Lee Stempniak is entering his second season as Coyotes director of player development, and his third season with the organization. He has had a major hand in crafting the sustainable winner that GM Bill Armstrong and the hockey operations staff are trying to build through the draft, player development and a refinement of the organization's culture.

The hockey ops staff is playing the long game. They know that Rome won't be built in a day — or even through three drafts. At the same time, it is rewarding for that staff to see their labor beginning to bear fruit. Top prospect Logan Cooley has arrived in the NHL. Dylan Guenther, Maksymilian Szuber and Josh Doan are one step away in Tucson, a...