Arizona Coyotes' Dylan Strome faces pivotal summer as he prepares to turn pro

Dominate the regular season.

Check.

Be a leader at the World Junior Championship.

Done – with the "C" on his sweater as Canada’s captain.

Enjoy a lengthy playoff run.

Not a problem.

Prospect Dylan Strome was hoping to remain in the NHL after he cracked the Coyotes’ initial roster last fall, but an early season return to junior stalled his pro career. The change of competition, however, didn’t slow Strome’s development as he accomplished the objectives the Coyotes outlined for him to cap off an incredibly successful tenure in the Ontario Hockey League with the Erie Otters.

Next on Strome’s to-do list is preparing to become a full-timer in the NHL, an ambition that targets this summer as perhaps the most important Strome has faced.

“Setting myself up in a good situation for camp coming up next year is what I’m looking to do,” he said. “Hopefully I can prove to them that I can stay in the NHL and just do what I did last year, but stick there. That’s obviously my goal.”

Unlike last offseason when Strome was in the Valley for just a handful of weeks, he’ll spend the majority of this summer in Arizona training alongside other Coyotes prospects such as Clayton Keller, Christian Fischer and Nick Merkley and under the guidance of team personnel.

Being here allows him to build a bond with his peers in the organization and get comfortable living on his own; he’s turning pro and will be stationed with the Coyotes or their American Hockey League affiliate in Tucson next season. It also makes keeping tabs on his progress easy for team brass.

“If they’re monitoring what I’m doing and I’m working hard and putting in the effort and getting the result and they’re seeing it, it’s obviously beneficial,” Strome said. “I’m just going to work as hard as I can, and hopefully the results are there.”

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And what the Coyotes need to see from Strome is more strength.

Offense isn’t an issue for the third overall pick from 2015. Look no further than his return to junior - Strome racked up 75 points in 35 regular-season games. He also tied for the third-most points at the World Junior Championship.

After capturing the OHL title, Strome impressed even more at the Memorial Cup – which crowns a champion among the three junior leagues comprising the Canadian Hockey League. The 20-year-old tied for the most points in the tournament, had a record-breaking seven points in a single game and was named MVP despite his team falling in the final.

“His skill-set and his hockey IQ are as good as they come,” Coyotes Assistant General Manager Steve Sullivan said.

A lack of physical maturity is what limited Strome to seven NHL games last season before he was rerouted to the OHL. Not only can bulking up help Strome hold his own in puck battles along the boards and in the corners, but it could be key to adapting to the pace of play and being able to skate quicker and make the right decisions on the fly.

“I’m a firm believer that his stride and his speed, his explosiveness on the ice, is going to come from strength,” Sullivan said.

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Strome doesn’t have to be able to bench-press or squat a certain amount, but the work he does in the gym can improve key factors – like how quickly his legs tire during a shift.

The Coyotes aren’t assigning him a specific weight, as much of that depends on a player's comfort level; Strome wasn’t sure of his status but he guessed he added five pounds during the season. He stayed in touch with the Coyotes’ strength and conditioning coach JP Major while with Erie after realizing just how important it was to consistently train during the season.

“Probably the biggest thing I learned all year,” he said.

The value of that off-ice work isn’t going to diminish any time soon. What Strome achieves this summer may ultimately decide whether he locks up a roster spot with the Coyotes or the Roadrunners.

And Strome is well-aware of that.

“I’m excited,” he said. “I’m getting an opportunity to play in the NHL and compete for a job. That’s the way I’m looking at it. … I obviously want to prove to everyone that I can play in the NHL and stick there. But there’s a lot of work before that. I think it starts with a good summer and then leading into a good camp.”

Injury update

Winger Tobias Rieder recently underwent successful surgery on an ankle injury he suffered at the IIHF World Championship last month.

Rieder is expected to require eight to 12 weeks to recover and rehab. The Coyotes anticipate him making a full recovery.

Key dates for expansion draft

June 17: Deadline for the Coyotes to submit their protection list is 2 p.m. Arizona time. As of noon, all teams except the Vegas Golden Knights will enter into a trade/waiver freeze and they won’t be allowed to sign players.

June 18: The NHL will approve and distribute the protection lists to all teams and the NHL Players' Association by 7 a.m. Also at this time, the Golden Knights will be able to begin interviewing unrestricted and restricted free agents available for selection in the draft.

June 21: The Golden Knights must submit their expansion-draft selections by 7 a.m. This is also the deadline for Vegas to submit a contract for any pending UFA/RFA who was selected and signed. If the Golden Knights sign a current or pending free agent on a team’s list of available players, it will count as Vegas’ selection from that team. And if the Golden Knights sign a RFA from a team’s available list, the team will not be entitled to any compensation from Vegas. The Golden Knights’ selections will be announced in conjunction with the 2017 NHL Awards at 5 p.m.

June 22: Signing moratorium and trade/waiver freeze for all teams except the Golden Knights will be lifted at 5 a.m.

Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.