Phoenix Coyotes Hockey on AZ Vibe

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PHOENIX-Earlier this morning, a Russian sports publication, Sport-Express, posted an article that appears to have said that Phoenix Coyotes prospect Viktor Tikhonov had requested a trade from the Coyotes to another NHL Team.

A source told me this morning that Tikhonov just wants to play in the NHL but no requests for a trade have been made.

As we have stated in our previous article on the matter, Tikhonov’s priority right now is making the Coyotes opening day roster.

The Sport-Express article looks to be just one of those ‘lost in translation’ situations where a father just wants what’s best for his son as opposed to a trade demand.

::Update::

The Coyotes got back to me via e-mail and it’s ‘not true’ that Tikhonov has requested a trade.

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The San Antonio Rampage’s Dan Weiss recently sat down with the Rampage’s new head coach Dan Weiss for an interview. Discussions ranged from last season’s results to looking ahead to the new season.

(All Videos produced by the San Antonio Rampage)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

GLENDALE-The Coyotes have announced that they have signed journeyman center Bracken Kearns to a one year $550,000 two way contract.

If anything, this is a bottom 6 depth signing for the San Antonio Rampage as he’s the type of player that has the gift of hockey smarts, great character, and a great work ethic.  Three things that fit well in the Coyotes system.

Last season with the American Hockey League (AHL) Rockford Ice Hogs, Kearns scored 51 points (15 goals and 36 assists) which was second on the team in scoring.

GLENDALE-The Phoenix Coyotes announced today that they have re-signed Alexandre Picard to a one year deal worth $868,219. A former first round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets (8th overall selection in the 2004 draft) Picard has yet to showcase his skills at the NHL level.

The scouting report on Alexandre Picard is that he’s a big physical player who has lots of skill. However, Picard has never been able to translate that into NHL game skills during his time with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

It’s tough to say at this point if Picard is another talented prospect that the Blue Jackets mishandled (see Gilbert Brule) in the five years he’s been in the league. It’s clear by the Blue Jackets trading Picard to the Coyotes that they were done with seeing if he can become a solid contributor to their club.

It should be noted that in the 16 games he has played in the Coyotes organization (with the San Antonio Rampage) he tallied 15 points (9 goals and 6 assists).

The Coyotes are clearly going to give Picard all the chances to see if he can be a regular contributor to the organization more than likely betting on the fact that the Blue Jackets mishandled his development.

GLENDALE-The Phoenix Coyotes have named Ray Edwards head coach of their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate the San Antonio Rampage. Edwards was previously the Rampage’s interim head coach last season.

Since Edwards was hired on November 23rd, 2009, the Rampage went from one of the worst teams in the AHL to one of the most offensively potent teams at seasons end. Here’s some examples of Edwards effect on the Rampage:

By the end of the season…

- The Rampage were tied with the Hershey Bears for the best power-play percentage in the AHL at 20.7% (Franchise Record)

- The Rampage lead the AHL in home power-play percentage at 25.6% (Franchise Record)

Coyotes prospects also flourished under Edwards coaching last season.

- Kyle Turris scored 49 points in his last 56 games and 32 points in his last 30 games (19 goals and 30 assists)

- Brett MacLean scored 51 points in his last 58 games (22 goals and 29 assists)

In addition, the Phoenix coyotes have hired Jeff Truitt as an Assistant Coach of the San Antonio Rampage.

Truitt was formerly the Director of Hockey Operations for the Western Hockey League (WHL) Moose Jaw Warriors and before that, was head coach of the AHL Springfield Falcons for two seasons.

Truitt also brings championship experience to the table when he was coach of the WHL Kelowna Rockets for three seasons (2003-2005).

2 WHL Championships (2003, 2005)
2 WHL Regular Season Titles (2003, 2004)
3 Consecutive trips to the Memorial Cup Tournament (2003-2005)
1 Memorial Cup Championship.

