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Arizona Coyotes: Jakob Chychrun A Dark Horse To Make Coyotes

By Andrew Walters

Jun 24, 2016; Buffalo, NY, USA; Jakob Chychrun puts on a team jersey after being selected as the number sixteen overall draft pick by the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft at the First Niagra Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Buffalo, NY, USA; Jakob Chychrun puts on a team jersey after being selected as the number sixteen overall draft pick by the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft at the First Niagra Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tobias Rieder surprised the Arizona Coyotes when he played his way onto the team in 2014. Jordan Martinook did the same in 2015. This year it might just be Jakob Chychrun.

As Arizona Coyotes rookie camp opens, the message from General Manager John Chayka and the coaching staff is abundantly clear.

There are jobs to be won.

Most of the focus thus far has been on Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak, and rightfully so. The Coyotes have two vacant center spots after buying out Antoine Vermette and fans are eager to see if Strome and Dvorak will live up to expectations.

Lost in all of the center hype, however, is the Coyotes’ defense.

The defense is poised to improve after some retooling in the offseason, but there are still questions to be answered.

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Chayka has said that he likes the idea of pairing right and left-handed defensemen together. The right side looks strong, with Conner Murphy, Michael Stone, Zybnek Michalek, and Luke Schenn. The left side, however, has an empty spot behind Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Alex Goligoski.

That is where Jakob Chychrun comes in.

Once touted as a potential top three pick, the Coyotes drafted Chychrun with the 16th overall pick this year after trading up with Detroit.

Undervalued and looking to prove himself, Chychrun is the perfect dark horse candidate to earn a spot.

At 6’3” and 200 pounds, Chychrun certainly has the build of an NHL-ready defenseman. He also put up 49 points in 62 games last season, good enough for fourth among OHL defensemen.

The only question, then, is his age.

At only 18 years old, Chychrun lacks the NHL experience of Kevin Connauton (163 games) and Klas Dahlbeck (94 games), his direct competition for the third pairing spot.

What he lacks in experience, however, he makes up with his high hockey IQ and maturity. He’s also determined to prove himself to John Chayka and the coaching staff.

"“Jakob’s a very driven kid and he’s a real goal setter, and one of his goals is to come in and try to make this team right now,” Chayka said. “Physically, he stands out among his peers and his skill-set is phenomenal for a defenseman especially.”"

So far, so good.

Next: Other Dark Horse NHL Roster Candidates for 2016-17

Whether or not Chychrun proves himself to be ready this year remains to be seen, but he looks to be a very important piece of the puzzle moving forward.

Personally, I think he makes it.

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