Sept. 17, 2022 | 4:30 PM AZ Time | Orange Rink, Sharks Ice
TV: None | Radio: None | Stream: HERE
The Arizona Coyotes are right back at it on day two of the 2022 NHL Rookie Faceoff Tournament, set to face off against the Anaheim Ducks just one day later. dropping a chippy 3-2 game to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Nathan Smith starred in yesterday’s game, recording both Coyotes goals in the second period. He’s one of three prospects on Arizona’s roster with NHL experience, and it showed throughout the game. He and Jack McBain were alternate captains, while forward Ben McCartney wore the captain’s C.
“It’s nice being in a leadership role,” Smith said after the game. “That’s one of the things that I focused on more at school, just taking some of the younger guys and some of the newer guys under my wing.
“Even though I’m still fairly new to the organization, I’m just trying to do that for the younger guys that are here.”
There’s no guarantee Smith will be in the lineup tonight, though, considering Arizona’s deep roster of prospects. Considering his performance on Friday, acting head coach Steve Potvin may opt to see who else from the Coyotes’ prospect pool is ready to step up and make a statement.
“We’ve got a pretty deep roster, so we’re going to make some changes,” Potvin said after yesterday’s game. “We’ll meet with the staff and make sure we make the right adjustments there, but for us, I think there’s maybe some minor tweaks here and there, but for the most part there’s a lot to build off of.”
Player to Watch: 2021 first-round draft pick Dylan Guenther, who is expected to be in the lineup for tonight’s game. Guenther has been nothing short of spectacular since being selected ninth overall by the Coyotes, but the 19-year-old has not played a game since sustaining a lower-body injury with the Edmonton Oil Kings in Game 3 of the WHL Final in June. The Edmonton, Alberta native recorded 45 goals and 46 assists in 59 games with the WHL Champion Oil Kings this past season.
A LOOK AT THE DUCKS
Anaheim lost an overtime thriller against the host San Jose Sharks yesterday, unable to hang on to a third-period lead en route to the defeat. A pair of 2022 draft picks scored for the Ducks, as forward Nathan Gaucher (First round, 22nd overall) and defenseman Noah Warren (Second round, 42nd overall) both recorded goals.
Anaheim’s roster is incredibly deep. It boasts 15 total NHL draft picks, including six from 2022, five from 2021, and five first-round picks overall, highlighted by forward Mason McTavish, whom the Ducks selected third overall in 2021. Forwards Jacob Perreault (2020, 27th overall), Brayden Tracey (2019, 29th overall) and the aforementioned Gaucher, along with defenseman Pavel Mintyukov (2022, 10th overall), round out the team’s rostered first-rounders.
In all, the Ducks have 11 players on their roster that were selected within the first three rounds of the NHL draft.
Goalie Alexander Gage stopped 28 of 31 shots against the Sharks yesterday, and was selected 148th overall by the Ducks in 2021. He went 18-7-4 with two shutouts and a 2.40 goals-against average with the WHL’s Winnipeg ICE last season. Brayden Peters, Anaheim’s other netminder who is in San Jose on an invitation, went 21-23-3 with three shutouts and a 2.98 GAA with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen last season.
Player to Watch: Although Anaheim’s roster was not yet available prior to publishing, keep an eye on McTavish, who has had quite a year. The dynamic 19-year-old forward appeared in nine NHL games last season, notching two goals and one assist. He also spent time with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs (40 points in 24 games) and Peterborough Petes (7 points in 5 games), as well as the AHL’s San Diego Gulls (2 points in 3 games).
He may be best known, though, for his save-heard-around-the-world with Team Canada in this year’s World Junior Championship gold medal game against Finland. McTavish batted the puck — which was a surefire overtime game-winning goal — out of midair with his stick, and Canada went on to defeat Finland to earn gold moments later.
Puck Drop is scheduled for 4:30 pm AZ time, and the game can be found streaming here.
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