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Arizona Coyotes Friday News Update April,17 2015

By William Grigsby

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There Was Arizona Coyotes News To Announce Today:

The Arizona Coyotes announced today that they have signed London Knights center Christian Dvorak to a three-year entry-level contract. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

"“We are very pleased to sign Christian to an entry level contract,” said Maloney. “Christian is an excellent two-way center who is a great skater. He is highly skilled and a very good playmaker who is responsible in both ends of the ice. We look forward to watching his development.”"

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The 19-year-old Dvorak registered 41-68-109 and a plus-33 rating in 66 games with London (OHL) this season. The 6-foot, 190-pound native of Frankfort, IL finished fifth in the OHL in scoring this season. He also recorded 5-8-13 in 10 postseason games with the Knights.

Dvorak was originally drafted by the Coyotes in the second round (58th overall) in the 2014 Entry Draft.

Does he have a shot to make the team? Well, Arizona Coyotes’ GM Don Maloney doesn’t rush any young player into the NHL until he feels he is ready to handle the rigors of playing at the highest level. BUT… if he shows up at camp, plays well, impresses the coaching staff — who knows?

Since the London Knights’ season has ended, Dvorak was assigned to the Portland Pirates AHL affiliate. The Pirates are fighting for a playoff spot, and perhaps Dvorak can help them.

The Arizona Coyotes also assigned Laurent Dauphin and Ryan MacInnis to their AHL roster. That should give the Pirates a good shot at making the playoffs, with only three games remaining. They are probably going to need to win all three games to qualify for the post season, or hope that other teams help them by beating the teams ahead of them.

The Arizona Coyotes Have Agreed To Use The Springfield Falcons As Their AHL Affiliate

GM Don Maloney announced today that the team has signed a multi-year affiliation agreement with Springfield.

"“We are very pleased to partner with the Springfield Falcons,” said Maloney. “Springfield is one of the best hockey markets in the AHL and a great environment to develop our top prospects. We’re looking forward to a great relationship with the Falcons.”"

“We are looking forward to starting this partnership with the Arizona Coyotes,” said Falcons President Sarah Pompea. “We have had the opportunity to work with this organization in the past and are excited about the renewing the relationship with the new management team in Arizona.”

The Falcons were most recently affiliated with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2010-15. Springfield has qualified for the postseason eight times in its 21-year history including back-to-back Northeast Division titles from 2012-14. The Falcons established new franchise records with 47 wins and a .658 points percentage in 2013-14.

It is somewhat ironic that Springfield is leading the Portland Pirates by one point, and resides in the last playoff spot.

Max Domi Will Not Report To AHL Affiliate Portland

Now that the London Knight have been eliminated from further playoff contention, Max Domi could be assigned to play in the AHL. GM Don Maloney mentioned that they have decided against doing that due to Domi getting banged up in the playoffs, and it would be better for him to recuperate and rest from his injuries.

For those fans (myself included) who were anxious to see Max play, it will have to wait until rookie summer camp, and then training camp in September. It certainly carries anticipation to the highest degree, especially after the poor season the Arizona Coyotes experienced.

NHL Draft Lottery Is Tomorrow at 5 PM local on Ch12 (NBC)

Co-owner, President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc will represent the Coyotes at the Draft Lottery on Saturday night in Toronto. If you’re an Arizona Coyotes fan, you better tune in to see what pick the team will draw in the draft. There’s no doubt that if the team can get the first or second pick they will be able to turn around the fortunes of their destiny within short notice.

LeBlanc agreed:

"“There’s no question that we’re going into this hoping to win the No. 1 pick,” LeBlanc told arizonacoyotes.com. “The No. 1 pick would be a very dynamic player and someone we’d be able to put on the ice instantly. And, let’s be frank, the spotlight that winning the first overall pick would shine on our franchise would be very beneficial.”"

I’ll be tuning in, will you?

GO YOTES ! !

Next: GM Don Maloney's Vision For The Arizona Coyotes

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