The Arizona Coyotes had nine picks in the 2021 NHL Draft. After forfeiting their first-round pick due to the scouting scandal, they acquired the ninth-overall pick from the Vancouver Canucks for a package that saw Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland head North of the border. Arizona was able to land one of the top-ranked players in the draft with the No. 9 pick in the aftermath of the blockbuster deal with the Canucks.
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Rundown
Dylan Guenther, RW, Edmonton-WHL (Round 1, Pick 9)
Josh Doan, RW, Chicago-USHL (Round 2, Pick 37)
Ilya Fedotov, LW, Nizhny Novgorod 2-MHL (Round 2, Pick 43)
Janis Moser, D, Biel-NL (Round 2, Pick 60)
Emil Martinsen Lilleberg, D, Sarpsborg-Norway (Round 4, Pick 107)
Rasmus Korhonen, G, Assat Jr.-Liiga (Round 4, Pick 122)
Manix Landry, C, Gatineau-QMJHL (Round 5, Pick 139)
Cal Thomas, D, Maple Grove-High School (Round 6, Pick 171)
Samuel Lipkin, LW, Chicago-USHL (Round 7, Pick 223)
One thing that the Coyotes struggled with last season was offensive production, especially from their wingers. They addressed that in this draft by selecting four wingers. Fedotov will be a name to keep an eye on as he continues his career in the KHL. Thomas is committed to play at the University of Vermont in 2022, so he will also be a little bit of a wait. The Coyotes only drafted two defensemen, but most of the depth in their prospect pool is on the defensive side so this isn’t a surprise.
Best Pick: Dylan Guenther
Guenther was thought by many to be a player that would be one of the first five players selected. He was ranked as the fifth-best North American skater by NHL.com so it was quite the surprise when he fell into Arizona’s lap with the No. 9 pick. He was one of the best skating prospects in this year’s class. Not to mention, he is an offensive powerhouse, scoring 24 points in 12 games last year for the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Worst Pick: Rasmus Korhonen
In all honesty, the Coyotes had a great draft. It’s hard to pick the worst selection, but Korhonen is the obvious choice due to his small sample size of play. He spent most of his time with the Assat Jr. team and not in Liiga. However, in his limited time in Liiga, he had a 5.62 GAA with a .800 save percentage. Granted it was only in two games, but this could be something that is concerning.
Sleeper Pick: Janis Moser
Moser has the potential to be one of the next top prospects on the blue line for the Coyotes. Not only is he capable of having great point shot on the power play at the NHL level, but he has great skating ability. His offensive ability is something that the Coyotes will surely covet. Moser finished with 30 points in 48 games last season with Biel. That combined with his all-around prowess on both ends of the ice makes Moser a player to watch.
Summary
The Coyotes had a great draft. After it looked like the team wasn’t going to make a first-round selection, they made a deal to get in the bunch and got a steal with their pick by taking Guenther. Their biggest struggle last season was offense, and they made the picks to address that for the future. This could be a draft class to look back on for the Coyotes in the not-so-distant future.
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