CoyotesHFNHL
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- May 30, 2010
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ARIZONA COYOTES RESULTS FOR THE 2015 HFNHL ENTRY DRAFT
With their first six picks in the draft, the Arizona Coyotes broke the perceived Canadian/OHL bias selecting players from six different nations (CZE, SWE, SUI, CAN, RUS, FIN) playing in five different leagues. Four of the Coyotes' first six picks played in the 2015 World Junior Championship. The result was a combination of safe size/skill and some potential home run picks.
PAVEL ZACHA
Centre - 6'03" 210lb - Sarnia Sting (OHL)
HFNHL: 1st Round - 10th Overall
NHL: 1st Round - 6th Overall by the New Jersey Devils
GM Says: "Zacha gives you everything you want in a big top line forward. He has size, a powerful, accurate release on his shot, but he is also an excellent passer. His vision is off the charts and he processes the game at a level that most prospects could only dream of. He has a mean streak and will punish opponents along the wall and in battles. He is adequate defensively, not specializing in a 200 foot game, but is reliable and won't abandon his responsibilities. Probably would have put up double the points if he played a more selfish game, however point totals were effected because he played the game the right way. Could be in the HFNHL as soon as 2016-2017."
ROBIN KOVACS
Right Wing - 6'00" 159lb - AIK (Alsvenskan - Sweden)
HFNHL: 2nd Round - 40th Overall
NHL: 3rd Round - 62nd Overall by the New York Rangers
GM Says: "Kovacs is a highly skilled winger who saw a lot of success this past season. Despite being an 18 year old in Sweden's men's second league, Kovacs lead his team in goals, points and penalty minutes. Kovacs has high end speed and is a threat to score whenever he's in the offensive zone. He has great creativity with the puck and can set up his linemates as well as finish. In addition to his top six offensive upside, Kovacs is an exceedingly frustrating player to play against. He has a history of getting under the skin of the opposition then capitalizing when he is able to draw the power play. Kovacs will need to add muscle and improve his consistency both on a shift by shift and game by game basis, but long term he possesses very good top six offensive upside."
JONAS SIEGENTHALER
Left Defenseman - 6'03" 220lb - ZSC Lions (National League A - Switzerland)
HFNHL: 2nd Round - 52nd Overall
NHL: 2nd Round - 57th Overall by the Washington Capitals
GM Says: "Siegenthaler played a full season in the NLA, the top mens league in Switzerland as a 17 year old this past season. He has tremendous upside from the back end and at times was put into a top role with Mirco Mueller at the WJC. Siegenthaler can do it all, he skates well, rushes the puck effectively and intelligently, and has a powerful shot. Defensively he has a knack for landing punishing open ice hits, and can be very tough to play against. He was also named to the All-Star team at the IIHF U18 playing a ridiculous amount of minutes in all situations leading Switzerland to a fourth place finish. Jonas has first round talents, but will need to work on his conditioning. We would like to see him get into a little better shape as he has shown to wear down over the course of a high pace game. He also wore down over the course of the NLA season as well."
KYLE CAPOBIANCO
Left Defenseman - 6'01" 178lb - Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
HFNHL: 3rd Round - 70th Overall
NHL: 3rd Round - 63rd Overall by the Arizona Coyotes
GM Says: "Capobianco is an offensive defenseman with decent size and strong skating ability. He is near flawless on the point keeping his feet moving and virtually always makes the intelligent play with the puck. His defensive zone play is a work in progress but showed significant improvement, particularly due to the amount of time his team spent in the defensive zone. Despite playing on the last place team in the OHL, Capobianco put up 40 points and was in on 26.8% of his teams' goals. To put that into perspective, leading OHL point producer for defensemen Anthony DeAngelo finished with a 26.0%. Capobianco has time to develop, but projects to be an intelligent, mid-range offensive defenseman at the next level."
