Why Dylan Guenther and Michael Kesselring Participating in AHL Playoffs is Important

Once the Coyotes' season ends, Dylan Guenther and Michael Kesselring will join the Roadrunners for their playoff run which is very significant for a number of reasons.

On the day of the NHL Trade Deadline, the Arizona Coyotes made Dylan Guenther and Michael Kesselring eligible for the AHL playoffs.

The Tucson Roadrunners are having an excellent season as they currently hold a 35-19–5 record and are expected to make the playoffs.

Once the Coyotes finish up the season in late April, both Guenther and Kesslering will be assigned to play with the Roadrunners with the postseason on the horizon.

This should benefit both these young players in significant ways.

Guenther was called up back in January after there was an opening in the Coyotes’ lineup and given that he was drafted with the ninth overall pick back in 2021, excitement around the fanbase was high to see what he can do.

In what was originally supposed to be a short term stint with the Coyotes ultimately turned into Guenther staying with the team permanently.

Through 31 games, Guenther has 10 goals, 10 assists and 20 points while serving a critical role on both the power play and penalty kill.

Kesselring was called up early on in the season from Tucson and has never looked back.

The 24-year-old has been one of Arizona’s top defensemen this season and his impressive speed for his size on top of his physical presence makes him a threat at both ends of the ice.

Over 51 games, Kesselring has five goals, 10 assists and 15 points. He averages 15:06 minutes per game.

Guenther and Kesselring have already seemed to develop so much through the course of the year with the Coyotes and will soon get the opportunity to play meaningful games down in the AHL.

It’s important for both of them to experience even further what it means to participate in playoff caliber hockey despite it not being at the NHL level.

This also shows that the Coyotes care for the Roadrunners and they are committed to helping Tucson succeed come playoff time.

These two rising stars will join an already talented young team that includes Josh Doan, Aku Räty, Victor Söderström and Matt Villalta.

The presence of Guenther and Kesselring should certainly help the Roadrunners potentially go on a deep run and accomplish something the organization has never done which is extremely exciting to think about.