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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Conor Garland could not have picked a better mentor to help him realize his NHL dreams. Coyotes Director of Player Development Steve Sullivan understands the perception that Garland must overcome because Sullivan overcame the same obstacle: size.

Garland is 5’8″; Sullivan is 5’9″. Both put up gaudy numbers in juniors. Sullivan had 113 points in 63 games with Sault St. Marie (OHL) in 1993-94; Garland had 129 and 128 points the past two seasons with Moncton of the QMJHL, but it’s Sullivan’s NHL stats that Garland would like to match or surpass: 1,011 games, 290 goals and 747 points.

“There’s not many better guys alive to learn from when you look at it from my perspective,” Garland said. “I was a big fan of his growing up. For a small guy to play over 1,000 games in the NHL is definitely someone I look up to. Size is the one thing I have against me but I can’t help it. I just work on having the other parts of my game be as good as they can be.”

Garland led the QMJHL in points the last two seasons, but Sullivan admitted that you can’t gauge Garland’s NHL prospects upon that success.

“You really can’t so we have to continue to evaluate what we see here,” Sullivan said. “We hope that the game continues to translate because he’s a highly gifted hockey player and he thinks the game well. He can execute the high-end plays at a very high rate so I have a hard time believing it’s not going to translate.”

In tutoring Garland, Sullivan finds it easiest to dive into his own past.

“When I watch him play I put myself into the situations to see how I would react, how I had success or failures and see if he could try it out,” Sullivan said. “He’s a sponge so it’s easy to give him that information.

“It’s a fast game but it doesn’t seem like there are a lot of different scenarios you find yourself in so once you go through them all, you have an idea of how the game’s going to play out. I’ll tell him, ‘this is probably what’s going to happen so what are your odds? Doing this will give you the best odds of having success.'”

Although Garland is right-handed and was at one point this summer listed as a right wing, Sullivan believes he is better suited to playing the off-wing where he has played most of his life.

“I always felt it was easier when you carried the puck in the middle of the ice,” Sullivan said. “When you’re a smaller guy you’re usually going to have somebody on you thinking they can pinch you off. If you have to keep the puck on the outside all the time, it’s going to be hard to penetrate.

“Players give you more respect if the puck’s in the middle of the ice and they have to worry about where you’re going to go with — and it’s also already in a shooting position.”

Like most rookies, Garland would be happy to play either side if it meant a spot on the NHL roster, but he knows there are areas of his game that still need work, which is why he chose to spend a chunk of the summer in the Valley, living and working out with other top prospects Brendan Perlini, Christian Fischer, Christian Dvorak and Ryan MacInnis.

“We’re pretty different players so it’s cool to see what everybody brings to the table and actually learn from them,” he said. “I played in the Q(MJHL) and they played in the O(HL) so I didn’t get to see them as much as they saw each other but they all tore up juniors and it’s easy to see why.”

Garland is working on the oft-mentioned finer points of playing without the puck, but Sullivan is also teaching him the nuances of decision-making, like when it’s OK to release from the defensive zone to get a step on his opponent and create offense. Sullivan sees Garland as a playmaking wing in the Ray Whitney mold, and Garland understands that he will have to bring more skill to the table to offset the lack of size and physical prowess he can bring to a lineup.

At the same time, Garland isn’t afraid to mix it up. He had 97 penalty minutes last season.

“I play with an edge for sure,” he said, laughing. “Sometimes, I can’t help it. That’s just the way I am. I remember in the last game I was trying to get a double minor so I could get to 100 penalty minutes.”

Garland will have to show discipline in the NHL, but a little bit of attitude is just fine with Sullivan.

“He’s a very stubborn player,” Sullivan said, smiling. “He’s got that me vs. the world mentality, small man’s syndrome, and all those things that I think you need to make it if you’re a smaller guy.”

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Coyotes’ Conor Garland has perfect mentor in NHL vet Steve Sullivan