When you think about the Arizona Coyotes, the first thing that likely comes to mind is top players such as Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, Barrett Hayton, and Lawson Crouse. Players like these are the ones you build a team around and the ones who win championships. However, general manager Bill Armstrong has also added a plethora of prospects to the ever-growing pool of players. He has added the likes of Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, Dmitri Simashev, and so much more.
Related: Coyotes’ Top 10 Prospects for 2023-24
While these are the players who headline most of the team’s prospect talk, many others need to garner more attention. Some players slip under the radar because others overshadow them, or they are in a league where it can be challenging to watch them. That’s the situation these three players below are in, so without further ado, here are the Coyotes’ top three most underrated prospects.
Ilya Fedotov
Generally speaking, underrated prospects are the later-round selections and tend to not get enough attention. For Ilya Fedotov’s situation, he was one of three second-round picks in 2021. Since he was a second-round pick, he should get plenty of attention, right? That has yet to be the case, as he has completely flown under the radar the past two seasons.
Fedotov spent the 2022-23 season with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), recording nine goals and 14 points. Being in Russia’s top league as a 19-year-old is no easy task, but Fedotov made the most of his opportunities, flashing his goal-scoring ability. He was then traded to SKA St. Petersburg, where he’ll play with Matvei Michkov and the up-and-coming 2024 draft prospect Ivan Demidov this season.
Playing in the KHL can be tricky; many scouts consider it the second-best league in the world, behind the NHL. So, what should be expected out of Fedotov as a 20-year-old? Since he is signed with SKA St. Petersburg through the 2026-27 season, seeing him slowly develop into a reliable goal-scorer will likely be best for the Saratov, Russia native, and the Coyotes. Another important factor will have him steadily increase his time on ice; the more ice time he gets, the better. While we won’t see Fedotov anytime soon in Arizona, keeping tabs on him in Russia and watching his development will be vital.
Maksymilian Szuber
Unlike Fedotov, Maksymilian Szuber was the Coyotes 2022 sixth-round pick. In the later rounds, there are not many expectations as most of the players hardly even make it to the NHL. For Szuber’s case, he has proven many of those stereotypes wrong as he’s impressed many with his play last season. During 2022-23, the Opole, Poland native registered three goals and 10 points in 46 games in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He also played for Team Germany at the 2023 World Championship where he left a positive impression on many.
“The focus right now is defending with a little more presence,” Coyotes development coach Kurtis Foster said. “It’s a vague term, but at the end of the day, it’s about him owning his ice below the dots. When I talk about him improving his physicality, that is one thing we are working on, but what he does do very well is he has a very good, long stick. He defends with reach and smarts.”
Szuber will likely be playing with EHC Munchen again this season, furthering his game in the DEL, or he could make the transition to North America and play for the Tuscon Roadrunners. Seeing him play in Tuscon would make it a step closer to seeing Szuber playing in the NHL at some point. Many scouts believe he has real NHL potential, and while that’s still uncertain, playing for the Roadrunners would be a substantial step in that direction.
Sam Lipkin
Armstrong has done a great job drafting, especially with late-round picks, and Sam Lipkin is a perfect example of that. During his draft season, he played with the Chicago Steel, which has housed plenty of prospects in the past, including Josh Doan. He had a subpar season at best while recording just 11 points in 30 games. However, it was enough to get the Coyotes’ attention, as they selected him in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
During the 2021 Draft, it was all about Dylan Guenther since he was the Coyotes’ first-round draft pick; along with Josh Doan who was also taken in the second round. So from the get-go, Lipkin was the underdog and had to make noise for his name to be heard. He did that this past season as he took his talents to Quinnipiac University where he posted 14 goals and 43 points in 39 games in his first season in the NCAA. It was a surprise to many, but a welcomed one as the Coyotes may have the steal of the draft. It’s also fair to mention the Bobcats went on to win the National Championship, which saw Lipkin play a big role in their efforts.
“Going into my freshman year, I didn’t think that opportunity would arise after my first season,” he said. “When it did, I was probably on the phone for half a day, every day, for over a week. There was a lot of talking with my family about my overall development and where my future is. Going to play in the AHL was definitely an option and I really considered it just because I really trust the organization and trust the people that surround it. I just wanted another year for my body and strength to develop. Getting bigger, faster and stronger are the keys to my development and I think I’ve got a great spot to do that at Quinnipiac.”
Lipkin will play with the Bobcats for a second consecutive season, furthering his development and trying to build off of his freshman season in 2022-23.
Coyotes Have Bright Future With a Plethora Of Prospects
The Coyotes have built a massive prospect pool with plenty of intriguing players. Though these three aren’t the only underrated players, some honorable mentions include Arytom Duda, Ben McCartney, Noel Nordh, among many more. Armstrong has also managed to add another 13 draft picks in the first two rounds over the course of the next three years, so there will be plenty of other prospects to talk about in the near future. It’s an exciting time to be a Coyotes fan, and with the season just around the corner, things couldn’t be brighter in the desert.
