Arizona Coyotes Select Logan Cooley Third Overall
With a chance to kickstart their rebuild with seven picks in the first two rounds, the Arizona Coyotes got things started with USNTDP standout Logan Cooley. The shifty center may be the most skilled player in the entire draft, capable of weaving between defenders with speed, creating space with his incredible edgework, or using his quick hands to finish close to the net.
There are some who believe Cooley might have the highest upside out of anyone available today, giving the Coyotes a potential franchise center to build around as they go through their ASU transition period.
Notably, Cooley isn’t headed directly to the NHL, as he is committed to the University of Minnesota for next season, where he’ll join a powerhouse program that should be in contention for the national championship. For Arizona, delaying his entry into the league actually might make some sense, as they continue to collect draft picks over the next few years.
There has been some debate over whether Cooley’s size–he measured 5’10.5″, 180 lbs at the combine–will hold him back at the professional level, but there’s no denying the upside in his offensive game. The thing that made some people believe Cooley should go even higher than this–some had him at the very top of their board–is that it’s not all offense; the Pittsburgh native is a tenacious backchecker that can make an impact all over the ice.
For Arizona, who have two more first-round selections tonight and four more second-round picks tomorrow, Cooley will be at the head of a huge influx of talent over the next few years. The team has barely any players signed long-term, more trades coming for the ones that are, and a brand new identity to be forged as they prepare for a new Tempe arena. The young center is the first true building block for that identity.
USA Hockey Names National Junior Evaluation Camp Roster
With the significantly delayed 2022 World Junior Championship just around the corner, national organizations are beginning to announce their preparatory rosters for the tournament. Sweden did so earlier today, and now it’s the United States’ turn.
The eligibility rules for this postponed event are the same, but with the tournament taking place during the offseason, expect a higher-than-normal level of talent released to national teams for the occasion. The full U.S. roster (link here) will have that same luxury.
Highlighting the team’s forward core are San Jose Sharks prospect Thomas Bordeleau, Calgary Flames prospect Matt Coronato, and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Matt Knies. Knies had the luxury of going to the 2022 Winter Olympics, playing at the most prestigious level of international hockey for the United States. On defense, New Jersey Devils prospect Luke Hughes and Los Angeles Kings prospect Brock Faber will take hold.
The most noteworthy part, though, like Sweden’s, is the amount of 2022-eligible choices who will now be under consideration for the final roster. There’s a strong group of forwards in that regard in addition to Logan Cooley, who made the team the first time around. Also under consideration are forwards Cutter Gauthier, Isaac Howard, Jack Hughes, Cam Lund, Rutger McGroarty, Frank Nazar III, and Jimmy Snuggerud. On defense, there’s Seamus Casey, Ryan Chesley, and Lane Hutson headlining the potential 2022 class.
There’s a very solid mix of youth, high-end skill, and veteran leadership on this United States team, who remain one of the favorites to capture a medal.
Snapshots: Point, Mock Draft, Kassian
As the Stanley Cup Final is set to commence in two days, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche will retake the ice today to practice ahead of their last four to seven games of the season. Of note from Tampa’s side of things is that injured star center Brayden Point continued to take part in practice today and took line rushes for the first time, centering a line between Nick Paul and Ross Colton, per The Athletic’s Joe Smith. However, assistant coach Jeff Halpern said after practice that “he didn’t know if you could read too much” into Point’s status, noting that it was a light session.
Tampa will be waiting anxiously to get an answer on when Point can return. Given the uncertain health of Nazem Kadri on the other side for Colorado, Tampa Bay having their full center depth available to them would give them a much greater chance at winning their third straight Stanley Cup.
- With the 2022 NHL Draft now within a month, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, one of the top public prospect evaluators, released his 2022 NHL Mock Draft, taking team needs, consensus, and intel into account aside from just his own rankings. Although more and more doubt remains around the status of Kingston Frontenacs center Shane Wright as the Montreal Canadiens’ no. 1 overall pick, Wheeler still has Wright listed in the first spot. Rounding out the top five is winger Juraj Slafkovsky to the New Jersey Devils, center Logan Cooley to the Arizona Coyotes, defenseman Simon Nemec going first off the board among d-men to the Seattle Kraken, and defenseman David Jiricek headed to the Philadelphia Flyers.
- The first buyout window of the offseason opens July 1, and Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli has Edmonton Oilers winger Zack Kassian at the top of his list of 10 buyout candidates for this summer. Kassian, who carries a cap hit of $3.2MM through 2024, mustered just 19 points in 58 games this season and averaged under nine minutes per game in the playoffs. With the 31-year-old forward only set to continue declining, Edmonton could take the buyout penalty to free up more space to improve their depth scoring. The buyout for Kassian is relatively benign, per CapFriendly, with a cap hit of $666,667 in 2022-23, $1,866,667 in 2023-24, and $966,667 in 2024-25 and 2025-26. It offers $2.5MM in savings upfront in 2022-23, an appealing number for general manager Ken Holland.
Morning Notes: Draft Rankings, Dallas, Salomaki
Another draft ranking is out, and this time it’s not Shane Wright or Juraj Slafkovsky at the top. Chris Peters has released his list for Daily Faceoff, and Logan Cooley is in the No. 1 position. The scribe suggests that the young USNTDP forward has the highest ceiling among the top names and notes that he’ll probably be a one-and-done player for the University of Minnesota, stepping into the NHL by 2023-24.
The Montreal Canadiens did meet with Cooley at the combine as they prepare to make the first overall selection, and some have suggested that they are considering other options than Wright. Whether he goes first or further down the list, Cooley looks like a can’t-miss prospect that should be making an impact for whoever picks him.
- Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has walked back his comments a bit about Pete DeBoer, noting that he may have gone a little too far in saying that he expects the coach to join the Dallas Stars. DeBoer is a candidate in the Stars coaching search but general manager Jim Nill told Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that they have only just started narrowing their list. With so many qualified candidates, coaching searches across the league could take a little longer than normal this year.
- After bouncing around the minor leagues his last few years in North America, Miikka Salomaki took his game overseas in 2021, playing for Orebro HK in the SHL and HIFK in Finland. This year, he’ll be in Switzerland, after signing a two-year deal with Lausanne HC. Salomaki actually racked up 167 regular season NHL matches, all of them coming with the Nashville Predators but hadn’t been a regular in several years.