Bahl Working on Speed to Complement Size

GLENDALE --Kevin Bahl towers over most of the other young players he's skating with at the Coyotes Prospect Development Camp this week.
At 6-foot-6, without his skates on, he's a dominating presence as a defenseman among his peers.
But his size is just part of the reason the Coyotes selected him with the 55th overall pick in last weekend's NHL Draft. They also like his skating ability, his ruggedness and the way he moves the puck.

"Being 6-foot-6 just gives you more natural ability in terms of reach and in terms of other things as well such as weight, stuff like that," Bahl said. "The biggest thing with being that tall is you've just got to keep on working on mobility. If you're a great skater and a big guy … you're really set up for success."
Having played for the Ottawa 67s of the Ontario Hockey League the past two seasons, Bahl is regarded as one of that junior league's premiere shutdown defenders. His wingspan limits opponents' space in Ottawa's zone, and his willingness to play with power and grit above the crease and in the corners makes him a valued blueliner.
"He just covers so much ice," said Tim Bernhardt, Arizona's director of amateur scouting. "This is a kid that wants to play against the best players and wants to be out there in those moments, and we like all of those things about him."
General Manager John Chayka agreed.
"He's becoming a rare commodity," Chayka said. "There's a lot of smaller defensemen taken at the draft. We felt that he's a guy that still plays quick enough, skates well and makes a good first pass, so (drafting him) makes sense."

Playing hockey was Bahl's second choice of sport behind soccer when he was younger. But his soccer career was short-lived after a head-on-head collision with another player during a game left his nose bloodied and his enthusiasm to keep playing low.
"I said 'I don't want to play soccer anymore' and my dad said 'OK, let's try hockey,'" Bahl said with a smile.
Bahl, who turned 18 years old on Wednesday, played for multiple championship teams as he climbed the youth hockey ranks. More recently, he was a member of Canada's gold-medal winning team at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament.
"I just want to keep on getting faster and become the fastest player I can possibly be," said Bahl, who models his game after NHLer Colton Parayko, another 6-foot-6 blueliner.
Bahl attended last weekend's draft with his parents and his sister, Kristina, also a hockey player whom he credits for helping to keep him competitive. The Bahl family showed up for the first round of the draft on Friday night, but they did not hear Kevin's name called among the first 31 picks. That changed Saturday morning when Arizona claimed him late in the second round.
"At these types of things, I think the biggest thing is to celebrate success, even if it's not your own," Bahl said, moments after being drafted. "Sometimes that's hard, but it was incredible to see all those guys get drafted, and then to get drafted by an amazing team."

Bahl, who is from Mississauga, Ontario, has been enjoying his first visit to Arizona this week for the development camp. He's here with pals/fellow prospects Noel Hoefenmayer and Hudson Wilson.
"After the draft your mind just kind of goes blank," Bahl said. "So it's really cool to come out here, go out for the practices, work out and get more knowledge from some of the people surrounding you. It's been awesome being here. It's always nice to meet other hockey players and see what's going on in the hockey world. It's been fun."
He added: "I'm excited. It's a journey and you don't know what's going to happen."