Arizona Coyotes taking patient approach with Dylan Strome

One had to wait a little bit longer than the other to grace the NHL draft stage at the Coyotes' summon, but the development plan that has winger Max Domi poised to land in the NHL this fall more than two years after he was selected 12th overall could be the same outlook for center Dylan Strome.

A third-overall selection this past weekend, Strome's ranking is certainly warranted.

The 18-year-old led the Ontario Hockey League in scoring with 129 points — 45 of which were goals — and he oozed creativity and productivity while racking up 40 multi-point games with Erie.

But the high selection isn't an immediate ticket into the league and while it's easy to identify positives of a quicker transition — namely positional need and marketability — a slower timeline seems to suggest the best outcome for the team and the player.

"We're really confident in two or three years this guy will be an important player in the National Hockey League," General Manager Don Maloney said.

RELATED: Coyotes select Dylan Strome with 3rd pick in NHL draft | Fans excited for Strome

The Coyotes, no doubt, could use Strome's playmaking vision and ability to enhance the performance of those around him. The opportunity to advertise the franchise with his face, next to Domi and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, is also appealing.

"I think that Dylan Strome is a player who can become a superstar in this league," President, CEO and co-owner Anthony LeBlanc said.

But rushing him to that platform runs the risk of diluting his impact, and that's why the Coyotes have pointedly said development is required.

Strome has already started working with a skating coach, and the Coyotes have evaluated his stride to make sure it's repairable and without fatal flaws.

"There's some work that needs to happen, but there's nothing that's going to prevent him from improving his skating to become, really, what we believe is a front-line NHL player," Maloney said.

PROFILE: First-round pick Dylan Strome

Some have suggested Strome's success might have been inflated by playing on the same junior team as No. 1 pick Connor McDavid, but a former opponent disagrees.

"No, not at all," Domi said. "He is who he is for one reason only. He's one of the hardest-working guys I've heard of."

Strome is aware of all of this — the likely wait, the excitement for the future and, perhaps most importantly, the work that has to be done. But his motivation hasn't wavered.

"It's going to be a tough transition, but I'm looking forward to the challenge," he said. "I'm going to challenge myself to get better every day, and I'm striving toward playing in the NHL as soon as possible."

That's encouraging to hear, but using more time in junior to finesse the details of the game, defensive-zone awareness and play without the puck like Domi has isn't a negative. And if an example needs to be reinforced about believing in that process, the now 20-year-old Domi shines as the poster boy.

MORE: A look at the Arizona Coyotes' 2015 NHL draft selections

"The extra two years were awesome, and I've come a long way as a person and as a hockey player, too," Domi said. "You have to be pretty mature to play in this league and if it takes a year or a couple of years, three years, whatever it takes, it's definitely worth it."

The Coyotes certainly had the opportunity to trade the No. 3 pick Friday to help their current roster improve, but they were adamant about adding Strome.

And given their outlook to contend is at three-to-four years, Strome has plenty of time to grow into a vital cog of that ambition.

"I'm going to do whatever it takes to be that guy," Strome said. "You see the building when they made the playoffs, and it was wild. Hopefully I can be a part of getting it back there and winning Stanley Cups."

PHOTOS: Coyotes' 2015 draft selections