Rookie Watch: Phoenix Coyotes

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Each Day until September 15th TPS will take a look at one team from the East and one team from the West and spotlight a few rookies to watch for this season. Today in the West it’s the Phoenix Coyotes.

Schroeder gone, Tikhonov back, and WHL awards

While the Oilers await a decision from Michigan State defenceman Jeff Petry, the Canucks received good news regarding prospect Jordan Schroeder who signed an entry level deal today, leaving the Minnesota Golden Gophers after 2 seasons. The Canucks release can be found here. After a terrific freshman season where he racked up 45 points in 35 games he fell to just 28 points in 37 games on a Gophers team that struggled much of the season. I would expect Schroeder to be joining the Moose for the rest of the season.

Meanwhile Viktor Tikhonov has rejoined the Phoenix Coyotes after playing in the KHL for most of the year. He was assigned to San Antonio earlier this season but then returned to Russia where he scored 14 goals in 25 games. No word whether he'll say with the Ex Jets or be sent to the Rampage. Speaking of San Antonio, Kyle Turris was supposed to join The Pipeline Show last night, but something unavoidable came up and Turris will be joining us this coming Tuesday instead.

The WHL has released it's eastern conference all stars and award nominees today. The only unanimous all star selection was Regina Pats forward and Oiler prospect Jordan Eberle. The complete list can be found here.

Coyotes Prospect Snap Shot

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NHL hockey arrived in the Arizona desert in 1996 after the Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix and became the Coyotes. Whether you pronounce that nickname with one syllable or two, few would try and make the case that the Desert Dogs have had a smooth ride in Phoenix.

The ongoing ownership issues have marred a franchise that probably needed nothing but positive press clippings to stay relevant in an environment where a sport played on ice is way down the pecking order.

The Coyotes have their fan base and like all NHL teams, the fans they have are passionate despite their smaller numbers. Unfortunately there hasn't been much for the buying public to get excited about over the years. The team qualified for the playoffs in 5 of their first 6 years in town but have not appeared in the post season since 2001-02. Phoenix has never won a playoff round and have not claimed a regular season division title either.

Most pundits believe that the on-ice future for the Coyotes is very bright thanks to recent drafting success and a positive rebuilding strategy. Here's a look at some of the top pups Coming Down the Pipe for the Coyotes.

Top 5 Tuesday

Today we take a look at some NHL rookies, not named Stamkos, Turris or Brunnstrom you should keep your eye on:

5. Oscar Moller-Los Angeles Kings
The super swede scored his first NHL goal Monday night against Colorado.
Playing on a line with Alexander Frolov and Michael Handzus, Frolov took a pass down low and from a bad angle fired in his first. It was a goal Peter Budaj should have stopped, but it was a goal Moller (pictured courtesy Getty Images) has likely scored many times in his career, simply because he loves to shoot the puck. He lit up the WHL with 39 goals last year, and could be doing the same thing with Chilliwack as a 19 year old, but he cracked the Kings roster. Moller said during an intermission Monday night that he was "a little surprised" about making the team, but now he's making the most of it. Along with 18 year old Drew Doughty (who also scored his first career NHL goal Monday night, and was undressed by Ryan Smyth on an Avs goal), and 20 year Wayne Simmonds Moller is fitting well as a young star in Hollywood playing almost 15 minutes a night.

4. Viktor Tikhonov-Phoenix Coyotes
At the 2008 NHL draft in Ottawa, the Coyotes took a player who Peter Deboer told TPS before the Memorial Cup - was the most NHL ready player in the draft, selecting Mikkel Boedker 8th overall. The "Great Dane" as TPS started calling him during the Memorial Cup has 2 goals in 5 Coyotes games as of Monday and joins an embarassment of riches when it comes to young players in the desert. Kyle Turris, Kevin Porter, Peter Meuller, and Martin Hanzal are all stars on the rise like Boedker. But Viktor Tikhonov (pictured left courtesy thehockeynews.com)is another guy to watch. The grandson of the legendary Soviet Union coach of the same name was acquired by the Coyotes with the 28th pick in the first round this past June, a pick they traded to get, and select the Russian who had twice been passed over in the draft. The 20 year old was born in Moscow but grew up in California before moving back to Russia and representing his country at the 2008 World Junior Championship where Russia won a bronze medal. The fact that the Coyotes used a first round pick on a 20 year old tells you how important they think Tikhonov can be to their organization immediately.

