Conor Garland leading the way for Arizona Coyotes prospects
By James Reeve
The Arizona Coyotes may have lost 5-2 to the Calgary Flames, but forward Conor Garland continued to add to his goal tally.
Conor Garland added his 12th goal of the season for the Arizona Coyotes, continuing what has been a very impressive rookie campaign.
The 22-year-old has been a pleasant surprise for the Coyotes, earning his 15th total point in 32 regular season games in the loss to the Flames.
The Coyotes are a team that is starting to show real signs of promise with their prospects, with Garland joining the growing list of young players in the organisation’s system that is showing real progression.
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If Garland maintained his currently production across a full 82-game season, he would be on pace to score at least 30 goals – a positive sign for a goal-needy team such as the Coyotes.
With Barrett Hayton, Nate Schnarr, Liam Kirk and even Jan Jenik all performing well in juniors, the future of the Coyotes looks to be far more secure than in previous seasons.
Garland leads the way for players drafted by the Coyotes to aspire to, with the 2015 fifth round pick taking a few seasons to develop in both juniors and the minors before being given an opportunity in the NHL.
Any strong NHL organisation builds a team through youth, and the Arizona Coyotes are looking like they might have some real talent coming up over the next few seasons.
Having 12 goals in just 32 games is an impressive achievement for Garland, who is firmly solidifying his position on the Coyotes’ roster next season.
The move to a young core of players should give fans more hope that the team is heading in the right direction, with some real talent spread across the Coyotes’ system.
The Tucson Roadrunners have been solid this season, though have slipped in recent weeks, and are finally starting to be the perfect transitional location for Coyotes prospects that are not quite ready to step up to the NHL right away.
Schnarr, for one, looks like the perfect player to bring into the AHL team’s line-up next season, giving the 2017 third round pick a place to adjust to the professional game and get valuable minutes before trying to push into the NHL.
Schnarr’s draft year (2016/17) saw him earn just 18 goals and 36 points in 54 games and the next season saw him earn just three more points (16G-23A).
But this past season, Schnarr has exploded for 27 goals and 81 points in 53 games played so far – a significant jump that should give the Coyotes some hope that he’ll be NHL-ready in another season or two.
Seeing players chosen in the later rounds of the draft make the jump up to the NHL is always a positive thing for any organisation and now the Arizona Coyotes are beginning to see some of those players progress in a way that could see them make that jump.
Garland might not be the first impressive rookie for the Coyotes, but his status as a fifth-rounder and the rate he is scoring goals should bring a smile to any fan and give any prospect hope that one day that could be them.
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What do you think Coyotes fans? Are you pleased to see Garland progress the way he has? How do you think the rest of the team’s prospects will pan out? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!