After shocking some with the choice of defenseman Victor Soderstrom within the first spherical of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft on Friday night in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Arizona Coyotes and normal supervisor John Chayka aggressively addressed the membership’s greatest organizational want – ahead depth – on the draft’s second day.
Sitting out the second spherical after buying and selling the No. 45 decide as a part of the deal to maneuver as much as choose Soderstrom, Chayka made his first choice of Day 2 at decide No. 76 within the third spherical. The Coyotes owned the No. 74 choice when the day started, however traded it to the Pittsburgh Penguins for picks No. 98, 151, and 207.
With the No. 76 decide, Arizona chosen heart and Harvard College commit John Farinacci, who entered the draft because the No. 1-ranked highschool participant in the US.
Right here at THW, Brandon Share-Cohen ranked Farinacci because the 96th-best prospect within the draft, whereas Ryan Pike and Larry Fisher had him barely larger, at 86 and 73, respectively. Elsewhere, NHL Central Scouting had Farinacci because the No. 35 North American skater, whereas TSN’s Bob McKenzie had him because the No. 52 general prospect.
John Farinacci of Dexter Prep College (courtesy Dexter Southfield)
Farinacci spent the 2018-19 season with Dexter Southfield College in Brookline, Massachusetts, the place, as captain, he scored 12 targets and 21 assists in 16 video games. In 2017-18, the New Jersey native recorded 26 targets and 27 assists in 27 video games, giving him 86 factors over his final 43 highschool contests.
Dexter Southfield has seen its justifiable share of NHL expertise move via over the past handful of seasons – Boston Bruins second-round decide and present Minnesota Wild ahead Ryan Donato performed there from 2011 to 2015, recording 227 factors throughout 115 video games earlier than transferring onto Harvard.
Earlier than he was an NHLer, Ryan Donato additionally performed at Dexter College and Harvard College. (Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports activities)
Defenseman Jack Rathbone, the Vancouver Canucks’ No. 95 general choice within the 2017 draft, additionally spent 4 years at Dexter earlier than enrolling at Harvard, recording 91 factors in 68 video games throughout his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons on the faculty.
The Dexter to Harvard connection has produced some high quality expertise over the previous few years, and the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Farinacci will undoubtedly be trying to observe in Donato’s footsteps and turn out to be an influence participant on the NHL degree.
No. 98: LW Matias Maccelli
A left-winger from the USHL’s Dubuque Preventing Saints, Matias Maccelli was the primary of two Coyotes’ fourth-round picks on Saturday.
Standing at 5-foot-11 and weighing in at 165 kilos, Maccelli was ranked because the No. 51 North American skater by NHL Central Scouting previous to the draft. At THW, Share-Cohen had Maccelli at No. 71 general, Pike ranked him 78th, and Fisher had him at No. 98 – precisely the place he was chosen.
The 18-year-old from Turku, Finland, performed in 62 video games with the Preventing Saints final season, selecting up 31 targets, 41 assists, and a plus-eight ranking. He was significantly harmful on Dubuque’s energy play, amassing 4 power-play targets together with 22 power-play assists, the very best complete amongst all forwards within the league. Maccelli’s 72 complete factors have been ok for third within the USHL, behind solely 2016 fourth-rounder Brett Murray and fellow 2019 fourth-rounder Nick Abruzzese.
His NHL arrival is probably going just a few years out, however Maccelli has a very good likelihood to stand up the ranks shortly in Arizona’s comparatively shallow ahead prospect pool. Search for him to make noise within the Finnish skilled ranks subsequent season earlier than coming to North America in 2020-21.
No. 107: RW Alexandr Darin
With their second fourth-round choice of the draft, the Coyotes chosen Russian ahead Alexandr Darin. A 5-foot-11, 159-pound 18-year-old, Darin performed Russian junior hockey within the MHL final season, scoring 20 targets and 15 assists in 47 complete video games for Loko Yaroslavl.
He additionally frolicked within the NMHL, the second-tier junior league within the nation, including 10 targets and 12 assists in 18 video games there.
Alexandr Darin (ARI) is a enjoyable participant. Expert winger with a ton of tempo in his sport. Always attacking the slot/web. Makes high-skill passes however I believe he is greatest as a shooter. His endurance and ability across the purpose actually stand out. pic.twitter.com/N3mpZeliEW— Mitch Brown (@MitchLBrown) June 22, 2019Darin was ranked because the No. 348 prospect on this yr’s draft by THW’s Fisher, whereas NHL Central Scouting put him because the 26th-best European skater obtainable.
No. 151: RW Aku Raty
Together with his lone fifth-round choice in Vancouver, Chayka chosen ahead Aku Raty out of Finland with the No. 151 general decide.
