Richard Panik – McKeen's Hockey

Raising Arizona – Arizona Coyotes 2018-19 Season Preview

Robert Howard — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 20:34:09 +0000

Review/State of Play - Finishing out of the playoffs for the sixth straight season and third worst in the league with 70 points, netting another high draft pick. They entered 2017-18 expecting to be more competitive, but instead by seasons end were adding more pieces to a young group of talented prospects selecting center Barret Hayton fifth in this year’s Draft.

The team did finish with a 17-12-3 record as pieces started to fit together late in the season, providing reason for optimism for a developing franchise. They have now had a season under coach Rich Tocchet, establishing a fast paced system, coming out of the Penguins system, he should have the benefit of a team on the same page out of the gate this season.

Clayton Keller

Keller leads the youth movement - Management will be encouraged by a terrific rookie season from Clayton Keller leading the team in scoring with 65 points - finishing second behind Matt Barzal in rookie scoring. He was the clear leader on offence and a fixture on the power play leading the team with 20 points.

On the disappointing side of the prospect development saw Max Domi struggle through a difficult season. He was dealt in the off-season to the Montreal Canadiens for Alex Galchenyuk, whom GM Chayka sees as a center, a subject of much controversial debate in Montreal. Having already scored 30 in a young career, Galchenyuk is seen to address the Yotes inability to puck the puck in the net. He will be given a lot of opportunity to shine in a fresh start and prove he belongs in the middle

A blue-chip group of prospects in Lawson Crouse (21), Dylan Strome (21), Brendan Perlini (22), Christian Fischer (21), Nick Merkley (21) remain in development. They added more youth in a trade with Chicago for Vinnie Hinostroza.

Fischer had a solid rookie season firing 15 goals and more is expected as a sophomore. Perlini now has two seasons under his belt and came close to the 20-goal scorer they hope he can be with 17 in his sophomore season and 31 over two seasons. Strome appeared in 21 games last season with the Coyotes but also delivered 53 points in 50 games as an AHL rookie. He may be ready to contribute full time this season. Merkley also delivered 39 points in 38 AHL games in an injury shortened season. 6’4”, 220-pound Crouse could earn a spot on the fourth line. He appeared in 72 NHL games in 2016-17, but only 11 last season. His physical game might have him NHL ready, but power forwards of his size often take time to develop fully.

Development amongst that group will have a big impact on the coming season and how the lines shake out. Make no mistake it will be another year of growing for the forwards.

Defensive rock Ekman-Larsson signs for eight – the biggest off-season move that secures their backend and a key piece to future aspirations and a signal to the team and community that improving sooner rather than later is the plan.

The defense however, is reliant up on veterans, whom left some room for improvement last season, but the organization sees as a strength. 32-year-old Alex Goligoski had a mixed campaign producing 35 points, one less than the prior season. Jason Demers and Niklas Hjalmarsson were to provide responsible veteran support on the back end. Demers delivered a solid performance on the top pairing with Ekman Larsson but Hjarlmarsson struggled appearing in 48 games in an injury-marked season. The resigned him for two years and believe he can play a shut down role.

Jakob Chychrun missed time to injury to start the season and enters his third season after surprisingly making the team as an 18-year old. Injury played a factor last season but a clean bill of health to start and he will be counted on to provide 30 points after two seasons of 20. He has the potential to do more.

Antti Raanta was outstanding last season and is signed through 2020-21 at $4.25 million AAV. In his 47 starts he posted a 0.930 save percentage and 2.24 goals against, second place in the NHL for goaltenders playing more than 30 games in both categories. He was dominating in the second half, posting a 16-6-4 record, 1.84 GAA, and .942 save percentage in 27 games starting on Jan. 1^st. Injuries limited his appearances at the start of the season and a healthy season will see 60 or more starts. Sparkling numbers may be hard to repeat with a developing team in front of him Arizona signed veteran, and former starter, 29-year-old Darcy Kuemper as his back up for the next two years hoping to provide stability.

Outlook – Weak special teams were bolstered by the additions of Galchenyuk to help the power play and speedy Michael Grabner on the penalty kill. The Coyotes will struggle to make the playoffs and will be primarily looking to get a group ready to challenge in the following two to three seasons rather than immediately. The pieces are there, and they could surprise given their finish at the end of the season, but smart money is on forward progress and glory down the road.

