Sports360AZ
On the heels of an NHL Draft, which saw the Coyotes bring home eight players, along with a familiar face in defenseman Zbynek Michalek, the team kicked off its prospect development camp at the Ice Den in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Tuesday.
A total of 33 players are taking part in the four-day camp, which will give them a great chance to get some on-and-off ice instruction from the Coyotes coaching staff.
It will also allow them to get to know each other better, and it lets the organization get a good look at what they’re bringing in.
“You see players’ work ethic, their preparation, all those little things start to become a factor,” head coach Dave Tippett said.
Defenseman Henrik Samuelsson grew up in Scottsdale, Ariz., and spent many days playing hockey at the Ice Den.
Samuelsson has the distinction of being the first player taken by Phoenix in the 2012 Entry Draft, and as you can imagine, that excited him.
“It felt great to put on the Coyotes sweater,” Samuelsson said. “It was an awesome feeling putting in on for the first time.”
Samuelsson did admit that he felt “a little rusty” during the first practice because he hadn’t skated in a while, but he said he should feel better on Wednesday.
You can trust and know that by the end of camp on Friday, the Coyotes coaching staff will have shaken all that rust from each and every player, and they should see some progress in all of them.
