Arizona Coyotes: Standouts At Final Rookie Prospect Camp

Arizona Coyotes Final Rookie Camp Sessions Had Some Standouts

Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Dylan Strome poses for a photo after being selected as the number three overall pick to the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

After attending prospect camp, I must say…the future looks bright! This year’s prospect camp was extremely impressive, and had many stand-outs. I could tell they brought their A game. It is well known, there are two to three roster spots open for these rookies. After watching some of their scrimmages, and other training regiments, I want to talk about some of the stand-outs at this year’s prospect camp.

Brendan PerliniHe was our first round pick in the 2014 draft, and now he is gunning for a roster spot. I saw what I expected out of Perlini. He is a fast and agile skater, who knows how to move the puck. Not to mention, having a wickedly hard and accurate shot; possibly the hardest in the whole camp. He made some impressive plays during the scrimmages however, he needs to work on his defense. But, he knows how to create his own luck during a play, and put the puck past the goal-keeper.

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Anthony DuclairDuclair, was the only player at the camp with NHL experience. Every hockey fan has heard of Duclair’s speed, but I have to say, it was a different thing to witness it in person. When I was watching him, at first I thought he was just coasting. But, that is when I noticed he was flying by everyone else on the ice around him.

He has a unique stride, that makes him appear he is not moving as fast as he is. His speed, and skating ability was responsible for creating many a play during the scrimmage.

Max Domi Domi is the prodigy child of the Arizona Coyotes prospect class. When I came to the Ice Den, I expected to be wowed by Domi, and I did not leave disappointed. With great speed and amazing agility, Domi is proving he is NHL ready. Of course, what really made him stand out, was his puck handling, and play-making ability.

Arizona Coyotes Prospect, Max Domi, looks to finally make his NHL debut. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

During the scrimmage, Domi made same amazing passes, proving he can make everyone better around him. He has amazing hockey IQ and vision, and knows how to go out there and rally an offense around him.

Christian DvorakI was curious to see how, Dvorak was going to perform during this camp. But, I didn’t expect him to be as impressive as he was! Dvorak came out on the ice, looking to prove he was NHL ready, and he might have done just that. He has one of the best accelerations in the camp, and knows how to just keep going. As other prospects around him began to tire, Dvorak seemed like he was fresh off the bench.

He also has proven he has a great hockey IQ, making the smart play over the flashy one every time. Dvorak shares Domi’s ability to make everyone around him better, setting up some amazing plays.

Dylan StromeThe Arizona Coyote’s third overall pick, Strome was definitely a head turner at the camp. He show-cased the amazing play making ability I expected him to have, and seemed to have a nose for the net as well. He has good speed and decent agility, while exhibiting the skill to open up lanes, and make great passes.

Strome looks like a solid player, and definitely has the potential of becoming the Arizona Coyotes top center. I won’t be surprised if he looks even better at this training camp, since he wants to prove he is NHL ready.

Nick Merkley- Merkley was expected to go in the top 20 of the draft. Much to everyone’s surprise however, he went 30th overall to the Coyotes. It is no wonder why he was projected so high though, his puck handling skills are amazing. Merkley, had some of the dirtiest dangles in the camp, his puck handling was possibly the best at the Ice Den. I can see Merkley becoming a lot of people’s favorite Arizona Coyotes a few years from now.

Kyle Capobianco- The best defender at the camp easily, Capobianco has proven himself a solid two-way defender. He has a unique stride that makes him look slower than he actually is, allowing him to fly by players. He makes smart defensive plays, and knows how to transfer into offense extremely well.

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