"It's wide open and we'll just have to see how the first four picks evolve, but that's not really of our concern," Chayka said Wednesday. "We feel strongly about that group of players (at the top of the draft) and we know there's going to be a player at No. 5 that we're really excited to get … Last year, obviously, we traded our first-round pick, and part of that was we didn't feel as strongly or as passionately about that pick as we did say Clayton Keller (at No. 7) the year before, and not as passionately as we do this year. There's a lot of conviction in our scouts and their beliefs in the players that we believe are going to be there when we pick fifth, so we plan on holding the pick and taking the pick and getting a great player."
The Coyotes own seven picks in this year's NHL Draft, which will be staged June 22-23 at the American Airlines Center.
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• Chayka said the Coyotes would begin face-to-face interviews next week with head coach candidates for their American Hockey League team in Tucson. Assistant General Manager Steve Sullivan, who runs the AHL team, has been working the phones recently to create a short list of candidates to replace Mike Van Ryn, who left the Tucson Roadrunners earlier this month for an assistant coach job with the St. Louis Blues.
"Steve has been talking to a lot of people - the candidates and their references - and going through that process," Chayka said. "He's put in a lot of time and a lot of effort, and I've been there to support him, but ultimately it's his hire."
Chayka said there is no official timeline for replacing Van Ryn, who led the Roadrunners to the second round of the AHL playoffs last season.
"We're not looking to drag this out, but we're also not looking to rush it," Chayka said.
• Chayka said the Coyotes are expecting forward Tyler Steenbergen to attend and participate at the annual prospect development camp after the draft.
Playing for the Swift Current Broncos, Steenbergen suffered a concussion during the first game of the Memorial Cup tournament last month and missed his team's final three games.
"It's my understanding he will have full recovery by then," Chayka said.
• Forward MacKenzie Entwistle also is expected at the prospect development camp. Like Steenbergen, Entwistle competed at the Memorial Cup and notched one goal and one assist in four games for the Hamilton Bulldogs.
"I like MacKenzie's game," Chayka said. "He was an important player for that team and he played some hard minutes. He's smart and he competes, and he was able to produce in that tournament. It was nice to see. Obviously, we think he's just scratching the surface in terms of what he's capable of physically."
