves. We are slowly starting to see the vision Armstrong and the rest of the staff have laid out.
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There is still plenty of work to go for the Coyotes’ amateur staff, but they are finally seeing draft selections with potential turn into players with promise. Today, we’ll look at three prospects: Josh Doan, Victor Söderström, and Artyom Duda.
Doan Leading Roadrunners to Wins
When Josh Doan was selected by the Coyotes in the 2021 Draft, it was a heartfelt moment. Josh, the son of Coyote legend Shane Doan, was about to follow in his footsteps in the organization his father called home for 21 seasons. Josh took a different path than his father, but his future is still exciting. This season presented an opportunity to be the go-to guy with the Roadrunners, and so far, he’s doing just that as he leads the team in goals with 13 and is second in points with 21.
“Pots told me that being myself was going to be the key; to play my game and trust my instincts and use my strengths and just be competitive and hard on pucks,” Josh said. “He wanted me to focus on playing a hard style before focusing too much on trying to make a cute play or a nice attempt at net. He told me: ‘Just play a simple game until you get comfortable and then once you get comfortable you can slowly start to get the rest of your game figured out.’”
“What I liked about Josh’s game the most was his competitiveness,” [Roadrunners head coach Steve] Potvin said. “When you look at him and you get to know him, you may not think that that’s at the forefront, but I felt like he was very competitive and he wanted to get better and he just made us better.”
It’s not easy carrying his father’s legacy for Josh, but this season, he’s proving lots of people wrong. He is on pace for 47 points across the 72-game schedule that the American Hockey League (AHL) plays in, which would be a great sign of development. He may get a couple of games up with the Coyotes later this season, but he’ll have to keep working at his craft.
Duda Finds New Home, Excited for Opportunity
As mentioned in the latest news and rumors, Artyom Duda was denied three times by the NCAA to play with the University of Maine due to the 14 Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) games he had played. This was problematic for the Moskva, Russia native, as he was left without a place to play. Sure, he can skate by himself, but nothing compares to in-game situations. It was a challenging situation for Maine coach Ben Barr, who loved what Duda could’ve brought to the team if he had been granted the opportunity to do so.
“He likes going to school and he’s not the type of kid that when you leave him by himself, you’re worried about him,” Barr said. He’s really self-sufficient. He’d sit in his room and do his homework. He’s a fitness freak, too, so he was always working out on his own. He was very quiet and reserved to start, and then as he got more comfortable with the culture, he was fine. The guys really liked him. He would have been a great addition to our team, but hopefully, he can find a path here and find some stability because he deserves it. He’s been through a lot of crap the last year.”
Duda now plays at Toronto Metro University (TMU), where he’ll play for the remainder of the season. While playing in the latter half of TMU’s season, it’s less about points and more about growth for the 19-year-old. The hope would be to play in pivotal moments and make up for the near nine-month loss of development. His contract in Russia supposedly ends in May; if that were to be the case, he could sign with the Coyotes and likely play down in Tucson, which would be the best-case scenario.
What’s Next for Söderström?
What’s the deal with Victor Söderström? At one point in his career, he was one of the top prospects in the Coyotes system and was highly thought of. As we sit today, he is playing in the AHL with the Roadrunners, where he’s finding success, but it’s not necessarily where the team might have thought he’d be. With the Roadrunners, he has eight goals and 19 points in 32 games and is on pace for 43 points, which would be a career-high.
It’s also good to mention that Söderström was not an Armstrong selection, as former general manager John Chayka drafted him. He’s played 50 games with the Coyotes since he was drafted 11th overall in 2019, but every time he gets a chance, he hasn’t quite shown he is an everyday NHLer. The statistics also back that up, where he has just one goal and ten assists in those 50 games.
The next step for the 22-year-old defenseman is to keep developing at the AHL level and hope for an NHL call-up sooner rather than later.
Prospect Notes
- It’ll be a quick turnaround for Conor Geekie after the World Junior Championship, as he was traded in the Western Hockey League (WHL) to the Swift Current Broncos. The deal included two first-round picks and three players in the blockbuster trade. He had a great season thus far with the Wenatchee Wild, so his development with the Broncos for the remainder of the season will be worth keeping tabs on.
- Coyotes’ 2023 third-round selection, Tanner Ludtke, playing with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, had quite the weekend at Mullett Arena. Nebraska-Omaha, who took on Arizona State University in the final of the Desert Classic Hockey Tournament, scored a big-time goal in the first period, which put the Mavericks on top. Unfortunately, ASU pulled through in overtime, but Ludtke is still having a phenomenal freshman season with a bright future ahead.
- Sam Lipkin has continued to shine from his incredible freshman season at Quinnipiac University with 23 points in 19 games. He had 43 points in 39 games last season, so the pace of play remains the same in his sophomore season. He will likely turn pro at the end of this season and sign a contract with the Coyotes. He would likely start next season with the Roadrunners. The Roadrunners have a glut of prospects coming in; adding Lipkin to the mix makes it that much more exciting for the team down the I-10.
- The Coyotes 2023 fifth-round pick, Justin Kipkie, is having an impressive season with the Victoria Royals. This season, he’s totaled ten goals and 30 points in 38 games as a defenseman. In 67 games last season, he had 33 points, so improvement nonetheless, which is encouraging. It’s tough to see how he projects as a fifth-round pick, but so far, so good.
Coyotes Have Prospects Filled With Bright Future
It’s an exciting time to be a Coyotes fan. The current prospects they have now, more so than not, have been impressive so far. They also have gluts of draft capital through the next three drafts. How they choose to use those is up to Armstrong and company, but they are stocked with draft selections. The sky is the limit for all the prospects in the Coyotes system and the ones to come later.