The Coyotes, working with an expanded 53-player roster as training camp kicked off, will send a team that's a mixture of veterans, rookies, and players on a tryout. The team has just a few weeks to trim that to 23.
Arizona will take the ice under second-year head coach André Tourigny, who guided the Coyotes to a 25-50-7 record in his first year at the helm. The team showed true growth under the guidance of Tourigny last season, and finished the year with three straight wins - all over playoff-bound teams.
Saturday's roster is expected to feature a few of the Coyotes' 2022 NHL Draft picks, including forward Conor Geekie (Round 1, 11th overall), forward Julian Lutz (Round 2, 43rd overall), and defenseman Maksymilian Szuber (Round 6, 163rd overall). All three
had strong showings
in last weekend's NHL Rookie Faceoff Tournament.
Geekie, who recorded 24 goals and 46 assists in 63 games with the WHL's Winnipeg ICE last season, will be getting his first taste of NHL-caliber play against the Blues. He also had one goal and one assist in three games at the rookie tournament last week.
"I want him to soak it in and learn from all of our great pros we have," Tourigny said after the first day of training camp on Thursday. "The NHL is a tough league, it's every day, and every day you need to be at your best. You cannot coast through a day."
Player to Watch: Keep an eye on forward Zack Kassian, who will be making his Coyotes debut. The gritty forward was acquired from Edmonton during the 2022 NHL Draft, and had 19 points in 58 games with the Oilers last season. He seems to be a
natural fit with the team
given Arizona's hard-nosed style of play.
