Coyotes Pick Five: Coordinated Staff Earns GM's Praise

Bill Armstrong is certain about one thing:
The second day of the draft was a victory for his staff, as the Coyotes came away with a puck-moving defenseman, four promising forwards and some inspired coordination.
Five names were added to the Coyotes organization Wednesday, as the hockey operations staff, operating under the recent addition of Armstrong as the new general manager, embraced the challenge.
And received deserved recognition.
"Completing the draft, seeing the players on the board, and how smooth it went for us," Armstrong said. "And we were able to acquire an extra pick. So, yes, there's a small victory there, for sure."

Armstrong assumed the GM role less than three weeks ago. Ryan Jankowski, assigned to oversee the draft as the club's Associate Director of Amateur Scouting, was hired less than one week ago.
"First and foremost, Ryan Jankowski, whom we hired to come in on short notice to run this, did an unbelievable job," said Armstrong. "He got to know the staff quickly. He got some input and was able to put a list together. He formed good relationships with the staff and brought them all together as one."
That staff worked under the added adversity of the Coyotes' limited selections in the latter rounds of a draft that was virtual due to the pandemic.

The Coyotes did not have a selection in the first three rounds.
"To be able to walk out with some players, even though we weren't picking high in the draft, we were still able to acquire (five)," he said. "I'm very proud of the staff."
The Coyotes selected five players in total: Defenseman Mitchell Miller in the fourth round (No. 111); forward Carson Bantle in the fifth round (No. 142); forward Filip Barklund in the sixth round (No. 173); forwards Elliot Ekefjard (No. 192) and Ben McCartney (No. 204) in the seventh round.
Miller was the first selection under Armstrong's regime. The GM was pleased with the pick.
"He's a two-way defenseman," Armstrong said. "I think one of the things I like about him is that the puck always seems to be on his stick. He's a little bit undersized, but what he brings to the table is an ability to produce points and move the puck. The number one thing about him is he's a puck mover."
Miller was one of 39 players invited to USA Hockey's 2020 National Junior Evaluation Camp, used as an evaluation process for selecting the U.S. National Junior Team to compete in the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championships. Miller leaves Wednesday for Plymouth, Mich., and the national camp.
Armstrong wasn't directly involved in the drafting process, but he followed through on the tradition of phoning each selection, including Miller, who said Armstrong told him he's looking forward to their meeting in Arizona.
"You try to make sure that you welcome them into the organization and show them a little bit of love." Armstrong said. "It's a big day for them. Sometimes you get to do that in a normal draft in person with these kids."
Armstrong doubled down on the team's plan to send each player a memento to honor their selection, something he said "they've earned the right for" on Tuesday.
"We're definitely going to get a jersey (for them)," he said. "A swag bag, and we've got a special picture (we're taking) for them Thursday. I can't really get into what that is," he added with a grin.
Along with congratulating each player, Armstrong quickly began to coordinate.
"What we try and do is get them set up with our development coaches," Armstrong said. "We make sure that we know where they're playing, what's around them, who's coaching them, and try to make them feel as comfortable as we can.
"We let them know, 'Hey, you're a Coyote, and this is what's in store for you. We're really excited about having you.'"

Added Armstrong: "I think when you run the draft and you've got your scouts, you want to see a little bit of passion. They've got to fight for those guys in the later rounds."
Two of the Coyotes' final three picks targeted Swedish skaters.
"Apparently, our Swedish scout showed some real passion for one of the players taken," Armstrong said. "He put a lot of emotion into his delivery of 'I want this player.' That's usually what it takes. It's up to your head scout to read that, to get a feel from your staff. I always used to look for that, 'Who's fighting the hardest for this guy?"
Rounds 2 through 7 Wednesday lasted nearly seven hours. As Armstrong joked, "The longest draft in the history of the NHL occurred today.
"It did move slowly. But the good news is we were able to pull it off and move forward as a league. So, that's one thing (the NHL) has been really good at. We finished the season and now we just got the draft done. So, even though we're in a pandemic, we're still making slow progress and moving toward the next season. It was an important day for the NHL."
A small victory for the staff, yes. For the league and its next generation of players?
A bit more than that.
"Not only does this help clubs to move forward with new players, but it also helps the players out, too," said Armstrong. "(They) kind of live out their dream. A lot of dreams were satisfied. The kids got drafted to the NHL, and that's a good thing."

Lead Photo Credit: Arizona Coyotes // Second Photo Credit: Arizona Coyotes // Third Photo Credit: Stephen Ontiveros - Arizona Coyotes // Footer Photo Credit: River Demson - NHLI via Getty Images