Phoenix Coyotes Hockey on AZ Vibe

This past weekend, part of the Phoenix Coyotes staff were in Montreal taking part in the 2009 entry draft adding to the already strong foundation of prospects on the farm. Overall, the Coyotes selected five players and were a part of three trades which included a trading Coyotes Right Wing Brandon Prust for a solid defenseman in Jim Vandermeer formerly of the Calgary Flames.

With the #6 overall selection in the draft, the Coyotes selected 17 year old Oliver Ekman-Larsson who has been touted as ‘the real deal’.

For those of you who don’t follow hockey to well or don’t understand the significance of the NHL Entry Draft, we can sum it up in a few sentences. The way the NHL works with their latest collective bargaining agreement between the NHL Players Union and the Owners of the NHL is that building a solid foundation for a team is critical for the survival of a franchise. It’s just like a house. You need to have a solid foundation to build whatever you want on top and make it last for years to come. Gone are the days of building a team with high priced talent. The Coyotes have quieltly been building a tremendous foundation in the past few years that will pay off before too long.

Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney talked about their first round draft pick to the Coyotes Dave Strader. Good stuff here:

http://coyotes.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=-6&id=44344

Maloney continued saying that the Coyotes “are extremely pleased with the way this weekend unfolded for our organization beginning with the selection of a top defensive prospect (Ekman-Larsson)”. Furthermore he added that “we added a tough NHL defenseman in Jim Vandermeer, who will help solidify our defense.”

Dave Vest talks with Coyotes Director of Amateur Scouting, Keith Gretzky at the conclusion of the draft.

http://coyotes.nhl.tv/team/embed.jsp?catid=-6&id=44498

Dave Strader talks with Coyotes first round draft pick Oliver Ekman-Larsson:

http://coyotes.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=-6&id=44276

Here’s his stats.
POS NAME ROUND HT WT TEAM GP G A PTS PIM PLACE OF BIRTH
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson 1st /6th overall 6’2” 176 Leksand (Sweden-2) 39 3 14 17 32 Karlskrona, Sweden

Coyotes Dave Vest talks with Second Round Pick Chris Brown:

http://coyotes.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=-6&id=44393

POS NAME ROUND HT WT TEAM GP G A PTS PIM PLACE OF BIRTH
RW Chris Brown 2nd/36th overall 6’2’’ 191 U.S. U-18 (NTDP) 62 20 18 38 120 Flower Mound, TX

Coyotes Dave Vest talks with newest Coyotes player Goaltender Michael Lee:

http://coyotes.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=-6&id=44414

Lee’s Goaltending Stats:

POS NAME ROUND HT WT TEAM GP W-L-T GAA SV% PLACE OF BIRTH
G Michael Lee 3rd/91st overall 6’1’’ 185 Fargo (USHL) 48 26-15-4 2.40 .918 Roseau, MN

Coyotes Dave Vest talks with the newest member of the Phoenix Coyotes, Jordan Szwarz

http://coyotes.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?catid=-6&id=44443

Szwarz’s stats:

POS NAME ROUND HT WT TEAM GP G A PTS PIM PLACE OF BIRTH
RW Jordan Szwarz 4th/97th overall 5’11” 189 Saginaw (OHL) 67 17 34 51 76 Burlington, ON