GLENDALE, Ariz. — When Coyotes coach Dave Tippett drops hints, he doesn’t drop them with ulterior motives or agendas in mind. He drops them as if to say, “hey, pay attention here.”

So when Tippett mentioned center Laurent Dauphin, unsolicited, as a guy who has impressed him at training camp, it was worth taking note.

“He just recognizes he has the skill set and the mind set to be an NHL player,” Tippett said Friday of the 2013 second-round (39th overall) pick. “It’s just a matter of when he gets here. He comes in with that confidence and it shows in the (preseason) games.”

It’s no secret the Coyotes have a pair of roster spots open at center. Martin Hanzal and Brad Richardson are locks, but the other two spots are open to competition between much-hyped prospects Dylan Strome, Christian Dvorak, and oft-overlooked prospects like Dauphin.

“With all those first round picks and big names, I just want to do my job,” Dauphin said Saturday night after the Coyotes’ 3-2 overtime win over Anaheim at Gila River Arena. “If they’re better offensively, I need to do something else to stay here, whether it’s killing penalties or my work ethic.”

Dauphin had some rough patches the last few years. He had shoulder surgery to repair his right labrum two seasons ago, an ordeal that cost him 15 pounds of weight, plus additional other health issues.

Last season, just as camp was getting going, Dauphin had to return home for personal reasons just before he was preparing for a media interview. The lost time didn’t help him at camp and he returned to the American Hockey League, where he had 11 goals and 24 points in 66 games for Springfield.

“I think the best things for me in the AHL were the pace of the game and just learning to be a good pro,” he said. “It was just good to see how tough it is to stay here.”

If Dauphin were to make the roster this season, it might mean taking a spot from Dvorak or Strome. That wouldn’t sit well with a fan base anxious to see more skill in the lineup, but Tippett and Coyotes Director of Player Development Steve Sullivan don’t concern themselves with fan evaluations of players. They concern themselves with what their trained eyes are seeing on the ice, and what the video-drawn analytics are telling them about what they see on the ice.

“I’m a big fan of Laurent Dauphin,” Sullivan said. “He’s not as explosive or dynamic as Max Domi. It’s more a case where at the end of a game, when you rewatch the tape, that’s when you see all the good things he does in a hockey game.”

Two things the Coyotes wanted Dauphin to work on were gaining weight and strength, and improving his shot. He hired a new trainer a year ago, one who has stressed flexibility, durability and balance, as much as weight training.

“It has made a big difference,” said Dauphin, who worked out this summer in Montreal with other NHL players such as Jonathan Drouin and Xavier Ouelett. “I’m looking forward to continuing here.”

Dauphin isn’t certain of all the details Tippett is seeing in his game so far, but he is making sure he takes care of the broader brush strokes.

“I think it’s work ethic and proving I can be competitive and consistent in this league — that I can play 82 games a year,” he said. “I have more patience and confidence in myself. I think that’s what they see.”

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