Melbourne Bound: Coyotes Hit the Road for Australia on Saturday

The Desert Dogs are heading down under.

The Arizona Coyotes leave for Melbourne, Australia on Saturday, set to open training camp activities before facing the Los Angeles Kings for two preseason games in the NHL’s Global Series, Sept. 23 and 24 at 9 pm MST at Rod Laver Arena.

The Coyotes will travel with nearly all of their anticipated rostered players for the upcoming season, setting this season’s training camp slightly apart from previous iterations. Head coach André Tourigny said the trip will be a good “jump start” for the team, which has a chance to create a tight-knit bond straight from the get-go.

“We have a fantastic opportunity to go out there with 25 players, to have a jump start on what we want to do, how we want to play on special teams, what’s our value, how we want to play on 5-on-5, what’s our fundamentals, and all of the rest,” Tourigny said. “That’s a tremendous opportunity, we’re excited about it, and the rest is about doing the right thing, managing our body, managing our sleep, and how we eat. We’ll be on top of that.”

The Coyotes are preparing for the travel rigors that come with the trip, even consulting with a sleep doctor to help prepare for the 17-hour time difference. Those adjustments have already started, in fact, with the players slightly altering their sleep habits in the days leading up to their departure.

Arizona has plenty of new faces that have joined since the conclusion of the 2022-23 season – Logan Cooley, Jason Zucker, Alex Kerfoot, and Matt Dumba, to name a few – and the trip will help solidify the team well before the 2023-24 regular season kicks off.

“Getting down there and having this trip right off the bat, it’s going to be fun for all of us. We’re going to get some good work in,” Kerfoot said. “It’s unique, where you have the full team together right away. Usually when you start in these camps, you’re in split groups, so I think we can take advantage of that and get to know everyone really quickly, and it’s up to us with what we do with that time.” 

Cooley and forward Dylan Guenther have a slightly different path to Melbourne, as they are both participating in the 2023 Rookie Faceoff Tournament in Las Vegas for one game before heading off to Australia. 

Cooley, who joined the Coyotes following an incredible season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and Guenther, who notched 15 points in 33 games with Arizona last season, both said they’re excited for the opportunity to get to know their teammates even more.

“It’s going to be awesome,” Cooley said. “You don’t get to go to a place like Australia too often, let alone play hockey there. I’m so excited, it’s nice to continue to meet the guys, and explore a new place, and get some games in as well.”

Dumba, meanwhile, will also be bonding with his new teammates, but it won’t be his first trip to the land down under. The 29-year-old defenseman said he had previously traveled to Australia with a friend about five years ago, spending roughly three weeks there in the process.

He joined the Coyotes on a one-year deal on August 6, and said he’s looking forward to getting some time to gel on his new team.

“This is going to be an awesome trip for this group, guys are going to have some fun, but we’re also going to put in that work and get ready for the season,” Dumba said. “A lot of guys on this team are in similar positions, on one-year contracts with something to prove, and I feel if we can all carry that energy and really hone in on that team atmosphere and doing it together, then comes the team success and also individual success."

The Coyotes will arrive several days early, giving them an opportunity to participate in a number of team-building activities, in addition to some open practices, before hitting the ice at the historic Rod Laver Arena – home of the Australian Open -- for the two-game set against the Kings.
The team is embracing the task at hand.

“Just being together in the short period of time we’ve had as a group, traveling together, and going through a little bit of adversity with the travel times, I think it’s going to bond us,” General Manager Bill Armstrong said. “You get to play right away, and you get to play a battle-tested L.A. Kings team on the other side, so it’s going to be a tremendous challenge for the group.”

Make sure to stay check back with arizonacoyotes.com for all the latest from Melbourne, which includes daily content, player check-ins, and behind-the-scenes coverage of everything happening in Australia.