Tampa Bay looks to future in Syracuse

Robert Howard — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:49:49 +0000

The future is on the ice for Tampa in another lost season. After winning 6 of their first 7 games the bottom fell out for the Lightning, losing 16 of the next 24, to bring the end of Guy Boucher’s tenure. His replacement, Jon Cooper, brings an impressive resume of winning at all levels he has coached. The Syracuse Crunch was in first place when he took the Lightning job. Last season he led the Norfolk Admirals (Tampa’s AHL affiliate in 2011-12) and manufactured a miraculous, record breaking, 28 game winning streak to make the playoffs and go on to win the Calder cup. His success in the organization made him stand out, but his familiarity with many of the Lightning’s near-term building blocks, cinched Yzerman’s decision. He has a deep familiarity with Alex Killorn, Tyler Johnson, Richard Panik, Brett Connolly, Ondrej Palat, Radko Gudas, and Dana Tyrrell, all now part of the NHL line-up. Their development is critical to the Lightning’s chances next year and Cooper has proven he can win with them.

With a Lecavalier buy out likely this summer, there will be a reshuffling of the top six in Tampa. Stamkos turns 24 next year, and with St. Louis, provides elite level scoring. Lining up with them is an opportunity for one or two of these players to take a meaningful step forward next year into a scoring role.

They have just re-assigned Johnson and Connolly to Syracuse to take part in the playoff run. They will be given every opportunity to fill an offensive role next season and this time in the AHL will only benefit both their development.

The Lightning had a spirited showing against Washington rebounding from a 5 to 1 deficit on Saturday, with Panik producing a remarkable 3 point effort and some grit. Fatigue showed in a flat effort against Buffalo the next night, but it is clear the trust coach Cooper has in his AHL contingent in the ice time he is providing them. For example, Gudas is playing 16 minutes a game in key situations, Johnson playing 13 minutes on a regular shift and Panik is averaging over 12 minutes in April.

Here are some quick notes on the three young prospects that could seize this opportunity with Panik making a case to be included with each strong NHL start.

Cooper has shown tremendous confidence in Alex Killorn, 32-7-11-18, who has averaged over 17 minutes a game this season and watched it jump to over 20 minutes a game under his new coach. He is seeing regular time with St. Louis and Stamkos, averaging 2 minutes a game on the power play, and 1 minute on the penalty kill. He is responsible defensively and aggressive in the offensive zone, drawing penalties on occasion, and providing a complementary role to the two superstars. 23 years old, he joined Norfolk and Cooper for the playoffs in 2012, after 4 years at Harvard. He started this season with Syracuse and was a likely candidate for the all-rookie team in the AHL after scoring 40 points in 44 games before his NHL call up. Killorn will also appear on some long lists for top rookie in the NHL. He has made his case for a top six role and should be a good late round fantasy pick next season.

Brett Connolly has seen limited action this season and will benefit from time spent in Syracuse, whom he is tied for the team lead in scoring, 68-30-30-60. After disappointing season in the NHL in 2011-12, but a strong performance at the World Juniors that season, Tampa felt more development time was needed. The former 6^th overall pick in 2010 has star potential and a good playoff in the AHL should see him receive the invitation to the Lightning training camp in the fall he did not get this year. His role will be top 6, or he will see more time in the AHL, but a scoring role in the NHL is coming sooner rather than later.

Tyler Johnson, is a small dynamic winger, that went undrafted, similar to Cory Conacher. Conacher's departure to Ottawa opens up a golden opportunity for Johnson. Currrently tied with Connolly for the team scoring lead in Syracuse, 60-33-27-60, he was also an important contributor in the 2012 playoffs for Cooper and the Norfolk Admirals with 14 points in 14 games. Winning championships together forges trust. His enthusiasm for his new coach is evident in this quote from an article by Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times shortly after Cooper was hired.

"It's going to be fast-paced hockey, quick transitions, aggressive in the offensive and even in the defensive zones and create as much speed as possible," Johnson said. "I really enjoy playing for him. He gives you a lot of room to make the skill plays you need to make and he creates a lot of speed. It's awesome to play under him."

When a 24 year old talent like Stamkos, with the ability to win a scoring championship, is the building block of your franchise then a quick turnaround is always a possibility. Keep an eye on this team for some potential break out candidates in 2013-14.