Arizona Coyotes Draft Option: Mitch Marner
With Tuesday’s loss to Calgary and Edmonton’s win against Los Angeles; the Arizona Coyotes have solidified at least 29th place in the NHL standings.
This means a multitude of things. Besides having the second worst record in the entire National Hockey League, the Arizona Coyotes have placed themselves in a favorable position in this year’s NHL Draft. With the 29th position in the NHL, the Arizona Coyotes can guarantee a top three pick. There is a solid chance that the Coyotes will land either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel with a top two pick. But what if they select third?
Take away McDavid and Eichel from the equation and you are left with a handful of young prospects that would fit well on any team. Names like Dylan Strome, Noah Hanifin, and Mathew Barzal have teams eager for a top ten pick; but there is one guy that happens to stand out ahead of them all.
Mitch Marner has quietly moved up the NHL draft ladder with his style of play this season and shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. Marner is a member of the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights organization along with familiar Coyotes prospects Max Domi and Christian Dvorak. Mitch is currently sitting as the fifth person taken at this year’s draft but that can easily change as we get closer to June 26th.
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So who is Mitch Marner? Well, he happens to be second in the overall point standings in the OHL at 126 points to start with. The only guy ahead of him is Dylan Strome of the Erie Otters with 129 in five more games played. Marner has tallied 44 goals and 82 assists with the Knights this season and looks to continue that at the next level.
Mitch is also the first player in London to reach a 100 point season since John Tavares in 2008. A Tavares-like player is exactly what the Arizona Coyotes lackluster offense needs at a time like this.
Coaches and scouts around the league have praised the speed and puck handling abilities of this 17 year old right wing from Thornhill, ON. Bill Placzek of DraftSite describes Marner as a “hard worker who uses his gifts as a relentless forechecker, attacker and scorer.” He goes on to praise Marner as having a “great combination of hand-eye-feet speed and edging that set him apart from most of the others in the Canada Under-18 camp.”
The one limitation to Mitch Marner’s game is his size. Some draft analysts can not overlook the 5 foot 11, 155 pound stature that he works with. But as we have seen in the past, a small size can easily be made up for by speed and scoring ability.
One of the most attractive features about this player is the possible line chemistry between him and other Coyotes prospects. As stated before, Mitch plays alongside current Coyotes prospects Max Domi and Christian Dvorak this year. The ability to transition from the OHL to the NHL will be a simpler task to accomplish when you already have three guys that played junior hockey together.
Domi, Dvorak, and Marner combine for a total of 337 points (117 goals and 220 assists) this season. The Arizona Coyotes will be in a very favorable position in years to come, if these three continue their performance at the next level.
It is highly unlikely for a team to pass up Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel with a top two pick which leaves the question of who goes third. Noah Hanifin can provide teams with a player to build around defensively and Dylan Strome can aid in the goal scoring for an organization but they just don’t exactly have what the Arizona Coyotes need.
The Coyotes have made it clear that Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the franchise player going forward and with the continuing improvements from Michael Stone, Connor Murphy, Brandon Gormley, and Klas Dahlbeck; they are set defensively. While Dylan Strome would be a vital pick up for the organization, the chemistry between Marner and his teammates is something not to look past.
The Arizona Coyotes need to select Mitch Marner with a third overall pick.
Next: Arizona Coyotes Lineup Changes--Salaries For Next Season
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