Yotes Notes: Doan’s Call-Up & Keller’s Historic Scoring

It’s only Monday, and it’s already been quite a week for the Arizona Coyotes.

The team confirmed on Monday morning that prospect Josh Doan – son of former captain and Coyotes legend Shane Doan – has been recalled from the Tucson Roadrunners and is expected to make his NHL debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The 22-year-old was drafted 37th overall at the 2021 NHL Draft, and has excelled at every level of hockey he has played since his Phoenix Jr. Coyotes days from 2015 – 2019.

He recorded 75 points in 74 games with the Arizona State Sun Devils, acting as captain of the team in 2022-23, and currently leads the Tucson Roadrunners in both goals (26) and points (46), bolstering the team’s playoff push late in the season.

Doan will now suit up in a Kachina sweater on Tuesday at Mullett Arena – the building in which he scored the very first goal while with the Sun Devils.

“Josh has been one of those kids that has progressed and always, you know, made the right step from the moment we drafted him,” General Manager Bill Armstrong said. “What I loved about what he did was at the end of that season last year, he made a commitment to come in and play for us in the American League and dip his toe in pro hockey … From training camp, to rookie camp, to exhibition, to him going down to Tucson, every time he's taken the right step and he's progressed.

“He's being rewarded for what he's accomplished down there in a small period of time.”

Forward Clayton Keller, meanwhile, is in the midst of yet another special season, scoring his 30th goal of the season against the Dallas Stars on Sunday – his second consecutive season with at least 30.

He also extended his scoring streak to five straight games, a new personal best for the 25-year-old.

He became the third player in Coyotes team history with consecutive seasons of 30+ goals, joining Jeremy Roenick (1999-2001) and Keith Tkachuk (1996-99), and his goal streak of five games is the first by an Arizona player since Yanic Perreault in Nov. 2006.

Keller’s 62 points in 67 games lead all Coyotes players this season, and the performance has come just one year after he tied Tkachuk’s single-season mark of 86 points.

Truly impressive to see what he has already accomplished in eight seasons with the Coyotes.

On to the show!

The Week in Review

Wednesday, March 20 | at Dallas Stars | 5-2 Loss
STATS | RECAP

Arizona had its two-game winning streak snapped in Dallas on Wednesday, falling 5-2 after allowing five unanswered goals. Keller opened the scoring late in the first period, but it was all Stars after that behind goals from Logan Stankoven, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Robertson, and Craig Smith.

John Leonard made it 5-2 at 8:50 of the third period – recording his first goal as a Coyote in the process – but Arizona was unable to claw any closer.

Friday, March 22 | vs. Seattle Kraken | 2-1 Win (overtime)
STATS | RECAP

The Coyotes returned to Mullett Arena to open a seven-game homestand, and a late third-period goal from Keller, combined with Dylan Guenther’s first career overtime goal, gave Arizona the win while shocking the Kraken, who were 1:08 away from a 1-0 win before Keller tied it up.

Karel Vejmelka made 27 saves to earn his 10th win of the season, and has won four of his last six starts overall.

Guenther’s overtime winner, which came courtesy of a stretch pass from Logan Cooley, made him the fifth player 20-or-younger to record a goal in an extra frame, joining Keller (twice), Christian Fischer (twice), Shand Doan, and Dale Hawerchuk.

Sunday, March 24 | vs. Dallas Stars | 4-2 Loss
STATS | RECAP

The Coyotes fell to the Stars again on Sunday, and ultimately finished the season 0-2-1 against them. Arizona battled back twice from one goal deficits behind goals from Keller and Nick Bjugstad, but Miro Heiskanen’s goal at 14:32 of the final frame proved to be the game-winner.

Matt Duchene added an empty-net goal to effectively ice the game at 18:30.

The game also featured the NHL debut of defenseman Cam Crotty, who was recalled on an emergency basis to replace Josh Brown (illness). Crotty logged 10:03 of ice time over 16 shifts while blocking two shots, saying afterwards, “It’s such a dream come true.”

Down on the Farm

Tucson Roadrunners (36-21-3-2, 2nd Place, Pacific Division)
- 1-2-0-0 Last Week
- March 20 at Ontario Reign, 4-1 Loss
- March 23, at San Jose Barracuda, 3-1 Win
- March 24, at San Jose Barracuda, 4-0 Loss

The Roadrunners continue to push for one of the top spots in the Pacific Division, and as of Monday are clinging to a one-point lead ahead of the Colorado Eagles, though Colorado does possess two games in hand. Seeds 2, 3, and 4 all receive home-ice advantage for the First Round of the AHL playoffs, and only five points separate the Roadrunners from the fifth-place Bakersfield Condors.

