Arizona Coyotes: Dvorak, Karlsson, And Adin Hill Shine In Red vs White Scrimmage

The Arizona Coyotes held their development camp red vs white scrimmage on Friday and there were several standout performers.

In the Arizona Coyotes’ red versus white matchup featuring Christian Dvorak and Dylan Strome, the London Knights product showed his mettle and won the earliest battle en route to training camp this fall.

Anton Karlsson showed the other youngsters the advantages of professional experience, while Adin Hill backstopped the white team to a victory despite the red team having the better of the chances.

Conor Garland showed off some of his craftiness and a little something extra, but some of the bigger names were relatively quiet.

It was a fun night at Gila River Arena with 3,500 fans happy to have hockey back in their lives, if only for one night.

Christian Dvorak vs Dylan Strome

Eventually we’ll see these two prospects co-existing in harmony in the Arizona Coyotes lineup.

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For now, though, each is in the other’s way with only one center slot available on the NHL roster.

In the first preview of the competition, Christian Dvorak got the better of Dylan Strome in virtually every area.

Strome was mostly unable to get anything going for the white team, while the red team ran like a well-oiled machine with Dvorak on the ice.

Early on, the red team put constant pressure on Adin Hill and the boys in white. It felt like the two lines featuring Dvorak and Conor Garland were continually pushing, camping out in the offensive zone for substantial periods of time.

All The Offensive Talent In The World, But A Goalie Stole The Show

The first 30 minutes of the red versus white scrimmage were the Adin Hill show.

As the red team peppered the white team with shots and shot attempts, Hill made some acrobatic saves and kept his team in the contest.

The young goaltender still has a ways to go in his development, but his showing on Friday night was quite strong. The red team couldn’t solve him, and it was only after he was swapped out for invitee Evan Sarthou that the opposition was able to find the net.

Karlsson And Garland Say “What About Us?”

Arizona Coyotes fans are often talking about players like Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini.

Anton Karlsson and Conor Garland did their best “what about us?” on Friday night.

The two forwards were on opposing teams, yet constantly buzzing around the puck. Karlsson in particular was quite tenacious with his stick work on the defensive end, disrupting play and generating zone exits for the white team.

Garland was simultaneously the most impressive player at times, as well as the player whose weaknesses seemed the easiest to exploit (and fix!).

His skating and puck handling are superb, but he often seemed to approach the neutral zone and offensive zone entries like a youth or junior hockey player who was used to dominating his competition. The men he’ll face now are prepared for that hero ball approach – in fact, they would prefer he plays that way as it generates turnovers – so Garland will have to adjust his freelancing a bit to compensate.

Boy does he look good when he’s doing it, however.

Strome, Perlini, And The Rest Of The Arizona Coyotes

There weren’t many big moments for Dylan Strome or Brendan Perlini. Strome couldn’t generate much offense for the white team, and Perlini was relatively quiet as well.

Jakob Chychrun didn’t stand out strongly in either direction, but I will say his skating early in the 3-on-3 was a joy to watch. He was solid on the ice and based on what we hear regarding his drive and motivation, General Manager John Chayka may have drafted a gem far later than he should have.

As an exercise in hockey, the red versus white scrimmage was a pretty sloppy affair. Particularly early in the contest, when no one could even get set up in the offensive zone for the better part of five minutes.

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It was hockey, though, and we are thrilled to have it back.

Now, who has the remote? Let’s fast forward to fall.