Looking at this strategically on paper, the Coyotes have again made the right moves in not only solidifying the foundation for the franchise but they now have coaching insurance for not only the Rampage but potentially for the Coyotes as well.

SAN ANTONIO – Earlier this morning San Antonio Rampage play by play commentator Dan Weiss held a web chat with fans today talking about a bunch of different topics. All Coyotes fans should check the archived chat (link below) as it contains TONS of great info on the makeup of the Rampage this coming season as well as who will be playing on the Phoenix Coyotes this season.

The San Antonio Rampage are the AHL Affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes

http://sarampage.com/news/index.html?article_id=943

If you follow us on Twitter you probably have already heard about this contest. If you don’t follow us on twitter, you really should.

Anyways, what we’re going to give away over the next couple of weeks are signed Coyotes memorabilia which include:

1) A signed Martin Hanzal hat
2) A signed Kyle Turris Photo

Both items come with certificates of authenticity directly from the Phoenix Coyotes.

So here’s how we’re going to do the contest….

The first giveaway will be the signed Kyle Turris Photo and will be given away on our Twitter account.

Within the next week I’m going to send a tweet that will have a link to the question.

This contest will be a little different than all the others. What you’re going to have to do is answer a question and that question will be the first part of an AZ Vibe domain e-mail address you will send your contest entry to.

Here’s a sample question….

Q. Who is the Captain of the Phoenix Coyotes?

Now you would take the answer to the question (which is Shane Doan) and that will be the first part of the e-mail address you would send your contest entry to.

The email address would look like this:

shanedoan@azvibe.com

(don’t send e-mail addresses here as it’s not a real address)

Prizes will be drawn at random and we will send them free of charge within the US and Canada. Foreign addresses will have to pay their own shipping and handling.

If you have any questions, please post them as comments to this post.

Save the Coyotes Coalition Tailgating before the Coyotes/Oilers game

The Save the Coyotes Coalition will be tailgating before the Coyotes/Oilers game this Saturday. The Fun starts at 2 PM in Lot J. Rumors of street hockey and tons of fun cannot be confirmed at this time. Guess you’ll have to find out and see for yourselves!

Fan Appreciation night is April 7th

Coyotes fans will be happy to know that the yearly tradition that is Fan Appreciation night will take place on April 7th before the Coyotes/Predators game.  All fans in attendance will be treated to raffles as well as receiving a scratch card that will tell them if they have won a prize.

Prizes include:

- A trip for two to the Coyotes first road playoff game this season
- A trip for two to the NHL Awards in Las Vegas in June
- A pair of glass seats to the first Coyotes first home playoff game this postseason
- Furniture from the Furniture Ranch
- A two night stay at the Wigwam Golf Resort
- A Playstation 3 console

…and much, much more!

“Fan Appreciation Night is always a great evening for Coyotes fans,” said Coyotes President Doug Moss. “But what makes this year’s even more special is that our fans have been through a lot during the past year and never wavered in their dedication to the team.”

Coyotes sign Paul Bissonnette to a two year deal

The Coyotes have re-signed forward Paul Bissonnette to a two year deal.  Terms of the deal were not disclosed.  Even though he saw limited action this season, he did his job whenever asked and did it very well.

Bissonnette, who made $500,000 this season, was set to become an arbitration eligible restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Coyotes sign Chris Summers to entry level contract

The Phoenix Coyotes have signed former University of Michigan defenseman Chris Summers to an entry level contract.  Terms of the deal were not announced.

Summers was the Coyotes first round pick in the 2006 entry draft.  The 22 year old Summers will report to the San Antonio Rampage for the remainder of their season.

Arrowhead Grill offering Coyotes Fans free steak before every playoff game

Heather McWhorter of the ‘Save the Coyotes’ collation posted this via her twitter account the other day.  The Arrowhead Grill is offering it’s signature steak, the Delmonico, on every playoff game day.  All fans have to do is sign up for the Arrowhead Grill’s eClub at http://www.arrowheadgrill.com.  For fans who sign up, they can come in and get a free Delmonico steak for each Delmonico steak they buy ($26.95 value).

