All-Star Scouting Staff Reshaping Coyotes Franchise

With the 2022 NHL Draft approaching and a year of demanding work reaching to its final payoff, many NHL scouts don't have the time or inclination to tune into the Stanley Cup Final.
But while busily preparing for a draft where they will pick seven times in the first two rounds, several members of Arizona Coyotes scouting staff had a more personal interest in watching the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning square off for the Cup.

Because they played a significant role in getting so many of the players on each side of the ice for that moment.
Coyotes Director of Amateur Scouting Darryl Plandowski spent 12 years scouting the Lightning and was the assistant scouting director when the Lightning won the Cup in 2020. Director of Pro Scouting Alan Hepple spent 19 years with the Avalanche, the last five as their Director of Amateur Scouting.
To say they had a personal stake in the Finals would be an understatement.
"Normally when your team isn't in it, you might not even watch," Plandowski said. "But I'm sitting with my wife and watching these games, with all these kids we started off with eight, nine or 10 years ago. When you draft a kid, they become like family and seeing them in this spot is what you dreamed for them.
"I was talking to Alan the other day and after almost 20 years in Colorado, drafting and working with these kids, he's only one year removed from being there and it can be tough. But you are so happy for them and that's what we are here for, to hopefully lay the groundwork for a Coyotes team to be in that same position."
When Bill Armstrong took over the Coyotes in September of 2020, he made a vow to himself walking across the parking lot from his introductory press conference: He wanted to build a scouting staff that would lay the foundation for long-term success in Arizona.
The result was an All-Star team off the ice that'd be charged with putting one on it down the road.
In addition to Plandowski and Hepple, Armstrong coaxed former St. Louis Blues GM Larry Pleau to come aboard as a special advisor and hired Ryan Jankowski as Plandowski's assistant for amateur scouting. All four men have been involved with successful rebuilds in the past, have drafted a No. 1 overall pick and are now working together on building a future power in the desert.
"We have a lot of experience, as much as I've ever been a part of, not just at the highest levels but at the regional levels as well," said Jankowski, who was the assistant GM with the New York Islanders when John Tavares was taken No. 1 in 2009 and director of scouting for the Buffalo Sabres when they took Rasmus Dahlin first overall in 2018.
"It's a huge advantage that Bill has been in our shoes (14 years in scouting with the Blues). Larry Pleau is a great mentor for all of us and has been through so much himself - to get his perspective on certain things is invaluable.
"With Alan, even though he's not fully on the amateur side now, he's only one year removed, and we can talk philosophies and players and how they mature. And I have a ton of respect for Darryl and what he's accomplished in Tampa and through his whole career with the picks he's made and how hard he works.
"We have a talented group of nice people who work hard and are very passionate and driven. They want to make the picks. They want to win."

The Coyotes haven't had a stellar track record when it comes to the NHL Draft. Not a lot of resources focused on the scouting end. Some picks were misses, others were rushed to the NHL too soon, stunting their long-term potential. As a result, the franchise hasn't had a core group of young stars to carry them forward.
One draft can go a long way. In 2007, same year the Coyotes took the enigmatic Kyle Turris at No. 3, Armstrong and the Blues had three picks in the middle to late stages of the first round and selected center Lars Eller (13th), defenseman Ian Cole (18th) and winger David Perron (26th).
That trio has played in a combined 2,513 NHL games, recording 1,178 points - and counting. All three of them have their name on the Stanley Cup - Eller with the Washington Capitals (where he scored the 2018 Cup-Clinching goal), Cole with the Pittsburgh Penguins (2016 and 2017) and Perron who won the 2019 Cup in one of his three tours with the Blues.
Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo and President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez lured Armstrong to Arizona with the promise of putting resources into scouting to build a winning team and culture.
"They gave us the opportunity to go out and find these people and hire the best," Armstrong said. "These guys have a track record of success. You look at Tampa and Colorado who went head-to-head for the prize. Darryl and Alan had a big hand in that. Having them here is an opportunity to turn a franchise around. It's my job to give them the tools to get it job done."
Armstrong has accomplished that. After a strong draft in 2021, the Coyotes have seven of the first 45 selections on July 7-8 in Montreal, including the No. 3 overall pick. And they will have six more picks in the first three rounds next year, with the caveat that Armstrong may still add to that list with more deals.
The Coyotes had an eighth pick in the first two rounds of 2022, but Armstrong used to it to acquire another young asset in center Jack McBain, who will fit right in with the Coyote pups who are on the way.
Plandowski was with Tampa through the rebuild following their 2004 Stanley Cup, which started with taking Steven Stamkos No. 1 overall in 2008. Collaborating with General Manager Steve Yzerman beginning in 2010, he helped bring the Lightning all the way back in 2020.
"It's an exciting time for us but you feel the pressure because you want to succeed," Plandowski said. "We have to get the right people and keep stacking talent to give your organization the strength to make all the moves down the line. When it comes together, it's because you have everyone going in the same direction. And you can feel that here."