ILYA SOROKIN
Goaltender - 6'02" 167lb - CSKA Moskva (KHL)
HFNHL: 3rd Round - 71st Overall
NHL: 3rd Round - 78th Overall by the New York Islanders in 2014
GM Says: "1995 born re-entry goaltender who performed well at the World Junior Championships for Russia. In addition to his international play, he posted a 1.31 GAA, .937 SV% in the KHL following a transfer from Metallurg Novokuznetsk to CSKA Moskva this past season. Sorokin has good size and is very athletic. He is capable of making highlight reel saves but also possesses the size necessary for the majority of goaltenders to succeed. Ilya is currently in Russia but we have no concerns about him rushing over. Due to our goaltending depth, and the success we've had with re-entry goaltenders (Mason, Kuemper, Tokarski, Mazanec) we methodically selected Sorokin as the next in line in that group."
ROOPE HINTZ
Left Wing - 6'03" 185lb - Ilves (lliga-Finland)
HFNHL: 3rd Round - 81st Overall
NHL: 2nd Round - 49th Overall by the Dallas Stars
GM Says: "Hintz is a big two-way forward with intriguing offensive upside. While he doesn't blow you away with talent, his ability to understand the game, and his role made him a very valuable player whether it be in the World Junior Championships with Finland or in Finland's top men's league with Ilves. Hintz utilizes his size very intelligently allowing him to protect the puck, but without the puck will assert himself in battle. He is smart positionally, always knowing where to go. Hintz doesn't project as an impact player, but he has size, offensive upside and the durability to play a wide range of roles. He is also very defensively sound. Skating needs improvement."
BRENDAN GUHLE
Left Defenseman - 6'02" 184lb - Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
HFNHL: 4th Round - 100th Overall
NHL: 2nd Round - 51st Overall by the Buffalo Sabres
GM Says: "Not since Scott Harrington in 2011 has the Coyotes drafted a defenseman in the 100's who went in the second round in the NHL. With the tremendous depth in the Coyotes blueline, Guhle is a high risk, high reward option from the back end. Brendan has massive upside with excellent skating ability, a slick passer, good offensive tools, but also possessing the toughness to make him a valuable player in all game situations, at both ends of the ice. Guhle at 6'02" has shown the ability to rush the puck at will. He has some risk because he doesn't think the game at the level of his physical talents, which could impede his development. However the physically tools Guhle possesses makes him more than a worthwhile risk to take in the 4th round with the amount of upside he possesses."
CHAZ REDDEKOPP
Left Defenseman - 6'03" 219lb - Victoria Royals (WHL)
HFNHL: 4th Round - 107th Overall
NHL: 7th Round - 187th Overall by the Los Angeles Kings
GM Says: "Reddekopp is a big punishing blueliner who skates well for his size. He plays a two-way game but projects as a shutdown defender. He is as tough as they come down low and has a big mean streak in the corners. He's willing to block shots and do what it takes to shut down top opposing forwards. Offensively he's a little inconsistent but has good tools to build on. Reddekopp is a bit of a boom or bust prospect, but has good value at this point of the draft."
TRISTEN PFEIFER
Right Defenseman - 6'02" 174lb - Everett Silvertips (WHL)
HFNHL: 6th Round - 161st Overall
NHL: Undrafted
GM Says: "Pfeifer developed faster than any prospect we selected this past season. After being discovered playing for the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes U18 program in Arizona, he was invited to Silvertips camp. Despite preparing to make a jump to the BCHL, Pfeifer surprised even himself by making the Silvertips. He has excellent raw ability, skates well from the back end and can rush the puck. Despite this he has developed into a reliable shutdown defender. He is physically tough has very good size and is difficult to get past one on one with a good stick. His understanding of the game has developed at an accelerated rate playing at a much higher level. Pfeifer was an unknown 12 months ago and will likely leave an impression in his second WHL season where he will likely be a re-entry pick."
ALEXANDER YOUNAN
Left Defenseman - 6'01" 190lb - HV71 J20 (SuperElit - Sweden)
HFNHL: 7th Round - 191st Overall
NHL: Undrafted
GM Says: "Younan really left a big impression on us at the Five Nations Tournament. He played big minutes for Sweden and displayed excellent vision and accuracy with his passing ability. He is a smart, creative offensive defenseman who distributes and rushes the puck equally well. He is a threat to hit a forward ahead of the play with a breakout pass because of his outstanding ability to lead the skater to the puck when making long distance passes. He is a smooth skating defender and is very evasive and tough to contain when he gets his feet moving with the puck. All in all, Younan has very intriguing upside as an offensive defenseman and as an NHL re-entry player who didn't receive very much international exposure."
