It’s an odd feeling to discuss the prospects who will comprise the future of a team when that team appears to have no future in Arizona.  

In all likelihood, this will be the last Coyotes prospect report I publish for you, our Diehards. With an announcement on the Coyotes’ relocation to Salt Lake City expected later this week, all of the narratives that we have heard around this group will become irrelevant because they are no longer the Valley’s future; they are somebody else’s future.

But with key prospects Dmitri Simashev and Daniil But about to take part in the KHL’s Gagarin Cup final (against the winner of Magnitogorsk Metallurg and Yekaterinburg Avtomobilist), with several other prospects still involved in their respective leagues’ postseasons, and with the Coyotes development staff dialed in on those doings, I decided to take at least one more look.

Coyotes prospect Dmitri Simashev

Defenseman Dmitri Simshev is averaging 12:22 of ice time in Lokomotiv’s 16-game run to the final. That is not surprising on a veteran-laden team that the Coyotes staff knew all along had the ability to win the KHL title.

“Simashev and But are in a similar boat,” Coyotes director of player development Lee Stempniak said. “But missed the second-to-last game — I think he dressed and didn’t play — and then Simashev missed Game 7 in the second round. He dressed and didn’t play a single shift.

“They’re just on a very good team. They’re in the Gagarin Cup finals. Yeah, you wish they would play more, but you understand the situation. The way the league runs is they’re young guys on a strong team and there’s just not lots of opportunity for them, especially as it gets down to the wire here. But it’s still a great learning experience for them and again, they’ve played well in their limited minutes. There’s nothing in their play where you’re like, ‘Ah, I see why they don’t play.’ I think it’s more like a circumstantial thing.”

Simashev and But are under contract with Lokomotiv for another year. Stempniak believes they will see greater opportunity next season, but he has also seen progress this season.

“Simashev has played his game,” Stempniak said. “He’s played really strong defensively. He skates so well. He’s got a really good defensive IQ. He kills tons of plays. He’s got a good stick.

“We’re asking him to be more physical and use his body and his size, but he’s such a good skater on his edges and his pivots and then using his stick, so he takes away time and space so well. The next thing is just killing the play by getting his man on the boards.”

There has also been progress on the offensive side of Simashev’s game, where he had four goals and 10 points in 63 regular-season games while averaging 14:36 of ice time.

“We’ve asked him to improve his puck touches and his puck play; just cleaning it up and making sure when he’s handling pucks that he’s not just throwing it away,” Stempniak said. “He’s looking to make plays and execute a high percentage of his passes. That’s something we’ve tracked every game this year. There’s been growth in that area.

“It’s taken a little bit of a step back in the playoffs. I think that’s a little bit of the nature of the way the playoffs are. He’s playing safe; playing not to make mistakes, so he is getting pucks and moving them quick, rather than looking for a second option or a better play, but it’s still ahead of where he was at the start of the year.”

Aside from the rare experience of playing in a league final, Stempniak sees other advantages.

“Even if they’re playing limited minutes, they’re still playing upwards of 80 games this season which comes a lot closer to mimicking the NHL schedule,” he said. “He’s getting a lot of game experience, even with lower minutes, because they’ve gone so far. And then I think just going through it helps. Bill always talks about the importance of winning. It’s something that’s got to be embedded in you.

“For our guys to go through these experiences and play in pressure moments as young guys is valuable. You’re looking at the older guys on the team and learning how to approach the situation, you’re playing in these high-pressure environments with expectations. I think it’s something that’s great to learn how to handle now. It will only help him.”

Daniil But

Like his teammate Simashev, Daniil But is playing a limited role for Lokomotiv in the KHL playoffs. He is averaging just 5:43 of ice time in 15 games.

“He starts some games as a 13th forward and works his way up to the second line, and then some games, he starts on the second line and finds himself as a 13th forward,” Stempniak said. “There’s no glaring mistakes when he plays. He’s been very impressive in the sense that he plays a mature game. He doesn’t cheat offensively. He doesn’t take unnecessary risks with the puck. He just plays the game as it is.

