This preseason has been headlined by all of the Arizona Coyotes young players who continue to change the culture in the Valley.
This preseason is all about the young prospects for the Arizona Coyotes.
The Coyotes have been rebuilding for years, stockpiling draft picks and accumulating young players which has required a ton of patience from both the fans and organization.
However, through the preseason, it seems the Coyotes rebuild is finally starting to come together.
In Australia this past weekend where Arizona played the Los Angeles Kings, Logan Cooley showed the world why he was capable of being selected with the third overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. In the Coyotes 5-3 victory over Los Angeles, Cooley left Australian fans and players on the ice in awe scoring a highlight-reel type goal that only a select few people in the world can pull off.
Meanwhile that very same weekend in Kansas, 2022 second-round pick, Josh Doan, put on a show in Arizona’s 5-1 victory against the St. Louis Blues and scored a hat trick in his first NHL game. While it will be an uphill battle for Doan to make the roster, he is making it hard for the team to send him down to the AHL.
Cooley and Doan have been the driving force for the Coyotes through the start of the preseason but they are not the only young players to suit up for Arizona. Both the Coyotes other 2022 first-round picks Conor Geekie and Maveric Lamoureux are with the team and continue to make strides as they continue their respective paths into the NHL.
Arizona’s 2021 ninth overall pick, Dylan Guenther, was with the Coyotes main group in Australia and recorded one point during those two preseason games. It's a positive sign he was playing in Australia alongside the majority of players that will be on the opening night roster.
Don’t get too excited yet, it is just preseason but the Coyotes young wave is finally beginning to take over in what is a new era for professional hockey in the Valley.