To kick off the 2022-23 season, the NHL held its global series in Prague, Czechia, where the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators played two regular season games. When it was announced that the Arizona Coyotes would be taking on the Los Angeles Kings in Melbourne, Australia, it was a long time coming. “We have been looking at Australia for upwards of a decade as a place to potentially play games to really try and grow our business,” said Proper. “One of the things that we’ve tried not to do is rush into any particular market without doing our due diligence, and there was a lot of due diligence we felt needed to be done because it’s obviously a major enterprise to try and build your business in Australia. “
However, there were plenty of implications heading into the historic matchup. Not only would both teams be traveling over 8,000 miles, but it was also the first NHL game to be played in the Southern Hemisphere. Though, the Coyotes had a slew of new faces entering the lineup, and after a week filled full of practices, photo shoots, and games, here are some takeaways from the two matchups down under.
Logan Cooley Shines in NHL Debut
Entering the two games against the Kings, there were plenty of predictions of line combinations, starting goalies, and the man himself, Logan Cooley. Cooley was initially set to return to Bob Motzko’s group in Minnesota but eventually opted to turn pro. This decision made many curious about how he’d perform in an NHL environment, which differs from college. Well, many had their questions answered when the Pittsburgh native scored an early goal-of-the-year candidate in just his first preseason game.
The combination of the spin-o-rama and the shot while falling takes a serious amount of skill, and Cooley made it look easy. Along with the highlight reel goal, the 19-year-old was on the ice for numerous scoring opportunities throughout both games. It was also easy to see his competitiveness on the ice, as he was constantly hunting the puck down and looking for chances to score. Despite the strong performance in both games, expectations should be tempered as he is still extremely young. However, that isn’t stopping Cooley himself from having high expectations.
Related: Coyotes’ Logan Cooley Is Team’s Next Star
“I’m super competitive,” he said. “I’ve always had high expectations for myself going to the hockey rink. I want to help this team win as many games as possible. I want to contribute to the team in any way possible, but yeah, I do want to put up big numbers, I do want to compete every night and I want to win the Calder Trophy. The reason I turned pro is because I felt ready to take the next step and I’m confident in my abilities to do those things that I want to accomplish this year.”
Coyotes Have Layers to Offense
The Coyotes averaged just 2.51 goals per game during the 2022-23 season. That was among the worst in the entire NHL and had little to no spark on the offense. Coyotes general manager (GM) Bill Armstrong added Jason Zucker, Alex Kerfoot, and Matt Dumba to combat this issue, and after just two games, the offense looks much better. The first game had five different scorers: Barrett Hayton, Lawson Crouse, Matias Maccelli, Logan Cooley, and Clayton Keller. The second game only had two, Hayton again and defenseman Travis Dermott.
The team exploded for four goals in the second period of the first game and showed great energy and control. Hayton looked smooth and controlled much of the play on the first line. The Crouse, Maccelli, and Bjustad line picked up right where they left off and had some great chances all night. J.J. Moser also looked sharp, driving the puck into the offensive zone a few times. The second game saw a much slower pace to the game, but the Coyotes managed to score twice during the game.
The offense, as a whole, looked really solid during the course of both games. Yes, there were some hiccups, but the more they play together, the quicker it’ll improve.
Dermott Impresses
There are many players on the Coyotes who made the trip to Australia and are fighting for a roster spot. Liam O’Brien is looking to find a permanent role on a team that seems to have endless depth at the forward position this season. Another name that has yet to be talked about much is Travis Dermott, who was signed to a one-year contract with the Coyotes earlier this summer. With Valimaki, Moser, Dumba, Stecher, Durzi, and Brown all in the mix, Dermott seems like the odd man out, or is he?
Dermott saw the ice in both games against the Kings in Melbourne and had a strong performance in each of them. He had several breakups and used his stick to his advantage. During the late portion of the second game, the Ontario, Canada native scored his first goal in a Kachina, which was assisted by Michael Carcone and Alex Kerfoot. With Dermott’s recent history of injuries and roadblocks in his career, seeing him make the opening night roster would be a sight.
There are still plenty more preseason games to be played and for Dermott to prove himself, but he is certainly off to a good start in Arizona.
Keller-Hayton-Schmaltz Picks Up Where They Left Off
When watching the Coyote’s offense last year, it was one-dimensional. The Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton, and Nick Schmaltz trio was the best line out there, nine times out of ten. The chemistry they built over the latter half of last season propelled them into one of the most productive lines in hockey. It wasn’t clear what head coach Andre Tourigny had in mind for lines, but after a couple of practices in Melbourne, it became clear they’d be sticking together.
With much more of an offensive presence all-around from all four lines, this still was by far the best. Hayton finished off the games with one goal and an assist, Schmaltz had two assists, and Keller tacked on a goal and an assist. When this line is on the ice, it feels like they can create a chance and score at any moment. The three of them seem to know where each other is on the ice at all times, making it much easier to put points on the board.
With the success in Australia, this line should be sticking together for the foreseeable future, as their success is showing on the ice.
Lots of Good Heading Back to Arizona
Oodles of question marks entered the Global Series in Australia, though the Coytoes prevailed and turned it into a great success. Not only did they show the product on the ice, but the team was also likely able to get closer as a group as they were all doing something different together. While there were some sloppy moments, those should get shored up with more work and chemistry. Though the preseason rolls on, the regular season is just right around the corner as the New Jersey Devils will host the Coyotes on Oct. 13.