The Arizona Coyotes have hired Lindsay Hofford as their new Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting, ending his tenure as an amateur scout with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hofford has been a well-known name in the CHL for many years in various roles, developing waves of talent that have gone on to the professional ranks. Coyotes GM John Chayka released a statement following the hiring:
I believe the most important part of my role is to recruit talented people. Lindsay is a best in class talent evaluator that will be an asset to our entire organization and complement the existing infrastructure we have in place.
As the press release explains, a huge number of NHL players have worked with Hofford in the past during his time with the London Knights and Lethbridge Hurricanes, and he should have a huge impact on the Coyotes development system going forward. The team already had a positive tilt towards OHL players in the draft, most recently exemplified by their selection of Barrett Hayton with the 2018 fifth-overall pick, and will now gain even more insight into the league.
It’s obvious that Chayka is willing to look outside the normal group of NHL front office executives for his team, and it seems necessary when building a team without the resources that some of his competitors wave about. The Coyotes have slowly built a solid prospect core that should be maturing in the next few seasons, and could be a wildcard for the playoffs as soon as this season. Hofford will be tasked with continuing to build that pipeline and supply Arizona with talented young players who they can take advantage of in the NHL before they become too expensive.