With their first six picks in the draft, the Arizona Coyotes broke the perceived Canadian/OHL bias selecting players from six different nations (CZE, SWE, SUI, CAN, RUS, FIN) playing in five different leagues. Four of the Coyotes' first six picks played in the 2015 World Junior Championship. The result was a combination of safe size/skill and some potential home run picks.
PAVEL ZACHA
Centre - 6'03" 210lb - Sarnia Sting (OHL)
HFNHL: 1st Round - 10th Overall
NHL: 1st Round - 6th Overall by the New Jersey Devils
GM Says: "Zacha gives you everything you want in a big top line forward. He has size, a powerful, accurate release on his shot, but he is also an excellent passer. His vision is off the charts and he processes the game at a level that most prospects could only dream of. He has a mean streak and will punish opponents along the wall and in battles. He is adequate defensively, not specializing in a 200 foot game, but is reliable and won't abandon his responsibilities. Probably would have put up double the points if he played a more selfish game, however point totals were effected because he played the game the right way. Could be in the HFNHL as soon as 2016-2017."
ROBIN KOVACS
Right Wing - 6'00" 159lb - AIK (Alsvenskan - Sweden)
HFNHL: 2nd Round - 40th Overall
NHL: 3rd Round - 62nd Overall by the New York Rangers
GM Says: "Kovacs is a highly skilled winger who saw a lot of success this past season. Despite being an 18 year old in Sweden's men's second league, Kovacs lead his team in goals, points and penalty minutes. Kovacs has high end speed and is a threat to score whenever he's in the offensive zone. He has great creativity with the puck and can set up his linemates as well as finish. In addition to his top six offensive upside, Kovacs is an exceedingly frustrating player to play against. He has a history of getting under the skin of the opposition then capitalizing when he is able to draw the power play. Kovacs will need to add muscle and improve his consistency both on a shift by shift and game by game basis, but long term he possesses very good top six offensive upside."
JONAS SIEGENTHALER
Left Defenseman - 6'03" 220lb - ZSC Lions (National League A - Switzerland)
HFNHL: 2nd Round - 52nd Overall
NHL: 2nd Round - 57th Overall by the Washington Capitals
GM Says: "Siegenthaler played a full season in the NLA, the top mens league in Switzerland as a 17 year old this past season. He has tremendous upside from the back end and at times was put into a top role with Mirco Mueller at the WJC. Siegenthaler can do it all, he skates well, rushes the puck effectively and intelligently, and has a powerful shot. Defensively he has a knack for landing punishing open ice hits, and can be very tough to play against. He was also named to the All-Star team at the IIHF U18 playing a ridiculous amount of minutes in all situations leading Switzerland to a fourth place finish. Jonas has first round talents, but will need to work on his conditioning. We would like to see him get into a little better shape as he has shown to wear down over the course of a high pace game. He also wore down over the course of the NLA season as well."
KYLE CAPOBIANCO
Left Defenseman - 6'01" 178lb - Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
HFNHL: 3rd Round - 70th Overall
NHL: 3rd Round - 63rd Overall by the Arizona Coyotes
GM Says: "Capobianco is an offensive defenseman with decent size and strong skating ability. He is near flawless on the point keeping his feet moving and virtually always makes the intelligent play with the puck. His defensive zone play is a work in progress but showed significant improvement, particularly due to the amount of time his team spent in the defensive zone. Despite playing on the last place team in the OHL, Capobianco put up 40 points and was in on 26.8% of his teams' goals. To put that into perspective, leading OHL point producer for defensemen Anthony DeAngelo finished with a 26.0%. Capobianco has time to develop, but projects to be an intelligent, mid-range offensive defenseman at the next level."
ILYA SOROKIN
Goaltender - 6'02" 167lb - CSKA Moskva (KHL)
HFNHL: 3rd Round - 71st Overall
NHL: 3rd Round - 78th Overall by the New York Islanders in 2014
GM Says: "1995 born re-entry goaltender who performed well at the World Junior Championships for Russia. In addition to his international play, he posted a 1.31 GAA, .937 SV% in the KHL following a transfer from Metallurg Novokuznetsk to CSKA Moskva this past season. Sorokin has good size and is very athletic. He is capable of making highlight reel saves but also possesses the size necessary for the majority of goaltenders to succeed. Ilya is currently in Russia but we have no concerns about him rushing over. Due to our goaltending depth, and the success we've had with re-entry goaltenders (Mason, Kuemper, Tokarski, Mazanec) we methodically selected Sorokin as the next in line in that group."
