The Dallas Stars are playoff-bound and most likely will be favorites to come out of the Western Conference this season. Their top lines consist of Joe Pavelski, Jason Robertson, Matt Duchene, Roope Hintz, Tyler Seguin, and Mason Marchment, all arguably elite players in the NHL. Jake Oettinger is one of the best goaltenders in the league and he’s backed by their incredible defense. Yet, the Arizona Coyotes managed to give them a tough game throughout the whole 60 minutes of playing time, ultimately losing 4-2. It was a strong effort by the Coyotes despite the outcome. Here are some takeaways from Sunday’s game.
Cameron Crotty Another Example of the Tucson Roadrunners’ Success
Yet another Tucson Roadrunner made his NHL debut on Sunday. Cameron Crotty, who was drafted in the third round by the Coyotes back in 2017, was recalled on an emergency basis due to Josh Brown getting sick. He joins Patrik Koch, Justin Kirkland, Dylan Guenther, John Leonard, Michael Kesselring, Jan Jenik, Victor Soderstrom, and Matt Villalta in the pool of players who have appeared in a game for the Coyotes this season who have also been essential to the Roadrunners’ success this season.
Crotty had 12 points in 43 games with the Roadrunners prior to the callup. After being with the team for the past four seasons, it was a big moment for him to finally hit the ice wearing the jersey of the team that drafted him almost seven years ago.
“It’s obviously not the result we wanted but on a personal note, I can’t put it into words,” Crotty said. “It’s just such a dream come true. I can’t help but think about the first time putting on the skates and tying them up this time. What an experience, I’m going to remember this forever.”
Not only did Crotty get the call around 7 AM on Sunday that he would be making his NHL debut, but he was doing it against the Stars who are one of the best teams in the NHL. It was no easy task, but Crotty looked good in the limited ice time he had. It shows how important he’s been to the Roadrunners this season.
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Head coach Andre Tourigny thought the rookie looked good, especially playing against one of the league’s best. He was also impressed that he played that well against one of the toughest teams to defend against.
“It’s probably one of the toughest teams besides Winnipeg maybe to play for a defenseman,” Tourigny said. “There is no shift off. They play with pace. They’re strong physically so he did a good job and he played a good period. Especially against that kind of opponent, I think he did a really good job in a tough situation.”
The Roadrunners are just a couple of points away from clinching their second straight Calder Cup playoff appearance. However, this season they’ve been one of the top teams in the league. It shows the impressive collection of talented youth the Coyotes have been stockpiling over the years even dating back to when John Chayka was the general manager (GM). With even more prospects coming soon to the team, the Roadrunners could be a constant Calder Cup favorite in the near future.
Fans won’t have to wait long to see the next Roadrunner call-up. After the game on Sunday, PHNX reporter Craig Morgan reported that Josh Doan will be called up by the Coyotes and potentially make his NHL debut on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Doan has been one of the most hyped-up prospects in the Coyotes’ system for a while, most likely because of his dad Shane being a fan favorite when he played for the team.
Doan has been lighting it up down south with the Roadrunners. He has 46 points in 62 games and leads the team in goals with 26. It was only a matter of time before he pushed his way up into the NHL much like his former linemate Guenther did back in January. Now, Coyotes fans will get to see more of the promising future as the second-round draft pick hits the big leagues.
Clayton Keller Hits 30
With his goal in the first period, Clayton Keller scored his 30th goal of the season. He is only the third skater in Coyotes’ history to record consecutive seasons of 30 or more goals. He continues another dominant season and continues to prove himself as one of the best forwards currently in the NHL.
Keller joins Keith Tkachuk and Jeremy Roenick as the only Coyotes to record back-to-back 30-plus goal seasons. Just as impressive, he is the first Coyote to have a five-game goal streak since Yanic Perreault back in 2006.
Keller currently has 62 points in 67 games. He is still chasing down Tkachuk’s single-season point record as a Coyote. Tkachuk had 86 which Keller tied last season. He now has 15 more games to reach that magic number again. Even if he doesn’t do it this season, the 2024 All-Star continues to prove he’s one of the best forwards in Coyotes’ history, especially considering he hasn’t had fantastic teams around him like past forwards have had.
Look to the Stars
The Stars have now beaten the Coyotes twice in the past week. While they put up a better effort on Sunday than they did in the prior game, it still wasn’t enough to beat the impressive team the Stars have.
“I liked our effort. I liked our fight and liked our performance,” Tourigny said. “I hate the result. I think I would love our players to have something to show for it. They’re working extremely hard, they show a lot of pride. It’s frustrating for them.”
The Coyotes can learn from the Stars though. The 44-win team built a young team from within and added through trades similar to what the Coyotes are building. Wyatt Johnston, Robertson, Miro Heiskanen, and Oettinger were all added through the draft like Matias Maccelli, J.J. Moser, Logan Cooley, and Dylan Guenther. Stars like Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin were from past competitive windows but are still producing and now helping the youth today similar to Keller and Nick Schmaltz.
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It’s a blueprint the Coyotes can try to duplicate especially considering the constant success the Stars have had. The Stars are about to make the playoffs for the fifth time in six straight seasons. Those five seasons include a Stanley Cup Final appearance and a Western Conference Final appearance.
What the Coyotes are doing similar to the Stars is a successful recipe. Surrounding the talented youth with great “veterans” is how you build a competitive team. It’s only a matter of time until the Coyotes begin making the playoffs consistently just like the Stars.
The Coyotes will continue their seven-game stretch at home on Tuesday. They’ll welcome the Blue Jackets who sit at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with a record of 23-36-12.
