Coyotes Find Gems in Cooley, Geekie, & Lamoureux in Active 1st Round

Time to exhale.
In addition to picking USNDP standout center Logan Cooley third overall on the first day of the 2022 NHL Draft, Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong made two deals that moved the club's positioning up twice - from 27th to 11th and 32nd to 29th - while also adding Edmonton Oilers veteran forward Zack Kassian to the team's lineup. Arizona used its second pick on another center, Conor Geekie, before wrapping up an exhaustingly busy round by taking towering defenseman Maveric Lamoureux at 29th.

That was just on day one.
The night's drama started right out of the gate, as the Montreal Canadiens passed on center Shane Wright in favor of winger Juraj Slafkovsky. Wright, who was long-considered to be the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft, was available for the Coyotes, but Armstrong opted for Cooley instead.
Arizona's GM said he thinks the team may have just landed its center of the future.
"We had really prepared for the best and the worst case scenarios, so we were extremely excited for [Cooley]," Armstrong said. "He is exactly what we need, and he's got a chance to be a No. 1 center in the National Hockey League."
Cooley rocketed up the charts this past season in the US National Development Program, notching 75 points on 27 goals and 48 assists in 51 games. The University of Minnesota commit will almost assuredly play at least one season in college to further hone his skills, but his selection instantly upgrades the Coyotes' talent pipeline.
Armstrong could hardly hide his excitement after drafting the 18-year-old Pittsburgh native, as he raved about Cooley's skating ability and energy level.
"He's got some ability to really be dynamic off the rush, just the speed of him," Armstrong said. "What we also like, [related to] the Coyotes and him fitting into that identity, is just that he's relentless. He is an energy bug the whole time he's out there."

Cooley ended up having to drive almost 10 hours to Montreal due to flight cancellations, and after a whirlwind of a day, could finally rest easy after hearing his name called.
"It still feels like a dream," he said moments after his selection. "It's definitely pretty crazy, all the mixed emotions I have right now, but I'm super fired up to be a Coyote."
Geekie's selection was just as dramatic - if not more so - considering the Coyotes moved up 16 spots to get him. Armstrong said the 6-foot-4, 203-pound center has the potential to develop into a top-six role on the team, considering he brings size, energy, and toughness to the rink every day.
He made it clear, in fact, Geekie may have potentially been a steal at 11 if he learns how to find consistency in his game. If that happens, the Coyotes may have just found their future second-line center.
"If you saw him on his good nights, you had him in the top five," Armstrong said. "He had some dominant performances with his size and ability, and just his energy and how hard he works."
In 70 games with the WHL's Winnipeg Ice this past season, he recorded 70 points on 24 goals and 46 assists in 63 games. Moreover, Geekie has hockey in his bloodline, considering his brother Morgan plays for the Seattle Kraken.
There's still parts of his game that need to be developed, and Geekie said he particularly wants to work on his explosiveness. He's been a student of the game to help maximize his vision and hockey IQ to this point, but knows the footwork needs to follow.
"I wouldn't say I'm too slow by any means, I know I'm a decent skater," he said. "You can always get faster, you can always get stronger, you can always get smarter.
"There's a lot of different things you can do, and I'm just super excited to get into the swing of things."

Rounding out Arizona's first-round selections, Armstrong worked with Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland to move up from 32 to 29, while also acquiring the veteran Kassian, who still has two years remaining on his $3.2 million AAV contract.
The Coyotes also got Edmonton's 2024 third-round pick, as well as their 2025 second-round pick, and acquiring future assets has been a cornerstone of Armstrong's tenure as GM to this point.
The addition of Kassian offers the Oilers some cap relief, while adding a level of grittiness to the Coyotes, which has become a big part of their identity over the last season.
"Kenny (Holland) is obviously a very experienced GM, he came back with some creative ideas, and we put it together," Armstrong said. "It gets us a little bit of toughness, it gets us some picks, and it allowed us to move up into an area that we thought we had a chance at Lamoureux."
With the 29th pick, Arizona selected the 6-foot-7 Lamoureux, a right-handed defenseman who's known for his jarring hits. Armstrong admitted he would be a "project," but is excited for the Hawkesbury, Ontario native's potential.
Lamoureux, who said he developed his on-ice mean streak in part because of his experience playing lacrosse, is equally excited.
He had four goals and 20 assists in 54 games with the QMJHL's Drummondville Voltigeurs, and said he plans on building mass to help match his towering frame while also focusing on stick handling. Like all of the prospects selected on the first day of the draft, there's work to be done, but Lamoureux's smile said it all once he was selected.

"When I heard my name, it was just such a good feeling, my legs dropped," he said. "I didn't believe it at first. Even now, I'm just so happy. I can't even describe it with words, it's the best day of my life, that's for sure."
That smile was matched by his fellow draftmates, and after one day at the 2022 NHL Draft, there's optimism abound.
"I know they have such a bright future with (Clayton) Keller, future draft picks, and draft picks they've had in the past," Cooley said. "They're heading in the right direction, and I'm super happy to be part of it."
The draft concludes on Friday with rounds 2-7, and the Coyotes have five picks remaining, including two in the second round.