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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Matthias Plachta got a chance to live in the barn at Shane Doan’s ranch this summer while the team prepared for training camp. If things go well, the big German left wing hopes to find a permanent home in the Valley that doesn’t include horses.

Plachta survived the latest round of roster cuts at training camp on Wednesday, putting him on a short list of players on the bubble as Arizona looks to trim its roster from 26 to the requisite 23 players after Friday’s preseason finale against San Jose at Gila River Arena.

“It’s pretty cool to be here at this point,” Plachta said after practice at the Ice Den. “When you’re so close to making a team, you want it even more.”

Plachta, 24, was not drafted and spent the past four seasons with Adler Mannheim in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Last season, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound winger had 14 goals and 35 points in 47 games while adding five goals and nine points in 15 playoff games.

Plachta played for Germany at the 2015 IIHF World Championship, scoring two goals in seven games. He signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Coyotes in May.

Earlier in camp, coach Dave Tippett said Plachta probably has the hardest wrist shot in camp and the Coyotes love his size and work ethic. It’s a matter of getting him in the right places and learning all the details that Tippett stresses so frequently.

“Just little things like protecting pucks, making the right decisions in the right places, being in the right position — little things that make you a better player,” said Plachta, who has played preseason games against Los Angeles, Vancouver and Edmonton. “At this level, everyone can play hockey so making the right decisions is important for staying here.”

When Plachta first arrived he stayed in what Doan calls his barn – a big house with four or five mare barns and about 50 boarding stalls, a roping area, a cutting pen and turn-out pens for the 30 or so horses (the Doans also have 12-15 steers). The entire place is run by Coyotes equipment manager Stan Wilson and his wife, Shelly.

“It doesn’t have maid service, it doesn’t have room service and it doesn’t have a pool so it’s not overly enticing, but at the same time, it’s a really nice house,” Doan said.

Doan joked that Plachta, wing Tobias Rieder and minor-league goalie Niklas Treutle had to shovel stalls to earn their keep while they stayed there.

“If guys need a place to stay it’s always there and always open to them,” Doan said.

Plachta’s fate may very well rest on whether the Coyotes decide to keep center and 2015 first-round pick Dylan Strome on the roster. If Strome stays, that will likely push center Brad Richardson to the left wing, perhaps on a line with Martin Hanzal and Mikkel Boedker and that could leave Plachta out in the cold.

If Strome returns to the Ontario Hockey League, however, Richardson would remain at center and Plachta could be one of the top four left wings the Coyotes keep along with Max Domi, Rieder and Jordan Martinook.

Kyle Chipchura is also in the mix, but he or veteran right winger Joe Vitale could be fighting for their roster spots as the Coyotes weigh the rewards and risks of infusing more youth into their lineup.

Plachta said it took him a little while to adjust to the smaller NHL ice surface but he has put that behind him. It was also a shock to see players across the ice from him that he had watched on television such as L.A.’s Milan Lucic and Marian Gaborik.

“In warm-up, you peek over but then when the game starts you concentrate on your role,” he said with a smile.

Plachta hopes to get one last opportunity to show he can fill a role on Friday against the Sharks. That lineup should be a pretty good indication of the direction the Coyotes plan to go with their roster.

“I’ll try my best in practice and we’ll see where it goes,” he said.

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