Coyotes Prospects Kick Off Rookie Faceoff Tournament in Vegas on Friday

Hockey is back.

The Arizona Coyotes kick off the 2023 Rookie Faceoff Challenge on Friday, showcasing many of the team’s top prospects in the three-game tournament.

Those games will be played over a four-day period this weekend; Friday vs. the Colorado Avalanche at 3:30 pm MST, Saturday vs. the Los Angeles Kings at 3:30 pm, and Monday vs. the San Jose Sharks at 10 am MST. Coyotes Radio play-by-play legend Bob Heethuis will call all games of the tournament, which can be viewed here. Note that the streaming window will not appear until 30 minutes prior to puck drop.

The tournament will feature some of the top talent in the Coyotes’ organization, including Logan Cooley (3rd overall, 2022), Dylan Guenther (9th overall, 2021), Conor Geekie (11th overall, 2022), Maveric Lamoureux (29th overall, 2022), and Josh Doan (37th overall, 2021).

Cooley and Guenther will play in the team’s game on Friday before joining the main team en route to Australia for the NHL Global Series.

“It’s good to get a game in before going to Australia,” Cooley said. “It’s been a long summer, so I’m looking forward to competing and getting to meet some of the other rookies again, and we want to string some wins together, as well.”

Guenther, meanwhile, is participating in his third rookie camp, and has on a prominent leadership role within the Coyotes’ talented crop of prospects and rookies. The 20-year-old is coming off an impressive 2022-23 season, in which he notched 15 points in 33 NHL games, scored the golden goal for Team Canada at the 2023 World Junior Championship, won the WHL Championship with the Seattle Thunderbirds, and played for the Memorial Cup.

He's one of the most experienced players on the tournament’s roster, and said he is excited to help lead the team before leaving for Melbourne, Australia this weekend.

“It’s getting a head start on camp, and it’s nice to get in a couple of camp practices at that pace and then go play one game before we head to Australia,” Guenther said. “I think we’re going to be able to gel together well. It’s not just a rookie tournament, we’re all representing the Coyotes there, and we’re going there trying to win all three games. That’s the goal.”

Tucson Roadrunners coach Steve Potvin will lead the team this weekend, fulfilling the same role he played at the 2022 Rookie Faceoff Tournament in San Jose, Calif. He said the tournament is a great way to evaluate the team’s prospects, and is often used as a litmus test to see how players react in various situations.

Though individual statistics are never overlooked, success isn’t measured in the box score alone.

“We want to put them into positions where, hopefully they have some success, but we really want to see how they respond when it’s difficult,” Potvin said. 
“When you’re a young guy like that, you need to be able to respond to stay in the league, and they want to make an impression. We want to see how they react to certain situations, how they manage the game, and how they manage themselves.”

Geekie, who notched 35 goals and 42 assists in 66 games with the WHL’s Winnipeg ICE last season, will be participating in his second Rookie Faceoff Tournament. The 19-year-old said he’s already found some chemistry on the ice with Josh Doan, who himself is participating in his first-ever Rookie Tournament after turning pro following his sophomore season at Arizona State University.

“There’s going to be a lot of good players out there,” Geekie said “With the team we have, though, the expectation as a group is that we can go in and stun some people with the amount of prospects we have. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Though the tournament features former picks from every level of the NHL draft, Potvin said the coaching staff does not hold any player to unrealistic expectations, regardless of where they were selected. Instead, he said he and his staff want to see the players stay true to their own identity, rather than be worried about stacking up against some of the top prospects in the tournament. 

“If you start comparing yourself to what’s going on when you’re on the ice, then you can really lose yourself and you start to chase the game,” Potvin said. “It’s important they remain who they are, they compete within themselves, and they just bring the best level of what they can do.”