Power lunch with Doug Moss and Don Maloney

Here’s the info straight from the Save the Coyotes Coalition website:

The Glendale Chamber of Commerce is hosting a power lunch presention with Doug Moss and Don Maloney on April 6th from 11AM to 1PM at Fleming’s Steak House – 9712 W. Northern Ave. The cost is $30 per person or tables of six for $180. If you are interested in attending, call the Chamber at 623-937-4754.

The Globe and Mail gets punked by the Ice Edge Holdings group

Ice Edge Holdings COO Daryl Jones told the Globe and Mail yesterday that they were dropping their bid to purchase the Coyotes to purchase Manchester United.  The Globe and Mail fell for the prank hook, line, and sinker.

Kudos to the Ice Edge Holdings group.

Link to an article about the story.

Got some quick news to get out to you all.

Coyotes Accepting Deposits for the 2010-2011 season

It was announced that the Phoenix Coyotes are accepting deposits for 2010-2011 season tickets.  To reserve your seats for next season you can put down as little as a $100 refundable deposit.  Call 480-563-7825 to reserve your seats.  If you put at least $100 down for seats next season you will also have priority purchasing for playoff tickets for this season over the general public.  Playoff tickets go on sale for the General Public on March 27th at 10 AM at all Ticketmaster outlets.

Coyotes sign Lunden to an entry level contract

The Phoenix Coyotes have signed former Univeristy Alaska-Anchorage player Josh Lunden to an entry level contract.  Lunden is a 6’2″202 lb forward who scored 8 goals 9 assists (for 17 points).

Lunden will report immediately to the San Antonio Rampage.

NHL Network Free Preview Week March 20-27

The NHL announced that they are having a free preview week of the NHL Network for the coming week (on right now).

Coyotes Radio Coverage Change for today’s Dallas Game

Tonight’s Coyotes/Dallas game can be heard on KFNN 1510.

Coyotes Prospect Michael Stone honored by the WHL

The WHL has named Coyotes prospect was named to the WHL’s Eastern Conference First All-Star Team and was also selected as the Eastern Conference Finalist for the WHL Defenseman of the Year Award.  The 19 year Stone played for the Calgary Hitmen where he notched career high stats in Goals and points (21 goals and 44 assists for 65 points).

The title of this article is a quote from a conference call Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney had with the media yesterday afternoon.  This conference call followed a HUGE day at the trade deadline for the Phoenix Coyotes. Maloney made a statement to the Coyotes players, the fans and the NHL that the Coyotes goal is to not only make the post season but do some MAJOR damage in the process.  He also sent a message to the players that with the acquisition of new players, they are going to have to fight for ice time in Coach Dave Tippett’s system.  It seemed that some of the players had become complacent and the new players were brought in to challenge the current Coyotes roster to play up to their abilities.

It should be interesting to note that Maloney wanted Coyotes fans to note the following during the press conference:

“We wanted to make a statement to our fanbase that we’re not fooling around we’re serious. We’ve given ourselves a chance to be a better team.”

Here’s a break down of the deals with analysis and some quotes from Coyotes GM Don Maloney:

• Coyotes acquire Boston Defenseman Derek Morris from Boston for a conditional fourth round pick

This was a salary dump by the Bruins as they were looking to acquire a scoring forward before the trade deadline. Good to have Morris Back!

Don Maloney had this to say about the Morris deal:

“Morris is a tremendous addition in the sense of what was out on the marketplace…(the deal) was a home run for us”

“Derek is a well rounded player has a tremendous shot..(he) makes a great first pass he’s got a hard shot”

• Coyotes acquire Wojtek Wolski for Kevin Porter and Peter Mueller

Problem player for problem player is what this deal boils down to.  It has the potential to be a great trade as it looks like both Mueller and Wolski needed a change of scenery.