3. Luca Sbisa-Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers grabbed Italian born, and Switzlerand raised Luca Sbisa 19th overall last June, and most including myself expected him to play a second season with Lethbrige of the WHL. It looks like the Flyers have other ideas. Sbisa who started at the bottom of the defence pile in Philly, is now in the team's top 4, skating with Brayden Coburn on the 2nd pairing. The smooth skating rearguard ranks 5th among rookie D-men averaging 18:44 of ice time, but played a season high 21:05 recently against Montreal and has been on the ice in late game situations. Heading into action Tuesday the 18 year old had yet to register a point, but that will come in time. There's still a chance he could end up back in Lethbridge as he's yet to reach the magical 9 game mark, but it looks like the Flyers blueline of the future with Sbisa, Ryan Parent, and Brayden Coburn is in good hands.

2. Patrick Berglund-St. Louis Blues
Another Sweded on our list, the Blues 1st round pick, 25th overall in 2006 came over to St. Louis about a month before training camp to get used to the surroundings and make sure he was ready for the season. I'd say the plan worked. Berglund picked up his first goal, and assist in just his second NHL game, putting up 2 points versus the Leafs. He's since added another assist for 3 points in 4 games. Berglund has a ton of goal scoring potential, having netted 43 goals and 102 points in 81 games back in Swedend the past 2 years. He also has the size St. Louis is drooling over, at 6.04 and by his account was 210 pounds before training camp. While TJ Oshie might be more well known when it comes to Blues rookies, Berglund who's tied for 4th in rookie scoring heading into Tuesday night will soon be on the radar screen for hockey fans.

1. Derick Brassard
Quick, can you name the top scoring rookie in the NHL right now? If you raised your hand and answered Kris Versteeg of the Chicago Blackhawks, give yourself a gold star. With a goal and 5 helpers in 5 games, Versteeg has a 1 point lead on the Stars Fabian Brunnstrom. The question is will the 5th round pick of Boston from 2004 keep it up? Not likely. Only 2 points back of Versteeg is Columbus Centerman Derick Brassard, a player that is finally getting a shot in Columbus now that Gilbert Brule is no longer around. The 6th overall pick from 2006 played 17 games for the Jackets last season, and while he didn't dazzle with just 2 points, he reportedly did impress head coach Ken Hitchcock. This year he's been spotted with Jakub Voracek and Jason Chimera. Chimera told me at Perry Pearn's summer camp this year, he loved playing with the 2 young guys, and jokingly said he might get 50 goals with the rookies. Brassard almost reached the half century mark in junior with Drummondville in his draft year, potting 44 goals, and adding 72 assists in just 58 games. A shoulder injury limited him to just 14 games in 2006-2007, but Brassard (pictured right courtesy of syracusecrunch.com) rebounded with 51 points in 42 AHL games last season, which was his first as a pro, and included a few stints with the big club. Brassard has notched 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games this year, 2 more points than he scored last year in 17 games.

A few others to keep your eye on are James Neal in Dallas, Ryan Jones of Nashville and Alex Goligoski in Pittsburgh.

(Pictures courtesy: Sbisa-Zimbia.com, Berglund-jamd.com,)

Top 5 Overagers for 2008

Every year good players fall through the cracks and don't get drafted. Too small, didn't play enough during their draft year, not seen enough by NHL scouts, late bloomer; there are lots of reasons it happens but every year it does and then the next draft some of those guys get scooped up as overagers.

