The Arizona Coyotes have officially announced the team’s leadership group for the 2018/19 NHL season, with no real surprises.
Earlier in the summer, the team announced that Swedish defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson would take on the official captain’s role, taking over from long-time captain and Coyotes legend Shane Doan.
The leaders of #OurPack. https://t.co/V7TuMlnRXU
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) October 3, 2018
But the team have now confirmed that centre Derek Stepan and defenceman Niklas Hjalmarsson will sport an ‘A’ on their jerseys as the team’s official alternate captains.
This announcement comes as no real surprise as both Stepan and Hjalmarsson were alternate captains last season and have a wealth of experience in the NHL.
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Hjalmarsson is a three-time Stanley Cup champion from his time with the Chicago Blackhawks and is a steady top-four defenceman for the Coyotes.
The 6-foot-2, 196lbs 31-year-old from Eksjö in Sweden has 672 regular season games under his belt in the NHL and played in 48 games for the Coyotes last season, battling injuries throughout the 2017/18 campaign.
Despite missing much of the season, the left-handed defenceman still managed to block 118 shots while averaging 20:28 on the ice.
Stepan, meanwhile, also has plenty of experience in the NHL, having played in 597 regular season games with the Arizona Coyotes and New York Rangers.
The 28-year-old American centre had a solid first year in the desert, putting up 56 points (14 goals, 42 assists) over the full 82-game season.
The team will be hoping he can improve on these numbers and continue to be a solid option as their number one centre moving forward.
Both players play a vital role for the Coyotes, with Hjalmarsson playing top minutes on the blueline and Stepan being the team’s top centre.
They are both obvious choices for alternate captain roles behind Ekman-Larsson and the team can now focus on the product on the ice knowing who their main leaders are.
What do you think of the appointment Coyotes fans? Are you happy to see Stepan and Hjalmarsson given the ‘A’s again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!