1. Chris
Brown, C: If there is one player ready to make the leap to
the NHL, it may be Brown. The Texas-born University of Michigan
product enjoyed a standout first season in the American Hockey League
in 2012-13. Brown led AHL rookies with 29 goals in 68 games. That
performance earned him a five-game NHL stint, when he averaged 7:38
of ice time per game and failed to produce a point. The second-round
pick (No. 36) in 2009 always has shown the ability to score. But at
6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Brown could provide size and scoring, two
things missing from the Phoenix roster much of last season.
2. Max
Domi, C: The son of longtime NHL player Tie
Domi, Max was Phoenix's top pick (No. 12) at the 2013 NHL Draft
and has been getting attention from team brass ever since. Playing
with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League last season,
Domi showed the ability to make highlight-reel plays. That, coupled
with a strong performance at the Coyotes' rookie camp, has made him a
contender to make the team as an 18-year-old. "I think the
plus in Max's situation is he'll probably be 195 pounds when he shows
up at training camp," Coyotes GM Don
Maloney told NHL.com. "He has excellent speed and a
creative mind. How can we not give him every opportunity to make the
team? Max has it all, other than the fact that he's still 18. Max
will have every opportunity to make this club." An 82-game
NHL schedule could be challenging for Domi. But if he doesn't make
the Coyotes, he'll still be in a great situation: He'll return to a
London team that is guaranteed a third straight trip to the Memorial
Cup as the event's host in 2014.
3. Lucas
Lessio, LW: Since starting his OHL career with the Oshawa
Generals in 2010, Lessio has demonstrated the ability to score. His
34 goals as an 18-year-old tied for the team lead, and the Ontario
native collected 34 points last season despite a hand injury that
limited him to 35 games. A second-round pick (No. 56) in 2011, Lessio
enjoyed a short but strong audition with the Portland Pirates, the
team's AHL affiliate, during which he collected a goal and an assist
in five regular-season games before contributing two points in three
playoff games. "Lucas
Lessio really impressed us at the end of the year in Portland,"
Maloney said. "[He's a] big, strong-skating winger."
4. Brandon
Gormley, D: The 13th pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, Gormley
enjoyed a celebrated career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
He then barely skipped a beat in his first full AHL season in
Portland in 2012-13 when he had 29 points, among the AHL's highest
totals for rookie defensemen. A featured part of Canada's
bronze-medal team at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship, Gormley
was the lone Canadian selected to the tournament All-Star team.
Gormley likely needs to add some muscle to his 6-2, 196-pound frame.
But that's the only thing lacking from a player the Coyotes will
consider adding to this season's roster.
5. Mark
Visentin, G: With Mike
Smith signing a six-year contract extension this summer, Visentin
won't get a shot at taking over the Phoenix net anytime soon. But he
remains one of the top goaltending prospects in the game. During the
2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, few junior goaltenders boasted the kind
of stats Visentin had. The first-round pick (No. 27) in 2010 was
named the OHL's top goaltender in 2011, then went 30-9-2 with a 1.99
goals-against average and a league-high 10 shutouts with the Niagara
IceDogs. Last season, his first in the AHL, the 20-year-old showed
the ability to adapt to the pro game, going 15-12-1 with a 2.98 GAA.
He was named AHL Player of the Week for the first week of January,
including a 48-save, 2-1 win Jan. 2; it was the most saves in a game
by a Portland goaltender in almost a decade.
6. Henrik
Samuelsson, C: Phoenix's first-round pick (No. 27) in the
2012 NHL Draft, the Arizona-born Samuelsson has shown a nifty scoring
touch along with a nasty streak that was the calling card of his
father, longtime NHL player and former Coyotes assistant coach Ulf
Samuelsson. After being groomed by the United States National
Team Development Program, then playing with the fabled Modo club in
the Swedish Hockey League, Samuelsson enjoyed a breakout performance
last season with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League.
He finished third on the team with 80 points, then had 19 points in
22 playoff games to lead the team to the WHL final, where it lost in
six games to the Portland Winterhawks. His 11 postseason goals were
the third-highest total in the WHL playoffs.
Former NHLer Tie Domi
and his son Max are interviewed after the Phoenix Coyotes selected
Max with the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
7. Connor Murphy, D: The son of longtime NHL defenseman Gord Murphy, Connor has shown the all-round tools the Coyotes coveted when they made him the 20th pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. Since then, however, Murphy has encountered a series of injuries, undergoing two knee surgeries, including one procedure to fix an injury sustained during his gold medal-winning performance with the American team at the 2013 World Juniors. When he has been healthy, Murphy has shown a winning touch, also boasting a victory at the 2011 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. Fully recovered from his most recent knee injury, Murphy heads into training camp hoping for a roster spot, but in all likelihood he'll be groomed in the minors.
8. Laurent
Dauphin, C: A solid all-round player throughout his lone
season with Chicoutimi of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League,
Dauphin showed great scoring touch, with 25 goals and 57 points in 62
games with the Sagueneens. It was enough to convince the Coyotes to
pick him with their second-round pick (No. 39) in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Dauphin has the look of a player who could fit seamlessly in
Tippett's system, but his best performance may have been for Canada
at the World Under-18 Tournament in Sochi, Russia, in April. On a
squad that won the tournament with a 3-2 victory against the United
States in the gold-medal game, Dauphin's four goals ranked second.
What's more, his 65.62-percent success rate on faceoffs was
third-best in the tournament.
9. Louis
Domingue, G: It's rare that a team that just gave its
franchise goaltender a six-year contract extension would have two top
prospects in net, but the Coyotes find themselves dealing with that
unique predicament. Visentin has posted outstanding numbers
throughout his young career, and Domingue has almost matched him save
for save. Domingue started his QMJHL career with the Moncton Wildcats
but was traded to the Quebec Remparts, where he was groomed by
goaltending great Patrick
Roy, who at the time was the team's owner, general manager and
coach. A fifth-round pick (No. 138) in 2010, Domingue backstopped a
competitive Remparts team before shining as a pro last season, first
with the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL then briefly with Portland.
10. Andy
Miele, C: The forgotten man in all this discussion of
prospects making the jump could be the oldest member of the group.
Miele is 25, but he's shown a lot in a short amount of time. The
Michigan native won the 2011 Hobey Baker Award as the top Division I
player while attending Miami University, then signed as a free agent
with the Coyotes. In 2011-12, his first professional season, Miele
led the Pirates with 38 assists. He then led the team last season in
assists (34) and points (53). Though he's performed well in the AHL,
the undersized forward (5-9, 175) has appeared in eight NHL games
with Phoenix over two seasons and failed to register a point. This
summer, the Coyotes signed him to a one-year extension, likely giving
him one last shot to make the squad.
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