Although they likely won’t have the chance to select American center Jack Hughes or Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko — the two prizes of the 2019 NHL draft — the Coyotes still feel confident in their ability to land a future impact player with their first-round pick.

As determined by Tuesday’s NHL draft lottery, the Coyotes will pick 14th overall in June’s draft. According to Coyotes President of Hockey Operations and General Manager John Chayka, the chances are good that a valuable prospect will be available to them at No. 14.

“Our take on this year’s draft is obviously you want to win the lottery and get one of those top picks,” Chayka said. “But we believe that, after the first few guys, there is a large group there. We think it’s a deep draft. Regarding how many superstars there are, time will tell. I think there is a lot of really good NHL players at the top of this draft and we feel very confident about the player we’re going to get.”

Generally speaking, a team that teetered on the precipice of playoff contention like the Coyotes (86 points) is often punished in the draft. It is usually a lose-lose scenario in which the team neither qualified for the playoffs nor receives an advantageous draft slot.

This season, however, Chayka does not feel that is the case.

“We also think we’ll probably get a player we’ve ranked and desire very highly,” Chayka said of the No. 14 pick. “That’s a positive and that was part of our year where we looked at that and some years you don’t want to be on the edges of the playoffs. This year I don’t think there was as much of a downside of being in that position.

“There’s a lot of different players at a lot of different positions, and now that we know where we’re picking you can kind of go through the process of how we can maximize the value.”

Throughout his three prior drafts since taking over as general manager, Chayka has employed the trite “best player available” philosophy in the first round while often prioritizing premium positions such as puck-moving, two-way defensemen (Jakob Chychrun, 2016; Pierre-Olivier Joseph, 2017) and top-line, 200-foot centers (Barrett Hayton, 2018).

Still, in terms of players the Coyotes have drafted who are still with the organization, the Coyotes have added 11 defensemen in those three drafts compared to three goaltenders and just seven forwards. Other than Hayton, it does not seem as though there are any potential game-breaking forwards coming through the prospect pipeline.

Could the 2019 draft — and more specifically the No. 14 pick — help balance the scales?

“A lot of these picks we’re making, there is a timeline until they come to fruition,” Chayka said. “When you look at our depth chart today, three years ago we had too many forward and now people say we have too many defensemen. Things can change, but it’s about asset value. The chances of the 14th overall pick stepping in right away are slim, as they should be.

“You want to bring these kids up the right way and develop them. We’re not looking to fill any short-term needs with the 14th pick; we’re looking to build out our organization. We’re not against having the best group of defensive prospects in the league. That’d be a good problem to have.”

Chayka, who describes himself as “hands-on” when it comes to scouting amateur talent, said he will have watched close to 500 games by the end of the year — be it by video or in person. Considering the bulk of the Coyotes’ prospects play in the various leagues under the umbrella of the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), it’s fair to assume Chayka has seen many of his potential draft targets in person.

“I’m more hands-on in terms of process structure, philosophy and how we go about collecting information and analyzing information,” Chayka said. “But it’s a part of the job I enjoy. I enjoy going out and watching games. … That gives me a chance to have an opinion, but ultimately Lindsay (Hofford) is our director of amateur scouting and has seen the most.”

Prospects in playoffs

Several of the Coyotes’ top prospects are still alive in the various playoff series across the CHL, including both Hayton (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, OHL) and Joseph (Drummondville Voltigeurs, QMJHL).

Entering play Wednesday, Hayton had registered five goals and 13 points in eight playoff games but the Greyhounds trailed 3-0 in a series to the Saginaw Spirit.

“Barrett’s had a good finish to his season,” Chayka said of Hayton, who tallied 26 goals and 66 points in 39 regular-season games. “At his level right now, to be a 200-foot centerman right now with that kind of production is extremely rare. Like I said, he’s showing extremely well.”

A big reason Hayton’s Greyhounds are trailing in the series is the play of fellow Coyotes prospect Ivan Prosvetov, who had a .938 save percentage in seven playoff appearances for Saginaw. Prosvetov was a fourth-round pick by Arizona in 2018.

Joseph had three assists in his first eight games of the QMJHL playoffs. He finished with two goals and 20 assists in 35 games for Drummondville after a mid-season trade from the Charlottetown Islanders.

Richard Morin covers the Coyotes and Diamondbacks for azcentral sports. He can be reached at rmorin@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @ramorin_azc. Subscribe to azcentral today.