Arizona Coyotes prospect Dylan Strome is expected to be on the opening night roster. What happens next will define the Coyotes organization and it’s attempt to shift from rebuild into powerhouse.
Dylan Strome is the crown jewel atop an impressive stable of prospects cultivated by the Arizona Coyotes.
The Yotes’ prospect pool has been ranked by many as the second best or the very best in the entire National Hockey League.
Being the top dog has it’s perks, to be sure, but heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Strome has the potential to be an elite center in the NHL for the next decade. He’s got the size, the skills, and appears to have the will to succeed in a cutthroat business.
If there’s any knock at all on the Mississauga native, it would be a need to refine and improve his skating.
Naturally, the Erie Otters captain has worked hard to smooth out that rough edge in his game.
There’s also one other nagging detail that might cast a cloud over the Dylan Strome hype train pulling out of Gila River Arena this fall; he was the third overall pick.
Not the first. Not the second.
Strome is the third horse in a race that many observers see having only two competitors. The names ahead of him were Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.
McDavid or Eichel were meant to play in Arizona until the Edmonton Oilers did what they do best, win at the NHL Draft Lottery.
That sets up a wealth of expectation and pressure on Strome to close the gap between himself and his “generational-talent” peers.
Failure to become an elite centerman would see the Arizona Coyotes squander their second top three selection. We all know what happened with Kyle Turris, the previous 3rd overall pick in franchise history.
On a lesser scale, it would be a major disappointment if Strome is unable to crack the team out of camp this September. Not quite Batman vs. Superman level disappointing, but a bit of a blow to Strome’s stock and the Coyotes 2016-17 ambitions.
That’s not how Strome envisions it playing out and he’s putting in the work to make sure it doesn’t.
“I guess they say hockey season is all 12 months of the year now,” Strome said at the recent BioSteel Camp in Toronto. “I’m trying to get with that as much as possible.”
Dylan Strome felt he was finished with junior hockey a summer prior. He wanted to be in the NHL with McDavid and Eichel, and he nearly was.
“I made it to the last day of camp and last cuts. Hopefully this year I can just try to make it a little farther and show what I can do in the exhibition games again.”
Adding a little more size and another year of experience — plus a year of exposure to the Coyotes’ veterans — should do the youngster a lot of good this fall.
Eliteprospects compares Strome favorably to Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf.
To my eyes, Strome’s understated skill and passing brilliance remind me of Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom.
I have little doubt he’ll be anchoring a line for Head Coach Dave Tippett and the Arizona Coyotes this season.
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I would be absolutely shocked if Strome doesn’t challenge or exceed Peter Mueller’s rookie points record of 54.
And thus, concerns about Strome’s ability to maintain pace with his peers will fade.
Meanwhile, #20’s legend will begin to grow.