Dylan Strome May Need More Experience Back In OHL

Arizona Coyotes Third Overall Pick Dylan Strome Wants A Roster Spot This Season

After experiencing the Arizona Coyotes rookie development camp last week after being selected as the third overall choice of the team, Dylan Strome feels he wants to prove himself in the NHL, not the OHL.

Both General Manager Don Maloney, and Head Coach Dave Tippett feel Strome is a long term investment; and unlike Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel chosen first and second in the NHL Entry Draft last month, he needs to gain more experience, and replace McDavid as the Erie Otters leading player. They would also like him to play a large role with the Canada National Junior Team.

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To hear Tippett’s assessment, it seems he will be given a shot at training camp, but even with some openings on the roster, he will be better off playing some more at the junior level.

"“He’s proven he was a dynamic player in junior, but he’s still a young player,” Tippett said. “He’s a big part of the future for us. The biggest change to the NHL is size and speed. He’s got good size, but the tempo the game is played at is something he’s got to adjust to.”"

With knowledge that several roster spots may be open this upcoming season, Strome, who led the OHL with a whooping 129 points, has to still be convinced that one of those spots won’t belong to him.

“If they send me back, that’s the way it goes and I will work as hard as I can to have the best year possible in Erie,” Strome said. “But I’m going to do my best to stay here, make this team and help them win. I want to come to camp feeling like I’m going to stay here and play here.”

Dylan Strome hopes his fate here in Arizona bodes better than some of his predecessors. In 2005, then Head Coach Wayne Gretzky really lobbied extensively for Blake Wheeler to be chosen as the fifth overall pick. Wheeler ruined the Great One’s enthusiasm by refusing to sign a contract with the team, and became a free agent, never to wear a Coyotes uniform.

Then in 2007 the Yotes selected Kyle Turris with the third overall pick. He did not see eye-to-eye with Head Coach Dave Tippett, and wanted to exit Arizona on the first camel out. He demanded to be traded, which happened in 2011.

Dylan Strome is comfortable here in the desert, happy to get out of the shadow of Connor McDavid, and who wouldn’t be? When McDavid was down with an injury missing nearly two months of action, it was Strome who took the controls and guided the Erie Otters to new heights.

"“For me, that’s when Dylan’s game took off,” Maloney said. “I saw him two or three times during that period, and he was ringing up four or five points a night. That’s when you really start to get excited.”"

Dylan Strome knows he has competition to make the opening night lineup if GMDM does decide to give him a good look for a roster spot. With the likes of Max Domi, Anthony Duclair heading the class for acquiring a chance to play every game, he may turn some heads allowing him to show his skills and contribution to the team as well. Other prospects like Brendan Perlini, and Christian Dvorak are also vying for a chance to wear the new Arizona Coyotes uniform this fall, making the climb up that hill steep for Strome.

“I know it’s hard for these top guys to go back to junior. But the next step for Dylan is to make that World Junior team and be a leader,” Maloney said. “You look at Max Domi two years ago (and) the player he is now, and there is no comparison.

“There just hasn’t been a lot of time for [Strome] to do just the general strength development that he’s going to need to play at this level. To me, it’s about how much he pushes himself in the next little while to make this team. You hope he grabs hold of an opportunity, but another year of development wouldn’t be bad either.”

Maloney’s remarks seem to show that Dylan Strome may be headed back to the Erie Otters, but he’s trying to show he’s ready now. He’s come a long way from playing min-stick hockey with his two brothers in the basement, getting into fights, and having his Mom yell at them.

He’ll be an NHL player, but at this point it may not be this season, and he’s prepared for that.

“Everyone has things that they need to work on, Strome said. There’s no perfect hockey player out there. Someone’s always going to be saying something about you. You need to listen to the people that actually matter – coaches, the general managers – and work on what they tell you.”

Next: Arizona Coyotes Draft Evaluation Rountable

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