According to the Denver Post:

- Wolski has 2 goals in last 25 games. One was an empty netter.
- 4 PP goals in his last 150 games.
- Wolski has been in the doghouse of every coach dating back to Quenneville and Granato

According to the Denver Post, Wolski is “a Jeff George-type of hockey player. He puts up good numbers, but never in the clutch and never in the tough areas.”

Coyotes GM Don Maloney had this to say about Wolski:

The Wolski deal “…was the one name that made a tremendous amount of sense for us. Quite frankly he’s a player we can stick into our lineup tomorrow night, he’s a proven scorer in this league. He’s still young, still maturing, still evolving. In my mind, you can put 50 points in a bad year into the books with Wojtek. And I think there’s tremendous upside there.”

• Coyotes acquire Mathieu Schneider for Sean Zimmerman and a conditional 6th round draft pick

According to Jason Botchford of the Province (Vancouver B.C.), the conditional pick is dependent on Schneider clearing waivers.

This is a pretty bad deal for the Coyotes as they have someone who has been a locker room cancer in Vancouver.  Schneider burned his bridges with the team so badly, that NO ONE in the Canucks organization, from the top on down, wanted him back this season.

Here’s an article I wrote about Schneider from earlier this season that breaks down the deal:

http://bit.ly/4PbpyQ

Schneider has a lot to prove if he clears waivers and makes it to the Coyotes starting lineup.

Coyotes GM Don Maloney had this to say about the Schneider deal:

“Mathieu Schneider is a wild card. He hasn’t played much this year, but that might be a good thing.”

“(Schneider) can shoot a puck, he finds a way to get pucks on the net on the power play. That was a big concern.

• Toronto Trades Lee Stempniak to the Coyotes for defenseman Matt Jones and 2010 4th and 7th Round picks

Stempinak brings a 30 point campaign (14 goals and 16 assists) to the Coyotes. Averaging around 17 to 19 minutes a night he’s been marginally average on a Maple Leafs team that lacks chemistry. In 2006 he tallied 27 goals and 25 assists for 52 points but hasn’t been able to match this point production ever since.  The Coyotes look to him for immediate offensive help, especially on their anemic Power Play unit.

• Phoenix trades Chad Kolarik to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Alex Picard

Forward Alex Picard is a former first round draft pick in 2004 (#8 overall) that the Blue Jackets have pretty much given up on. Given how the Jacket’s screwed up Gilbert Bule’s (another Blue Jackets first round draft pick) development I’m not going to jump to any conclusions just yet.  The Coyotes have assigned Picard to the San Antonio Rampage for the remainder of the season.

Hockey’s Future has a GREAT Breakdown of Kolarik as a player:

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/alex-picard

• Phoenix sends D Anders Eriksson to the New York Rangers for goaltender Mikka Wiikman and a 2011 7th round draft pick

Highway Robbery. That is the only way to explain this deal over a player that Don Maloney signed from free agency for a player that was the #1 goalie on the Rangers AHL farm club. In 2007-2008 he had a 21-18-4 record with a 2.70 GAA over 43 games for the Hartford Wolfpack, the Rangers AHL affiliate. This season he saw limited action with the Wolfpack this season starting only seven games with a 2-4-0 record and a 4.20 GAA. Wiikman also spent time with the ECHL Charlotte Checkers playing 17 games with a 9-3-1 record and a 2.84 GAA.

It seems that since an injury earlier this season, Wiikman’s value with the Rangers has slipped and Matt Zaba has moved up on the organizational depth chart. Wiikman seems to have the skills and its looking more and more like a change of scenery to a Coyotes team that lacks organizational depth is a perfect fit.

This is the second of the rangers top prospects that General Manager Don Maloney stole from the rangers.

Here’s a scouting report of Wiikman:

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/miika_wiikman

• Phoenix acquires RW Petteri Nokelainen for a 6th round draft pick

Petteri Nokelainen, a Finland product, was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NHL entry draft (16th overall).  After spending the better part of the 2005-2006 season on the IR, Nokelainen has spent only three full seasons in the league playing 3rd and 4th line minutes. According to Maloney, Nokelainen was brought in for depth and to challenge the 3rd and fourth line players for ice time.

