In the summer of 2020, the Arizona Coyotes began searching for a new general manager. This team had just made the playoffs but was handled in a quick five-game series against the Colorado Avalanche. It’s also worth noting that they wouldn’t have made the playoffs if it weren’t for the shortened season due to COVID-19. Don’t get it twisted; the team had elite players like Clayton Keller, Darcy Kuemper, Taylor Hall, and Conor Garland. However, it was clear that it wouldn’t be enough to make a legitimate push towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Related: Bill Armstrong’s 4 Biggest Decisions as Coyotes’ GM
After a short search, the team hired Bill Armstrong in September 2020. He came in with loads of experience with the St. Louis Blues and was more than qualified for the position. He had a vision for the team, and it was apparent early on when he traded nearly the entire core group of players, putting Arizona back into another rebuild. Rebuilds are never what fans, teams, or management want, but they are necessary to build a long-term contender.
After acquiring an abundance of draft capital throughout 2027, Armstrong’s eyes were set on the 2021 NHL Draft, which showcased lots of talent. With lots of pressure on the rookie GM, expectations were high, and a good first impression would go a long way to the fans and the rest of the NHL. He didn’t disappoint with some of his selections, and the players listed below have the potential to accelerate the rebuild further.
Dylan Guenther
Heading into the 2021 NHL Draft, the Coyotes had to forfeit their 2020 second-round pick and 2021 first-round pick for violating the NHL’s combine testing policy. This was under previous GM John Chayka and was controversial, to say the least, but after his departure and then this, Armstrong had a tall mountain to climb. After trading Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Garland to the Vancouver Canucks, they now had a first-round pick which fell at ninth overall. That pick would later become Dylan Guenther, who has since become a fan favorite.
This season, he spent most of his time with the Tucson Roadrunners, where he notched ten goals and 28 points in 29 games and was also selected to the American Hockey League (AHL) All-Star game. He was then called up to the big leagues and never looked back, having 18 goals and 35 points in 45 games, and really flourished while on a line with Logan Cooley, who has benefited from having Guenther alongside him.
Nowadays, teams are expected to hit on first-round draft picks, especially in the top ten, and it’s safe to say they did that with Guenther. The youngster has big things to come next season.
Josh Doan
One of the Coyotes’ many second-round picks in the 2021 NHL Draft, it was time to add to a depleted prospect pool. Armstrong knew that just about any position needed growing, and that’s one of the reasons he drafted the son of Coyote legend Shane Doan, Josh Doan. The Scottsdale native wasn’t flashy by any means leading up to the draft, and while he did show vast improvements with the Chicago Steel, he wasn’t labeled as an elite prospect.
When Armstrong and the Coyotes drafted him, it was a wholesome moment and a pick that might not turn out well because of his father and his success. Well, that was far from true, as Josh has paved his own path to the NHL and so far has shown why he was a second-round pick. In 62 games with the Roadrunners last season, he recorded 26 goals and 46 points and was later called up, similar to Guenther. Scoring two goals in his first NHL game and nine points in his first 11 games was truly remarkable to see.
With NHL Utah next season, Josh, among others, is going to take massive leaps forward, and it’ll be exciting to watch.
J.J Moser
Leading up to the 2021 NHL Draft, Armstrong made numerous trades, which resulted in many draft assets. Many of those were second-round picks; even heading into the 2024 NHL Draft, they had three second-round picks and 13 picks throughout all seven rounds, sitting atop the NHL. But when they drafted Swiss defenceman J.J. Moser, it was a questionable pick, because he was already 20 years old and wasn’t your typical flashy second-round prospect.
Maybe that’s exactly what Armstrong was looking for, though, since Moser came in almost immediately and played big-time minutes in the NHL. Suddenly, the Coyotes now had a young prospect on the blue line who was calm, cool, and collected, not making many mistakes but not taking many risks. This season, he had five goals and 26 points, five fewer than in 2022-23, and was a bright spot on the blue line.
Utah will certainly be reshaping its blue line entering the 2024-25 season, but Moser will certainly be one of the few returning.
Sam Lipkin
The mid-rounds of the 2021 NHL Draft didn’t see any gems by the Coyotes, or at least not yet, but there was a particular player in the seventh round. For reference, finding a player beyond the fifth round who ends up playing in the selected team’s organization is rare in itself, but to do it in your first draft is another thing. That’s where they drafted Sam Lipkin from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the seventh round. In his draft year, playing with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL), he showed tons of growth from his previous season, going from 11 points to 71.
He then jumped to the NCAA with Quinnipiac University, passing with flying colors, notching 43 points in 39 games as a freshman on a team that would later win the National Championship. No one expected him to come jumping out of the gates like this. He continued this into his sophomore season, with 35 points in 39 games. While it wasn’t quite as dramatic, it was still an excellent season for Lipkin.
Lipkin later signed his entry-level contract (ELC) playing for the Roadrunners in the latter half of the season, but he’ll undoubtedly be back at it next season in the AHL.
Where Are the Other Draft Picks?
Of course, it’s impossible to hit on every single pick; it’s just not feasible in the day and age of the NHL. So far, the five others, Ilya Fedotov, Emil Lilleberg, Rasmus Korhonen, Manix Landry, and Cal Thomas, seem to have made no major impact in the NHL. That, of course, could change in time, but the odds are certainly stacked against them at the moment.
For Fedotov, he was taken in the second round after Josh was taken, and there wasn’t much known about the left winger. This season, he only saw 16 Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) games, not recording any points, but he saw success in the VHL, having nine points in ten games. He’s signed in Russia with SKA St. Petersburg through 2024-25, so only then will we know his future. While Lilleberg didn’t work out in the desert, he’s found plenty of success with the Tampa Bay Lightning, playing 37 games there this season. He also played an additional 33 games in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch. The 23-year-old has a bright future if he can continue playing his physical game, and it’s unfortunate things didn’t pan out with the Coyotes.
The remaining three are still unsigned to an NHL contract, and it’s to be determined if they will, but that just goes to show how difficult it is to draft players in the NHL. It’s not easy, but Armstrong has done a great job so far.
First Draft as GM, Armstrong Passed With Flying Colors
As mentioned, Guenther, Doan, and J.J. Moser have already made significant impacts on the team, and that’s expected to continue heading into 2024-25. Especially speaking for Guenther and Doan, who have a chance to take a massive leap forward, building on how they ended the 2023-24 season, which was on an extremely positive note. Lipkin could take a similar route Doan did, which saw him play in the AHL with the Roadrunners and then jump to the Coyotes later in the season, which could also benefit his development. Regardless, the 2021 NHL Draft has certainly shaped what Arizona was and what Utah will become.