Team Leaders
• Points: Doan (46)
• Goals: Doan (26)
• Assists Räty (26)
• GAA: Villalta (2.61)
• SV%: Villalta (.910)

Castagna scored two goals in Cornell’s 3-1 win over St. Lawrence on Saturday, helping the team to its first ECAC Championship since 2010. Cornell now is set to face Maine in the First Round of the 2024 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship on Thursday. The game is at 5:30 pm, and will be broadcast on ESPNews.

The 18-year-old prospect has shown sound decision making and playmaking ability throughout the season, and has enjoyed success during his freshman season at Cornell, ranking fourth with 25 points, fifth with 14 assists, and fourth with 11 goals. His plus-18 rating is also fifth-best on the team. He was named the 2024 ECAC Hockey Men's most Outstanding Player.

Bear’s Necessities

“I see a guy who’s competing really hard, who’s really quick in the net, who’s making key saves, and who’s giving us a chance every night. He has that fire and he’s competing really hard right now. I’m happy for him.” – André Tourigny on Karel Vejmelka’s recent play.

What to Watch For

Tuesday, March 26, vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 pm MST
Tuesday’s game has turned into one of the most anticipated games of the season following the news of Doan’s call-up, as the Coyotes prospect is expected to make his NHL debut. Columbus and Arizona are meeting for the second-and-final time this season, with the Coyotes winning the first matchup 3-2 in Ohio on Nov. 16.

The Blue Jackets are 1-5-2 over their last eight games, having dropped four straight. Johnny Gaudreau leads the team with 52 points, followed by Zach Werenski (44), Kirill Marchenko (34), Boone Jenner (33), and Dmitri Voronkov (31).

Between the pipes, Elvis Merzlikins is 12-16-8 with a 3.40 goals-against average and .899 save percentage, while Daniil Tarasov is 7-10-3 with a 3.24 GAA and .904 SV%. Merzlikins took the loss earlier this season against the Coyotes.

The Blue Jackets are tied for 25th in the league with 2.86 goals-for per game and allow the second-most goals per game at 3.63. Their power play ranks 31st with a 14.29 conversion rate, while the penalty kill is 24th at 76.73 percent.

TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: 98.7 FM Arizona Sports

Thursday, March 28, vs. Nashville Predators, 7 pm MST
Forward Jason Zucker returns for the first time since being traded to the Predators earlier this month, where he has recorded two goals in seven games. The 32-year-old notched 25 points in 51 games with the Coyotes this season and was an integral part of the team’s early-season success.

Nashville is the hottest team in the league right now, having recorded at least one point in 17 straight games. The Preds are comfortably in the Western Conference’s first Wild Card spot, five points ahead of Vegas and nine points ahead of the St. Louis Blues.

Nashville and Vegas play on Tuesday before their visit to Mullett Arena on Thursday, where they’ll face Arizona for the fourth-and-final time this season.

Center Filip Forsberg leads the team with 78 points, but Roman Josi (72) isn’t far behind. Gustav Nyquist (63), Ryan O’Reilly (58), and Thomas Novak (39) round out the top five.

Between the pipes, Juuse Saros has won his last four starts, and is 31-21-4 with a 2.73 GAA and .909 SV%. Backup Kevin Lankinen is 10-4-0 with a 2.90 GAA and .904 SV% this season.

The Predators are 12th in the league with 3.23 goals-for per game while allowing the ninth-fewest goals per game at 2.90. They rank 20th on the power play (20.00 percent) and 21st on the penalty kill (77.00).

TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: KTAR News 92.3 FM

Saturday, March 30, vs. New York Rangers, 3 pm MST
The Rangers are gearing up for another playoff run, currently leading the Metropolitan Division over the Carolina Hurricanes with a game in hand. The Rangers and Coyotes met on Oct. 16 at Madison Square Garden, where New York won a close 2-1 games.

The Rangers play Philadelphia and Colorado before visiting Mullett Arena on Saturday.

Artemi Panarin leads the team with 99 points, which is tied for fourth in the NHL, followed by Vincent Trocheck (69), Chris Kreider (65), Mika Zibanejad (61), and Adam Fox (61). Igor Shesterkin is 30-15-2 with a 2.60 GAA and .912 SV%, while Jonathan Quick is 16-5-2 with a 2.44 GAA and .916 SV%.

The Rangers score the ninth-most goals per game (3.35), and they allow the sixth-fewest at 2.69. They are also one of the best clubs on special teams, ranking sixth on the power play (25.57), and fourth on the penalty kill (83.58).

TV: Arizona 61 | Radio: ESPN 620