Coyotes encouraged about prospects after development camp

The Coyotes have anticipated some of their youth jumping into the NHL next season, and that idea gained credibility after watching their prospects at the team's recent development camp.

"I was really happy with what I saw here because it gives us hope that we're not just kidding ourselves," General Manager Don Maloney said. "We've got some unreal talent coming. We just have to hurry it along."

Helping their best prospects get up to speed was the theme of the camp. The team invited fewer players than previous years, and coach Dave Tippett ran the sessions along with his staff. Rather than focusing solely on competition-style drills, individual skills were stressed – including fitness.

"We're trying to fast-track some people to the NHL," Tippett said. "So we have to give them as much attention as possible."

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While team brass may have been impressed by the results, real conclusions will be drawn in training camp when prospects line up against current NHLers. Even so, the collection of prospects – headlined by wingers Max Domi and Anthony Duclair and centers Dylan Strome and Christian Dvorak– was inspiring – so much so that Maloney said he'd never seen this type of talent and depth in his eight years with the franchise.

And in light of where the team finished last season, second-to-last in the standings, progress like this is encouraging for those in charge.

"It got to the point where I had to forget about last year, and you're looking at the bright side of things," Tippett said. "Seeing a group of players as talented as we have out here right now is certainly moving in the right direction."

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Final thoughts

Maloney doesn't put too much stock in a camp that falls in the middle of the players' offseason, but a handful of prospects still managed to catch his eye.

Aside from Domi and Brendan Perlini, a couple of the other youngsters in the mix for roster spots stood out like Duclair and Dvorak.

"I really give him credit," Maloney said about Duclair. "I think he came in here and showed the coaches, 'I'm for real, guys.' "

As for Dvorak, "You talk about a guy who's ready or close to being ready for the NHL, he looks as close as we could say in July as anybody."

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Here are a few other names Maloney mentioned:

-Winger Michael Bunting.

-Winger Conor Garland. "Small, but skilled," Maloney said.

-Winger Brendan Warren.

-Winger Nick Merkley. "All he does is get the puck and make plays," Maloney said.

-Defenseman Kyle Capobianco.

-Defenseman Dakota Mermis. "Watching a lot of the Erie-Oshawa series in the (Ontario Hockey League) finals, he was matched up against Connor McDavid the whole series and really just shut him down."

-Defenseman Dysin Mayo.

-Goalie Adin Hill. "Reminds me of Mike Smith a lot," Maloney said. "Huge, athletic but young. We'll see where his game goes."

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​German connection

​Winger Matthias Plachta's transition to the organization should be eased along by a familiar face in friend and fellow German Tobias Rieder.

​The two played together for Germany at the World Championship in May and at the tournament, Rieder shared positive insight about the team. Later that month, Plachta signed a one-year, entry-level contract.

​"Toby's a great guy," Plachta said. "I watched him play last year, too. Every time he scored, all of Germany was happy for him. It's good for him and good for me, too, that I have somebody to talk to and stay in touch with."

​The 24-year-old had 14 goals and 35 points in 47 games last season in Germany. He's a strong player with a heavy shot, but the Coyotes will want to see how he adapts to the speed of the NHL.

​"It's everybody's dream to play in the NHL," Plachta said. "When I got the offer from Arizona, I didn't even wait for a second."

PHOTOS: Coyotes annual prospect development camp - 2015

​Class dismissed

​Center Max Letunov was in history class last March when his cellphone buzzed.

​He didn't pick up and waited until lunch to check out social media, learning he had been traded by the Blues to the Coyotes in exchange for defenseman Zbynek Michalek before the NHL trade deadline.

​"I was just waiting for this moment to finally come to Arizona," Letunov said.

​The 19-year-old will continue his career at Boston University in the fall.

​"Needs to fill out into his size but good hands, good anticipation," Tippett said.

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Ice chips

-Center Laurent Dauphin didn't participate in the final day of camp for precautionary reasons after crashing hard into the boards during Wednesday's scrimmage.

After three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Dauphin will turn pro next season.

"He's a smart player, a real competitive player," Tippett said. "So training camp will be very exciting to see where he can get to."

-Three prospects who were at last year's camp – goalie Brendan Burke and forwards Yan-Pavel Laplante and Edgars Kulda – weren't at this year's event because they're no longer with the organization. Burke and Laplante went unsigned, while Kulda wasn't qualified.

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-The Coyotes are having conversations with their restricted free agents who were extended qualifying offers, which don't expire until Wednesday.

Maloney isn't concerned about getting deals worked out with forward Brendan Shinnimin and defenseman Philip Samuelsson. Both filed for salary arbitration, and the debate is about settling the minor-league salary portion of the contract, Maloney said.

-As for the trade market and free agency, both have quieted down after a steady stream of signings and trades around the league since the NHL draft last month.

"There's a lot of players still looking for work," Maloney said. "I think most teams have either spent what they have to spend or they're trying to move money around to sign some extra people. So we're actually in a pretty good spot. We can just pick and choose."