"I'm super excited to come back to the desert and have another three more years there," Maccelli said. "It's a lot of hard work. It doesn't come easy. I was able to do it last year just by having a good summer, not rushing it too much, and just believing in myself."
That belief paid dividends for the Coyotes, as Maccelli's 38 assists and .77 points-per-game led all rookies while his 49 points finished behind only Matty Beniers' 57, despite playing in 16 fewer games due to a midseason injury.
The Turku, Finland native established himself as one of the team's top playmakers, demonstrating strong vision and a superb passing ability, but also started to find the back of the net more consistently in the second half of the season.
Eight of his 11 goals came over his final 25 games played last year, and the 22-year-old hopes to increase that scoring prowess even more in 2023-24.
"I try to look for a pass, try to see someone backdoor open, and not look for the shot that much. In the National Hockey League, though, sometimes you just have to shoot because there isn't the perfect play every time," he said. I'm looking to improve on that next year a bit, but when there's a play to make, I'm going to make it."
His hockey IQ and vision, though, is something that's always been part of his game -- He recorded 15 goals and 24 assists in 51 games in 2020-21 with Ilves in the Finnish Elite League, Liiga, and followed that up with 14 goals and 43 assists in 47 games with the Tucson Roadrunners in 2021-22.
Maccelli often played alongside forward Nick Bjugstad last season, and they could potentially be reunited in 2023-24 following Bjugstad's decision to re-join the Coyotes as a free agent with a two-year contract on July 1.
"He's been around for a long, long time, so he knows how to play the game the right way," Maccelli said. "For me, having him on my line last year was huge. He helped me a lot on the ice, and even off the ice, so I think he was great."
Bjugstad's decision mirrored that of defenseman Troy Stecher, who also re-signed with the team earlier this month. Those signings, coupled with the addition of Jason Zucker, Alex Kerfoot, and Sean Durzi, highlight just how exciting of a time it is to play for the Coyotes.
"Those are great players, and they're going to help the team a lot like [Bjugstad] did last year," Maccelli said. "Getting guys like that in, I'm super excited, and I think they're going to make a huge difference."
Though the three-year contract Maccelli signed establishes his future in The Valley for the foreseeable future, he's not about to get complacent on the ice. He said he expects the opposition to intensify how it defends him during games, and will also focus on adding a little more size this offseason as those on-ice battles intensify.
With an exciting mix of new-and-returning players alongside him, though, his sophomore campaign has potential to be yet another memorable season.
"It's fun going to the rink every day," Maccelli said. "It doesn't feel like work obviously, to get to do stuff like this. Next year I think we're going to be a lot better, we have a couple of big names coming in, and I'm just super excited and ready to go."