Here’s a breakdown of the deals that the Coyotes have made so far today along with trade analysis. I’ll be adding to the analysis of all the trades as the day goes on.

8:24 AM – Coyotes acquire Boston Defenseman Derek Morris from Boston for a conditional fourth round pick

This was a salary dump by the Bruins as they are looking to acquire a scoring forward for their roster. Good to have Morris Back!

10:44 AM – Coyotes acquire Wojtek Wolski for Kevin Porter and Peter Mueller

Problem player for problem player is what this deal boils down to. According to the Denver Post:

- Wolski has 2 goals in last 25 games. One was an empty netter.
- 4 PP goals in his last 150 games.
- Wolski has been in the doghouse of every coach dating back to Quenneville and Granato

According to the Denver Post, Wolski is “a Jeff George-type of hockey player. He puts up good numbers, but never in the clutch and never in the tough areas.”

11:20 PM – Coyotes acquire Mathieu Schneider for Sean Zimmerman and a conditional 6th round draft pick

According to Jason Botchford of the Province (out of Vancouver), the conditional pick is dependent on Schneider clearing waivers.

This is a pretty bad deal for the Coyotes as they have someone who has been a locker room cancer in Vancouver and burned his bridges with the team so badly, that NO ONE in the Canucks organization, from the top on down, wanted him back this season.

Here’s an article I wrote about Schneider from earlier this season that breaks down the deal:

http://bit.ly/4PbpyQ

Schneider has a lot to prove if he clears waivers and makes it to the Coyotes.

1:05 PM – Toronto Trades Lee Stempniak to the Coyotes for defenseman Matt Jones and 2010 4th and 7th Round picks

Stempinak brings a 30 point campaign (14 goals and 16 assists) to the Coyotes.  Averaging around 17 to 19 minutes a night he’s been marginally average on a Maple Leafs team that lacks chemistry.  In 2006 27 goals and 25 assists for 52 points but hasn’t been able to match this point production ever since.

2:30 PM – Phoenix trades Chad Kolarik to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Alex Picard

Forward Alex Picard is a former first round draft pick in 2004 (#8 overall) that the Blue Jackets have pretty much given up on.  Given how the Jacket’s screwed up Gilbert Bule’s (another Blue Jackets first round draft pick) development I’m not going to jump to any conclusions just yet.

Hockey’s Future has a GREAT Breakdown of Kolarik as a player:

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/alex-picard

Update: 4:04 PM

The Coyotes sent out a note saying that Picard will report immediately to the San Antonio Rampage.

2:46 – Phoenix sends D Anders Eriksson to the New York Rangers for goaltender Mikka Wiikman and a 2011 7th round draft pick

Highway Robbery. That is the only way to explain this deal over a player that Don Maloney signed from free agency for a player that was the #1 goalie on the Rangers AHL farm club. In 2007-2008 he had a 21-18-4 record with a 2.70 GAA over 43 games for the Hartford Wolfpack, the Rangers AHL affiliate. This season he saw limited action with the Wolfpack this season starting only seven games with a 2-4-0 record and a 4.20 GAA. Wiikman also spent time with the ECHL Charlotte Checkers playing 17 games with a 9-3-1 record and a 2.84 GAA.

It seems that since an injury earlier this season, Wiikman’s value with the Rangers has slipped and Matt Zaba has moved up on the organizational depth chart.  Wiikman seems to have the skills and its looking more and more like a change of scenery to a Coyotes team that lacks organizational depth is a perfect fit.

This is the second of the rangers top prospects that General Manager Don Maloney stole from the rangers.

Here’s a scouting report of Wiikman:

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/miika_wiikman

2:48 PM Phoenix acquires RW Petteri Nokelainen for a 6th round draft pick