ROOPE HINTZ
Left Wing - 6'03" 185lb - Ilves (lliga-Finland)
HFNHL: 3rd Round - 81st Overall
NHL: 2nd Round - 49th Overall by the Dallas Stars
GM Says: "Hintz is a big two-way forward with intriguing offensive upside. While he doesn't blow you away with talent, his ability to understand the game, and his role made him a very valuable player whether it be in the World Junior Championships with Finland or in Finland's top men's league with Ilves. Hintz utilizes his size very intelligently allowing him to protect the puck, but without the puck will assert himself in battle. He is smart positionally, always knowing where to go. Hintz doesn't project as an impact player, but he has size, offensive upside and the durability to play a wide range of roles. He is also very defensively sound. Skating needs improvement."
BRENDAN GUHLE
Left Defenseman - 6'02" 184lb - Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
HFNHL: 4th Round - 100th Overall
NHL: 2nd Round - 51st Overall by the Buffalo Sabres
GM Says: "Not since Scott Harrington in 2011 has the Coyotes drafted a defenseman in the 100's who went in the second round in the NHL. With the tremendous depth in the Coyotes blueline, Guhle is a high risk, high reward option from the back end. Brendan has massive upside with excellent skating ability, a slick passer, good offensive tools, but also possessing the toughness to make him a valuable player in all game situations, at both ends of the ice. Guhle at 6'02" has shown the ability to rush the puck at will. He has some risk because he doesn't think the game at the level of his physical talents, which could impede his development. However the physically tools Guhle possesses makes him more than a worthwhile risk to take in the 4th round with the amount of upside he possesses."
CHAZ REDDEKOPP
Left Defenseman - 6'03" 219lb - Victoria Royals (WHL)
HFNHL: 4th Round - 107th Overall
NHL: 7th Round - 187th Overall by the Los Angeles Kings
GM Says: "Reddekopp is a big punishing blueliner who skates well for his size. He plays a two-way game but projects as a shutdown defender. He is as tough as they come down low and has a big mean streak in the corners. He's willing to block shots and do what it takes to shut down top opposing forwards. Offensively he's a little inconsistent but has good tools to build on. Reddekopp is a bit of a boom or bust prospect, but has good value at this point of the draft."
TRISTEN PFEIFER
Right Defenseman - 6'02" 174lb - Everett Silvertips (WHL)
HFNHL: 6th Round - 161st Overall
NHL: Undrafted
GM Says: "Pfeifer developed faster than any prospect we selected this past season. After being discovered playing for the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes U18 program in Arizona, he was invited to Silvertips camp. Despite preparing to make a jump to the BCHL, Pfeifer surprised even himself by making the Silvertips. He has excellent raw ability, skates well from the back end and can rush the puck. Despite this he has developed into a reliable shutdown defender. He is physically tough has very good size and is difficult to get past one on one with a good stick. His understanding of the game has developed at an accelerated rate playing at a much higher level. Pfeifer was an unknown 12 months ago and will likely leave an impression in his second WHL season where he will likely be a re-entry pick."
ALEXANDER YOUNAN
Left Defenseman - 6'01" 190lb - HV71 J20 (SuperElit - Sweden)
HFNHL: 7th Round - 191st Overall
NHL: Undrafted
GM Says: "Younan really left a big impression on us at the Five Nations Tournament. He played big minutes for Sweden and displayed excellent vision and accuracy with his passing ability. He is a smart, creative offensive defenseman who distributes and rushes the puck equally well. He is a threat to hit a forward ahead of the play with a breakout pass because of his outstanding ability to lead the skater to the puck when making long distance passes. He is a smooth skating defender and is very evasive and tough to contain when he gets his feet moving with the puck. All in all, Younan has very intriguing upside as an offensive defenseman and as an NHL re-entry player who didn't receive very much international exposure."
