While half the NHL prepares for the playoffs, the Arizona Coyotes are busy working to get their draft picks under contract. Today, they’ve signed Jens Looke to an entry-level deal. The team did not release the details of the contract.
The Coyotes took Looke in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2015 draft with a pick originally belonging to the Washington Capitals—it had previously been traded to Calgary for Curtis Glencross, before the Flames used it to move up in the draft. Since then, Looke has actually moved slightly backwards, being relegated to play second Swedish league for Timra when he had been playing for Brynas of the SHL. Despite that, Looke has played on three straight World Junior teams for Sweden, and impressed with his excellent playmaking ability.
The Coyotes continue to lock up young talent and build a pipeline for the future, and will have another chance at the draft in June. With the third-best odds (tied with Vegas) for the first pick, it will be interesting to see where they will pick. The Coyotes have selected a player from the OHL in the first round of four straight drafts, and haven’t taken an international player that high since selecting Oliver Ekman-Larsson in 2009.