Its prospects such as Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther and Conor Geekie that will help the Coyotes turn the page in its rebuild and become a contending team.
Over the years, the Arizona Coyotes have built a promising young core that could put the team over the top as a true contender one day.
Which Coyotes prospects have a chance at blossoming into a star-caliber NHL player?
Logan Cooley:
Logan Cooley was selected by the Coyotes with the third overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
The 19-year-old center played in the NCAA this past season for the University of Minnesota where he had 22 goals, 38 assists and 60 points in 39 games. Not only was Cooley a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the best collegiate men's hockey player, he also helped lead his team to the NCAA championship.
Cooley seems to be the real deal. His skating is off the charts and offensively he is dominant as he is a natural goalscorer. He legitimately has the skill sets to be a top tier center in the NHL if he can reach his full potential.
While Cooley is expected to play another year in Minnesota, he is still committed to playing for the Coyotes in the future.
“Obviously, when you go back to school, everyone’s gonna start speculating about you doing one thing or the other, but no, I’m just focused on becoming a better player and playing for the Coyotes,” Cooley said via PHNX’s Craig Morgan.
Dylan Guenther:
Dylan Guenther was drafted by Arizona with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
The 20-year-old winger actually has some NHL experience from last year playing a total of 33 games for the Coyotes tallying six goals, nine assists and 15 points.
Guenther played phenomenal for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey league last year scoring 13 goals to go along with 16 assists and 29 points in 20 games while in 19 playoff games, he put up 16 goals, 12 assists and 28 points.
It's rare to have such a complete player like Guenther. He can play at all ends of the ice, is an extremely fast skater and is just smart offensively making him both a dangerous scorer and playmaker.
Guenther should make the jump as a regular on the Coyotes this coming season and has the chance to be a truly special player.
“I might be here until tomorrow morning if I say everything I like about him,” Tourigny said via Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News. “Everyone knows he's a shooter and an offensive player - OK, good, we've got that covered. But he's way more than that. He'll take his guy defensively, he'll run obstruction, he'll create time and space for his teammates. Look at the number of times he goes to the net and screens the goalie. I know it's a cliche, but he plays the game the right way.”
Conor Geekie:
Conor Geekie was selected by the Coyotes with the 11th overall pick in the 2022 draft.
The 19-year-old center went off this past season for the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL as he had 35 goals, 42 assists and 77 points in 66 games.
Standing at 6-foot-4, Geekie is a dominant two-way player using his size to his advantage both offensively and defensively. He has the potential to be a valuable top-six forward for Arizona in the future.
“If you saw him on his good nights, you had him in the top five (among 2022 draft prospects),” Armstrong said via Alan Robinson of NHL.com. “He had some dominant performances with his size and ability, and just his energy.”