Something I have been wondering about recently involves our rookies and those coming back for their sophomore season.
Will the returning guys (Mueller, Hanzal, Winnik, and Carcillo) have a sophomore slump? Hanzal will be coming off a back surgery, will he be cautious? We are putting a lot of stock in our young guys. Watching Mueller in practice, he looks older and more muscular. Winnik still looks good and he’s skating very well. Last time I was at the practice he was out with Jokinen and Turris and looked very good with those two. I haven’t seen Carcillo or Hanzal yet but I’ve heard Carcillo has been working out this summer and going to a camp up in Toronto.
Another thing I have been wondering is how the rookies are going to do. I’m sure Turris and a few others (Boedker) will be up here all year but I wonder about the likes of Porter and Kolairk etc. We have so many rookies; I don’t see them all on the Coyotes all year. I have a feeling that some may be bouncing back and forth between here and San Antonio. If it’s like last year, the call up will happen and then when they aren’t doing as well, back to SA.
In two weeks we have the rookie game. That should also give me an idea how all the young guys are doing and who will be making the big club.
Here is the line up for the rookie game line up
Stolen from: http://blog.coyoteshipcheck.com/
Phoenix Roster: Projected Players:
Joel Gistedt – Goaltender – Frolunda (Sweden)
Kurtis Mucha – Goaltender – Portland (WHL)*
Kyle Turris – Center – Wisconsin (WCHA)/Phoenix (NHL)
Colin Long – Center – Kelowna (WHL)
Daine Todd – Center – Medicine Hat (WHL)*
Tyler Johnson- Center – Spokane (WHL)*
Viktor Tikhonov – Left Wing – Cherepovets (Russia)
Brett MacLean – Left Wing – Oshawa (OHL)
Adam Perry – Left Wing – London/Belleville (OHL)
John Flatters – Left Wing – Prince Albert/Saskatoon (WHL)*
Mikkel Boedker – Right Wing – Kitchener (OHL)
Kevin Porter – Right Wing – Michigan (CCHA)/San Antonio (AHL)
Chad Kolarik – Right Wing – Michigan (CCHA)/San Antonio (AHL)
Jared Staal – Right Wing – Sudbury (OHL)
Jonas Ahnelov – Defenseman – Frolunda (Sweden)
Nick Ross – Defenseman – Regina/Kamloops (WHL)/San Antonio (AHL)
Sean Sullivan – Defenseman – Arizona (CHL)/San Antonio (AHL)
David Schlemko – Defenseman – Arizona (CHL)/San Antonio (AHL)
Mathieu Brodeur – Defenseman – Cape Breton (QMJHL)
Tim Billingsley – Defenseman – Mississauga-St. Mike’s(OHL)
Michael Stone – Defenseman – Calgary (WHL)
Brett Motherwell – Defenseman – Syracuse (AHL)/Elmira (ECHL)/BC (H.E.)*
Obviously not all of these guys are going to be in the NHL. Many will be sent back to their junior team but it will be fun to see them all and focus on those that may be making the Coyotes. I can’t wait to see what lines they put together. With Gretzky behind the bench, I am sure there will be much line juggling!
And for those who care about the other team:
Los Angeles Roster: Projected Players
84 — Azevedo, Justin — Center
45 — Bernier, Jonathan — Goaltender
55 — Cameron, Bryan — Right Wing
81 — Campbell, Andrew — Defenseman
72 — D’Orazio, Mike* — Defenseman
80 — Doughty, Drew — Defenseman
44 — Drewiske, Davis — Defenseman
77 — Fillier, Matt — Left Wing
37 — Hickey, Thomas — Defenseman
50 — Holloway, Bud — Right Wing
64 — Kidd, Josh — Defenseman
74 — King, Dwight — Left Wing
83 — Legault, Olivier* — Left Wing
48 — Loktionov, Andrei — Center
53 — Martinez, Alec — Defenseman
51 — Moller, Oscar — Center
75 — Rowat, Linden — Goaltender
57 — Simmonds, Wayne — Right Wing
79 — Teubert, Colten — Defenseman
76 — Voynov, Viatcheslav — Defenseman
82 — Wudrick, Geordie — Left Wing
36 — Zatkoff, Jeff — Goaltender
* tryout?
One article/opinion piece already has Kyle Turris winning the Calder. Last year Mueller was often mentioned in the Calder race and I don’t doubt that KT will be on the top of that list for most of the season. It’s nice to see other people putting their stock into KT over Stamkos.
http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=6051&user_id=11756
My favorite coyote radio guy is leaving. Louie DeBrusk has taken the color analyst for the Edmonton Oilers/Rodgers Sportsnet. I am a little disappointed. I really liked Louie and never did get a picture with him. I do wish him well. I much liked when he did the interviews for the coyotes website. He comes across very well on camera. I am sure he will be great for the Oilers.
http://coyotes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=381128
A quote from DeBrusk (from article on AZcentral)
“Any time you’re making a career change – to a certain degree it’s the same line of work, TV, but it’s different from radio – it’s an adjustment, the unknown,” he said. “Every time you try to make an adjustment like that, there’s always some thinking about it, but everything seemed to add up for me.”
Don Maloney has shown he fits right in with the rest of the Phoenix Sports teams. (For those that may not know, Phoenix sports teams have a reputation of making sure all their athletes are quite respectable. This is why I laughed my ass off when people actually thought Kobe Bryant would be traded to the Suns. With his past, that would never happen) Former agent David Frost is thinking he is going to come to the Coyotes training camp. He has asked (and been granted permission) to leave Canada (he’s on bail for sexual exploitation) to attend the coyotes training camp. I think it would be best to put up Maloney’s quotes from the article to best convey his feelings:
“I can’t be strong enough about this, we don’t want any part of David Frost,” Maloney told the Toronto Sun. “He is not welcome here. This is the first I’ve heard about this, but I can tell you without a doubt, I don’t want him here, we don’t want him here, he will not be allowed here.”
“If young Keefe is in any way associated with Frost, he will not be coming to our camp,” Maloney told the Toronto Sun. “He’s a player targeted to play in San Antonio (of the American Hockey League). He played there last season and we had no problems with him and had no association with David Frost.”
“This is simple really, if Frost is connected to Adam Keefe, we’re through with Adam Keefe. When I was in New York, we had Sheldon for a brief time. And I had a little exposure to this man (Frost). I didn’t like it. And I don’t want anything to do with him now.”
Wow Don, tell us how you really feel. But I can’t say I disagree with Maloney. After googling the man (and a friend’s hint that she also looked into him and was disgusted) I can’t say I don’t disagree with Maloney. The dude sounds like a pedophile. He needs to be locked up for good. Supposedly he sexual assaulted both girls and boys (ages 14-16) and watched them engage in acts with each other. Keep this man far away from Phoenix. We don’t want him here or anywhere near our players.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=248538&lid=sublink01&lpos=headlines_nhl
The coyotes have agreed to a one year affiliation with the sundogs. Maybe this year I will be able to make it up to a sundogs game. I’m sure I could get a few others to tag along. Road trip time!
http://coyotes.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=381204&page=NewsPage&service=page
It looks like Chickenoff (Tikhonov) will be free to play in the NHL this year. That is good news for us because that boy is good!
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=248637&lid=sublink01&lpos=headlines_nhl
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