The Arizona Coyotes take big chance with Maxim Letunov
Maxim Letunov doesn’t seem like the kind of player you’d covet — at least, not when you first look at him.
Puck Prose
Drafted in the second round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, though, Letunov is a Russian-born skater — who comes with all the offensive perks Russian-born skaters always seem to inherently possess — who’s been developing in the USHL. He’s played in Dallas, Texas (for the U16 Dallas Stars), and now plays for the Youngstown Phantoms; as a commit to Boston University, he’s bound to develop in one of the strongest North American hockey systems around.
How did they snag this guy?
Well, it took a bit — the Coyotes have sent veteran defenseman and pending UFA Zbynek Michalek to the St. Louis Blues in order to bring Letunov back. Contingent on Michalek’s health going forward this season — he’s been dealing with some lingering upper body issues, believed to be concussion-related — the Blues could bring in a third round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry draft as well.
So who is Maxim Letunov, exactly?
AGE: 18
HOMETOWN: Moscow, Russia
SIZE: 6’2″, 155lbs
DRAFT POSITION: 52nd overall, 2014 NHL Entry Draft
Letunov is now the second foreign-born player brought in by the Coyotes, although he’s more of a high-risk asset than the other (none other than your very own Klas Dahlbeck, Swedish hero and former buddy of Oliver Ekman-Larsson himself).
At six-foot-two and 155 lbs, Letunov is still a little lanky for most people’s tastes — although at eighteen, that’s still relatively easy to fix. He likely won’t ever be a giant power forward, but he’s got the size height-wise that the Coyotes have been coveting moving forward.
He’s not the most defensive player, but the Coyotes have made sure that their two-way talent depth is full enough now to compensate for and supplement their offensive stars that will trickle in over the next few seasons. An offensive, playmaking center like Letunov could easily be the pivot for two responsible but opportunistic players like Tobias Rieder, Lucas Lessio, or even someone else large like Henrik Samuelsson.
It’s still too early to tell how Letunov will develop or where he’ll fit on the team, but it’s likely that he could slide in as a third line center eventually — at best, he’ll develop into a second or top line guy who does well on the power play, although he’s unlikely to be a good replacement for players like Antoine Vermette long-term.
Coyotes fans won’t get a chance to see Letunov for a handful of seasons, but he’s a smart pick-up — headed to Boston University via verbal commitment, Letunov’s development timeline will likely play out in a similar manner to Johnny Gaudreau’s for Calgary. Boston University is one of the best colleges in the country for player development (in case you need reaffirmation of that, Jack Eichel is currently playing there), so the Coyotes have a lot to look forward to with him sliding in post-development.
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