Brendan Perlini, Christian Dvorak Lead Coyotes Prospects
Brendan Perlini leads a deep prospect pool for Arizona
Coyotes prospect Max Domi has been getting a lot of attention of late through his top notch performance in the World Junior Championships for Team Canada — we here at Howlin’ Hockey even have a Domi Watch to update everyone on his performance.
Domi has seven points in five games for Team Canada through the quarterfinals, and is lighting it up in the OHL as well for London — but he isn’t the only Coyote prospect to keep on eye on. There are several others, both big names and small, who are having good seasons and could have an impact at the NHL level in the years to come.
Christian Dvorak
Dvorak was the second round pick for the Arizona Coyotes in the 2014 Draft, and is currently a teammate of Max Domi for the OHL London Knights. Dvorak has put up 69 points in 36 games for London, which ranks him third in the league. Dvorak has seen even better success of late, as he was recently named as the Ontario Hockey League’s Player of the Month for December.
“Christian Dvorak of the London Knights is the OHL Player of the Month for December, recording 26 points in 10 games including 10 goals, 16 assists and a plus minus rating of plus-12. Dvorak recorded points in eight of his 10 December games, all multi-point efforts. The Arizona Coyotes second round draft pick netted hat-tricks on two separate occasions and finished 2014 in fine style, leading the Knights to an 11-4 win over Sarnia with three goals and three assists for first star honours on December 31. Dvorak’s outstanding month of December included Pioneer Energy OHL Player of the Week and CHL Player of the Week recognition for the week ending December 14 when he recorded 12 points (6-6–12) in three games. Dvorak helped the Knights play to a 8-1-0-1 record in the month of December, receiving star of the game recognition five times, twice being named first star of the game. He is the second London Knight in as many months to be named OHL Player of the Month after teammate Mitchell Marner received the award in November.”
Dvorak was ranked 71st by NHL Central Scouting prior to the 2014 Draft, so the Coyotes obviously saw something in him. It’s paying off, and given time he might crack the NHL lineup.
Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Brendan Perlini smiles as he puts on a team sweater after being selected as the number twelve overall pick to the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
He was The Coyotes’ first round draft choice this past June and got his Coyote career off to a hot start with a solid performance in Coyotes rookie camp.
However, fans and front office never got to see Perlini against NHL competition in the preseason — Perlini suffered a hand injury that required surgery. It would be awhile before Perlini returned to the lineup for his junior team, the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL.
Since his return, though, he’s done quite well — it should come as no surprise that Perlini scored in his first game back for Niagara on December 4th and has since continued to impress. Perlini has gone on to score 17 points in 12 games for Niagara this season.
The 18-year old center was the eighth ranked North American skater in the final 2014 Central Scouting rankings. Here is what his scouting report says courtesy of The Hockey News.
| Assets: | Already has great size (6-3, 205 pounds) and the willingness to use it to win battles. Adds toughness and grit to any lineup, but can also score goals. |
| Flaws: | Needs to continue to work on his play without the puck, since he’s not a great defender at this time. Also, he could stand to be more consistent. |
| Career Potential: | Power forward with good upside. |
Come the beginning of the 2015 season, Perlini will still be just 19 years old. Is it worth bringing up a player who is still developing to a rebuilding team? GMDM holds the cards on this one, but his size and maturity could make him an early call-up.
Sep 22, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes center Henrik Samuelsson (15) battles for the puck with Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jeff Schultz (55) during the first period at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
The Coyotes 2012 First Round Pick is making his debut at the pro level this season after an impressive junior career with the Edmonton Oil Kings. In three seasons with the Oil Kings, Samuelsson averaged 1.22 points per game, putting up 198 points in 162 career games.
The transition has not been to kind to Henrik, as earlier this season he suffered a concussion. He is now back in the lineup for the Portland Pirates in the AHL, and although he’s been slow to recover, and has 15 points in 32 games this season. He has been hot as of late though, having put up five points in his last six games — even though his point totals aren’t Quite as flashy as Hodgman, Martinook and Bulduc, he is still second on the team in SOG with 70 (Yay Corsi). We have to assume that as his health improves, so will his playing.
We did get a taste of Henrik in the preseason when he played alongside Max Domi and Martin Hanzal in the Coyotes preseason home opener against the Kings. Samuelsson had three points that night and definitely showed why Coyotes fans should be excited.
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More talent up the middle
Many Coyotes fans know that the team is a little thin on talent up the middle of the ice, and with Antoine Vermette’s pending UFA status, it’s likely they’ll find themselves in an even worse spot when it comes to filling four lines of centers next season. Hanzal and Vitale are pretty much set in stone, but who could fill the other two spots on the second and third line? Sam Gagner seems to have solidified himself as a winger for this team, so other than Perlini who else can Coyotes fans look for as possible future Centermen?
Laurent Dauphin/Ryan MacInnis
Dauphin and MacInnis have something in common — they were both second round picks of the Coyotes, as Arizona selected Dauphin in 2013 and Macinnis in 2014.
If the MacInnis name sounds familiar, its because some of our readers probably remember defenseman Al MacInnis, Ryan’s Father.
Ryan is currently playing for the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL. He has 32 points in 36 games this season and was ranked as the 20th best North American skater by central scouting prior to this year’s draft.
His scouting report looks like the following, from The Hockey News.
| Assets: | Owns a very projectable frame and plenty of two-way ability. Shoots the puck well and owns very good hockey sense. Understands the nuances of the game. |
| Flaws: | Needs to fill out his 6-3 frame. Also, he doesn’t own the same offensive prowess as his dad (Al MacInnis), so he may need to find his National Hockey League niche. |
| Career Potential: | Solid two-way forward with upside |
A two-way forward sounds very Coyote-esque doesn’t it?
As For Laurent Dauphin, he is currently playing in the QMJHL for the Chicoutimi Saguenéens — where he is also the Captain. Dauphin was signed to a three year entry level contract back in November, and has put up 38 points in 25 games this season — while also spending 48 minutes in the penalty box for doing naughty things. His Hockey News scouting report looks like this.
| Assets: | A true speedster, his skating stride sets him apart from the rest. It helps him create plays and finish them off, as well. It can also be used to disrupt the opposition. |
| Flaws: | Needs to do a better job of developing his game, and part of that will be slowing things down a notch when the situation warrants. Must also add significant bulk. |
| Career Potential: | Speedy forward with upside. |
Here is how TSN described him when the Coyotes selected him,
Coyotes fans, You have a lot to look forward to in the coming seasons.
BOOYAH!!!
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