Raty performed Finnish junior hockey in 2018-19 with Kärpät, amassing 19 targets and 26 assists to go together with a plus-15 plus/minus ranking in 52 video games. Moreover, Raty performed for his nation on the 2019 IIHF U18 World Championship in Sweden, the place he scored twice in 5 video games and impressed many outdoors observers together with his play on the match.
Aku Raty to Arizona. I appreciated him with Finland’s U18 this season. Excessive-energy man who performs each shift like he is preventing for a spot on the roster. Inventive, aggressive. #NHLDraft— Steven Ellis (@StevenEllisTHN) June 22, 2019The 6-foot, 170-pound 18-year outdated was ranked because the 67th-best European skater by NHL Central Scouting. At THW, Share-Cohen had him because the 173rd-best prospect obtainable, whereas Pike had him at 121. Fisher ranked Raty at No. 171.
No. 174: LW Danil Savunov
With the primary of his two sixth-round picks, Chayka chosen Danil Savunov, an 18-year-old from Sarov, Russia. Savunov performed 45 video games with Dizel Penza of the second-tier VHL (the Russian equal of the AHL) in 2018-19, recording six targets and 9 assists in 45 video games.
This was a curious choice, because the 5-foot-10, 148-pound Savunov was unranked by most publications coming into the draft. He didn’t seem on Share-Cohen’s or Fisher’s rankings at THW, and was not listed on NHL Central Scouting’s record of European skaters. The one place I may discover him ranked is at No. 66 amongst European gamers by Draftin Europe.
No. 176: C Anthony Romano
At No. 176 general, the Coyotes chosen Canadian ahead Anthony Romano. Listed as a middle by NHL Central Scouting, and ranked as their No. 52 North American skater, Romano performed with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede in 2018-19, selecting up 26 targets and 21 assists in 60 video games there. He’s dedicated to Clarkson College in Potsdam, New York, for the 2019-20 season.
In THW’s draft rankings, the 5-foot-11, 182-pound Romano was ranked at No. 177 by Fisher, No. 194 by Share-Cohen, and acquired an honorable point out from Pike in his top-125 record.
No. 200: D Axel Bergkvist
As they did within the fourth and sixth rounds, the Coyotes additionally owned two picks within the seventh spherical on Saturday in Vancouver, utilizing the primary of those picks, at No. 200 general, on left-handed defenseman Axel Bergkvist.
#200 Axel Bergkvist #CoyotesShort however heavy defenseman that performs nicely within the offensive zone. Good wrist shot from the blue line that always finds it well beyond the blocking ahead and thru visitors. First rate imaginative and prescient and offensive insticts, also can make a play as an alternative of taking pictures.— Christoffer Hedlund (@ChrHedlund) June 22, 2019Bergkvist, a 5-foot-9, 201-pound defender from Insjon, Sweden, cut up time between Swedish junior hockey and HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier skilled league within the nation, in 2018-19.
Enjoying with Leksands IF, the identical membership present Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson performed for in 2008-09 and 2009-10, Bergkvist posted three targets and 7 assists in 36 skilled video games to go together with 12 targets and 9 assists in 23 junior contests.
No. 207: C Valentin Nussbaumer
The Coyotes’ remaining decide of the draft has the potential to be probably the most intriguing QMJHL gamers to look at in 2019-20. Valentin Nussbaumer, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound ahead from the Shawinigan Cataractes, was Chayka’s alternative at No. 207 general.
Earlier than the season, Nussbaumer was a extremely regarded prospect – he acquired first-round grades from some publications and was invited to take part within the 2019 CHL Prime Prospects Sport as nicely. Nonetheless, the 2018-19 season didn’t go nicely for him in Shawinigan – the Cataractes solely gained 14 video games all season, leaving Nussbaumer with a gnarly minus-49 plus/minus ranking to go together with his 17 targets and 21 assists in 58 video games.
Caught on a bottom-feeding staff within the QMJHL, Nussbaumer’s inventory dropped considerably because the season progressed. He nonetheless has a variety of expertise, although – he’ll be a participant to control in 2019-20. If the staff round him improves, search for Nussbaumer’s inventory to shortly rise as soon as once more.
Closing Ideas
Total, the Coyotes did what many anticipated them to do on the second day of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft – they used six of their eight picks on forwards, and have been capable of get some fairly good worth with these picks.
Not one of the gamers chosen by normal supervisor John Chayka will play within the NHL in 2019-20, barring an enormous shock, however we may probably see Soderstrom, Farinacci, and Maccelli all go well with up for the group as quickly as 2020-21 since none of them are restricted from taking part in within the AHL till their age-20 seasons because of the CHL-NHL Settlement.
