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Arizona Coyotes Training Camp Is Almost Upon Us

By William Grigsby |

For the Arizona Coyotes the LONG, HOT summer will soon be gone, and here in the desert it is not depressing to see it go

We’ve had days in excess of 115 degrees, and believe me there were days where thinking about hockey was the only way to stay cool.

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The Arizona Coyotes will have the rookies reporting on Friday September 11th, with a on ice skate scheduled for Saturday, the 12th at 3 p.m. at Gila River arena. It’s free to the public, who is asked to enter at Gate 3, security entrance.

To preview a bit what this training camp will be all about, here’s some thoughts:

  1. How impressive will the two top prospects, Max Domi and Anthony Duclair perform?
  2. Will Brandon Gormley play well enough to make the cut, and not be sent back to the AHL?
  3. Will we see a rejuvenated, more confident Mike Smith?
  4. How well will Anders Lindback look as Smith’s backup?
  5. Who will the third prospect be to make the roster behind Domi and Duclair?
  6. Will Nicklas Grossmann find a defensive partner on the blue-line?
  7. Will this be Shane Doan’s LAST season in an Arizona Coyotes uniform?

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> I will go through each question by the question number to give you my opinion <

  1. I think after seeing both of these very exciting, promising young prospects most Arizona Coyotes fans are going to be very pleased with the fact that they are playing in the NHL, especially here in Arizona. Domi is going to be sensational. Is he as good as McDavid or Eichel? Maybe not, but he has qualities which will improve this team and help them get to the playoffs and beyond. The same goes for Duclair, who when I saw him play at the rookie development camp he seemed like very smooth, with deceptive speed. He also was not afraid to crash the net to score, or help his teammate score. He will be so exceptional with Domi on the ice with him, and I hope that Head Coach Tippett sees that, and uses it to his advantage. Putting Hanzal in between Domi and Duclair is a no-brainer. I think it will be a line that clicks in so many ways.
  2. Gormley is in a make or break season, and if he doesn’t perform he may be dealt away, or sent back to the AHL to work on his game. He knows he is being given a shot to grab a defense spot, and if he doesn’t work out he has no one to blame but himself. I thought I saw glimpses of Keith Yandle in his play. He has a strong shot from the blue-line. He just needs to step up.
  3. I certainly hope Smitty is in the right frame of mind, and his play at the IIHF was very encouraging. If the defense in front of him improves, so will his play. He absolutely realizes that he must get back to his level of play which earned him that huge contract. He will be the workhorse goalie, as usual – but he must also stay healthy with a backup who doesn’t impress me much. Smith has the opportunity to get the critics off his back, and show everyone that he can perform as well as his classic season of 2011-12.
  4. Lindback worries me. Frankly, I was very disappointed that the Arizona Coyotes didn’t do more to keep Louis Domingue here. He seemed to have some good skills, but let’s face it — as porous as the defense was last season any previous Vezina Trophy winner would have looked as bad as Mike Smith. Let’s just hope Smith stays healthy, and Lindback won’t need to play much. I hope that when Smith needs a breather Lindback can play well enough to keep the Yotes in the game.
  5. I really hope it will be Dylan Strome, but I think he is destined to be sent back to the Erie Otters in the OHL to develop further. If that happens I think Perlini might have the inside track. The reason I say that is, because he is a Dave Tippett type player, who plays a 200 foot game, and pressures the puck carrier very well. If Perlini or Strome aren’t the choice, I would go with Christian Dvorak. He is an offensive dynamo who can flat out score.
  6. If Oliver Ekman-Larsson doesn’t get his dream blue-line partner in Cody Franson (and it still could happen), then he will probably team up with Michael Stone. They really worked together well last season. That leaves Grossmann with Michalek, which would be the defensive partner he needs to compliment his game. Tippett may use Dahlbeck with Grossmann to mentor him, and then put Michalek with Gormley, leaving Connor Murphy without a partner. Murphy will more than likely get more playing time than Gormley, and it’s well known that Dave Tippett moves his lines around quite a bit, to find chemistry and results.
  7. Shane Doan could play at least one more season, but he has mentioned that he wants to see if he can still contribute to the team before making any decisions about future seasons. He certainly could have, and still may demand a trade to a Cup contender, but his loyalty to this city, and this team is unprecedented. He was recently voted the most popular sports figure in Arizona, and with good reason. He defines what it means to be a hockey legend, and his actions on and off the ice are impeccable. He is a Coyote treasure, and he will know when to hang up his skates. It will be a sad day, but it is inevitable. 

I don’t know about you, but there is that one day in October where the temperature here in the Valley of the Sun drops about 8-10 degrees, that signifies that hockey season is upon us. For me, I wait for it all summer long. When it finally arrives my joy is overwhelming, and I know that a sport I love and cherish will be available to me to watch in person, or on TV, or listening on the radio. It just doesn’t get much better than that. Well, unless I get to write about too…

So, training camp is near, Arizona Coyotes hockey will be back, AND life is GOOD ! !

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