André Tourigny’s relationship with forward Adam Ružička is personal. The Arizona Coyotes claimed Ružička off of waivers from the Calgary Flames prior to the All-Star break as he is set to join the team any day now. Something that many might not actually know is that Tourigny was acquainted with Ružička far before his NHL days. “I like him, I’ve known him since he was 16-years-old,” Tourigny said. “I scouted him when I was a GM in the QMJHL. I coached against him in the OHL…” Now everything comes full circle and Tourigny will be Ružička’s new head coach which really shows that we are in a small world. Tourigny also talked about Ružička as a player and how he will fit in with his current system in place. “I think in Calgary it was a situation for him that was tough to get ahead of a few veterans,” Tourigny said. “Here, I’ve begged for years to have flexibility down the middle. I like a team where there are six, seven centers where you can move things around and ok those are your four centers. Now Kerfoot can play the wing, McBain can play on the wing, Cooley can play on the wing, Ružička can play on the wing, Bjugstad can play on the wing. 240203 Keller All Star Post “Now you can create better chemistry I think. If you look at our lineup, you have different styles of players, so you must be able to move them around to create lines that fit… I love the addition.” In 39 games with the Flames this season, Ružička has three goals, six assists and nine points while playing 10:09 minutes pergame. Ružička’s 6’4’’ frame is extremely intriguing and his physical attributes will certainly be a valuable trait for the Coyotes moving into this tough stretch of the season. Despite not being slated to play this Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights, Ružička should join the team in the coming days and his role will be assessed from there.