Here are some of the top guys that fit the category this year and I'm sure we missed a couple good ones so feel free to add their names in the comments section! And YES... i realize my top 5 list has 6 names on it.

Viktor Tikhonov - Severstal Cherepovets (Russia)

He was passed over in both 2006 and 2007 and a big part of the reason why is the lack of a transfer agreement with Russia. But with an outstanding performance at the 2008 WJC in the Czech Republic, the 6' Russian forward could be a priority target for some teams this time around. Like 1st round priority. He had several interviews at the NHL combine and one scout I talked to couldn't say enough good things about him including his total shock at Tikhonov's grasp on English (He's fluent with no accent). Tikhnov actually grew up in California when his dad worked for the San Jose Sharks and in fact the 20-year-old only got his Russian passport in the last few years telling the NHL scout that he's spent a lot more time in North America than he has in Russia. He played for Severstal Cherepovets this past season and had 12 points in 43 games.

Vitaly Karamnov - Everett Silvertips (WHL)

Last year there were scouting agencies that had Karamnov listed as a potential first rounder but teams stayed away because the player had expressed no desire to play in North America. Imagine the shock and dismay of those NHL teams when just two months later Karamnov turned up in the WHL playing for the Everett Silvertips! The Moscow native had 25 points in his rookie year with the 'Tips playing in a 2-way role. He was invited to training camp by the Edmonton Oilers last fall, one of the teams who had initially toyed with the idea of drafting him. Will he get picked up this year now that his intent on playing on this side of the pond is without question?

Juha Metsola - Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)

Last year Central Scouting had the Finnish netminder listed as the 4th best goalie in Europe and yet no team took a chance on him. Why? He's listed at 5'10 and 165 lbs, that's why. However, this past season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes should give teams reason to reconsider his ability to play. He 1.98 GAA and .916 SV% in 23 regular season games, was named CHL Goalie of the Week twice this past season (March 3rd and April 15th). In the playoffs he got the nod from coach Mike Dyck and carried the load for the Hurricanes. His post season numbers were solid again including 3 shutouts in 18 games.

Ben Wright - Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)

Originally drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 4th round (113th overall) in2006 but was surprisignly not signed to a contract and so re-enters the draft pool this year. Wright was named captain of the Hurricanes at the start of the year and represented his club well this past season. He had 10 points in 19 playoff games after a 38 point regular season where he boasted a plus-15 rating. He's 6'2 and a hair under 200 lbs, plays a solid 2-way game and could be compared to a guy like Steve Staios, a leader that can round out a defensive corps with dependable play in his own end and chip in some points as a bonus.

Mike Murphy - Belleville Bulls (OHL)

The OHL Goalie of the Year was a major factor why the Bulls fared as well as they did this year in getting to the Memorial Cup. Passed over in previous years because he'd never played more than 18 games in a OHL season until this year where he was stellar in 44 outings. His 2.24 GAA and .929 SV% were the best in the regular season. Head coach George Burnett told me that he had no qualms about Murphy's potential as a pro and the 5'11 keeper should be poised for a huge year in 2008-09 with the Bulls.

Colin Long - Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Last but not least, this California product had a massive year for the Rockets finishing the year as one of only two players to break the 100-point plateau in the WHL (Nashville's Mark Santorelli won the scoring race with 101 points). Long isn't big at 5'11 and 175 lbs and of his 100 points only 31 were goals; some I have spoken to suggested to me that linemate Jamie Benn's transfer from the BCHL was the key to Long's success. However, to me that just goes to show that with a talented linemate Long has proven that he can raise his game and play that complementory game very well. Certainly worth being drafted in my opinion, the question is "how high"? Colin was recently invited to try out for Team USA in Lake Placid where they are going to build their 2009 WJC squad.

Tonight on the show we're airing the Nikita Filatov interview, you won't want to miss that one, plus we're also recapping our mock draft picks 1-25 and announcing our final 5 of round 1. If you miss it, I'll be psoting both of our lists on the blog in the next day or two.