Arizona Coyotes Announce Five Cuts, Reduce Roster To 27

The Arizona Coyotes announced five more roster cuts on Saturday, reducing their current roster to 27 players heading into the final week of training caomp.

It’s not the final round of cuts we’ve all been waiting for, but the Arizona Coyotes did trim the roster on Saturday.

Five players were re-assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL, trimming the team’s roster count down to 27.

That leaves four more names to sort out, though injuries and suspensions mitigate that issue for the moment.

The biggest names on the chopping block were forward Christian Fischer and defenseman Anthony DeAngelo.

Fischer came in to camp as a potential dark horse candidate but the numbers game just hasn’t played out in his favor. Despite being fairly impressive, the winger will head to a load Roadrunners squad and get his first taste of professional hockey.

DeAngelo was acquired via trade at the 2016 draft by John Chayka. Though known for his offensive prowess, and touting previous AHL experience, his name was not oft-discussed heading into the Arizona Coyotes’ training camp.

The former first-rounder emerged as a viable threat on the blue-line and was a notable contributor. It’s hard to imagine Anthony DeAngelo not finding his way onto the Yotes’ roster at some point in 2016-17.

Here’s the press release regarding the roster moves:

Arizona Coyotes General Manager John Chayka announced today that the Coyotes have assigned the following five players to the Tucson Roadrunners, the club’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate:

Player-Position-Team-League

Justin Peters-Goalie-Tucson-AHL

Anthony DeAngelo-Defense-Tucson-AHL

Dakota Mermis-Defense-Tucson-AHL

Stefan Fournier – Right Wing – ucson – AHL

Christian Fischer – Right Wing – Tucson – AHL

The Coyotes now have 27 players remaining in training camp. The Coyotes will open their regular season on Saturday, October 15 versus the Philadelphia Flyers at Gila River Arena.

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Justin Peters will head back to the Roadrunners to claim the starting goaltending job from prospect Adin Hill. Based on the rave reviews coming in about the young netminder, however, Peters will have a fight on his hands.

After a preseason start last night, Stockton Heat play-by-play broadcaster Brandon Kisker remarked, “[Hill] was the most noticeable player on the ice. You’ve got to be a fan of this kid, he made a lot of spectacular saves, and he’s someone that [fans in Tucson] should really be hopeful of in the future.”

Next: Christian Dvorak Deserves To Make Coyotes' NHL Roster

For hockey fans in Tucson, the rich continue to get richer. With every cut the Arizona Coyotes make, the Roadrunners become a more threatening team.

It remains to be seen if all of that young talent can actually convert their potential into winning games at the professional level, but there’s no doubt that the Meeps will be fun to watch.