“If he’s coming up ice and the right plays is to chip it in, he tends to chip it in, but if the right play is to hold onto it and challenge a D, he does that, too. He is committed in all three zones. He wants to be good defensively. He’s good in the neutral zone. He’s just got a mature approach to the game and you don’t see a lot of those characteristics in younger players.”

But had a promising rookies season with Yaroslavl, scoring 22 goals and totalling 21 points in 55 games despite averaging just 9:26 of ice time. He has also been learning how to use his 6-feet-5 frame.

“That’s been one of the big areas that he’s improved a lot,” Stempniak said. “There’s still room to grow with that, but he’s certainly being more physical. He’s using his body to gain an advantage when he’s going for puck battles or winning pucks or forechecking and I think you’ve seen growth in his ability now when he gets pucks where he’s using his reach and using his size to create separation.

“Before he was limiting his own possessions. Now he’s able to get off the boards more, use his size, use his reach and then his skating and he’s starting to make more plays, especially below the dots in the offensive zone. He skates a lot better than you’d expect for his size. He’s never caught from behind carrying pucks through the neutral zone and he can challenge D with his speed.”

There are few players in the system who get the development staff more excited than But, whom some analysts felt had more upside than any prospect in the 2023 NHL Draft.

“He’s not a guy you look at and say, ‘OK, this glaring hole in his game, or this is gonna keep him from playing NHL,'” Stempniak said. “He’s a pretty well rounded player. It’s just about elevating a few of those areas. His physical gifts at his size, and his ability to skate and move — those are things you want accentuate to help him maximize his potential.”

Noel Nordh

Noel Nordh is one of the least known prospects in the Coyotes system. He played in lower leagues in Sweden. He isn’t a high-draft pick (No. 72 overall in 2023), and his stats were not gaudy in the SHL with Brynäs (six goals, 15 points in 50 games).

But Nordh made a mark for Brynäs’ junior team with 10 goals and 22 points in 15 games, and the 6-feet-2 forward has something that intrigues the Coyotes development staff.

“He’s a guy whose game is going to translate very well in North America,” Stempniak said. “He forechecks hard. He goes to the net. He’s physical. He plays that straight-line game that’s effective in the NHL. He’s a guy I think that complements skilled players because he’s willing to do the dirty work and win pucks back and then go to the net and pay the price.”

Nordh’s greatest area of focus is a common one.

“His skating has to improve,” Stempniak said. “[Skating coach] Lars [Hepso] has been over to see him a couple times to help work on his skating, just getting a little bit quicker and help him get to more pucks and make more plays, but he’s got a really good shot that’s dangerous and can beat goalies, and he’s a smart player who understands his strengths.

“The play doesn’t die on his stick. He’s able to make those plays and keep possession. If you think of a skill player who wants pucks back, this guy’s going to win them and move them to him and then find a way to get open or get to the net and create space for his linemates.”

Brynäs defeated Karlskoga in the HockeyAllsvenskan semifinals and will face Djurgårdens in the finals. Brynäs was relegated from the Swedish Hockey League after the 2022-23 season, but finished first in HockeyAllsvenskan this season and is currently fighting to gain promotion back to the SHL. The team had played in the top-tier Swedish league from 1960 to 2023, the longest streak of any Swedish club.

“Right now, the Allsvenskan is the appropriate league for him,” Stempniak said. “He’s getting challenged to play in that league. He’s not too good for it, but when he goes down to the J20, he’s putting up a ton of points so he’s at the right level now for his game.

“He’s sort of getting the best of both worlds. Not so much in the playoffs, but throughout the course of the season, he’d play a couple of games for Brynäs in a lower role, and then they’d loan him out to the junior team and he’d play 20-plus minutes a game and have the puck all the time and get to create offense. He’s sort of toggled between the two extremes, but I think it’s been beneficial for him.”

Prospect notes

• Coyotes goaltending prospect Melker Thelin helped Björklöven earn a promotion to Sweden’s J20 national level with a shutout of Malmö on Thursday. Thelin had a 1.30 goals against average and a .947 save percentage in 13 playoff games. He is now competing for the U20 national team with the hope of earning a roster slot on next year’s World Junior Championship team. He will remain with Björklöven next season.
  
• Coyotes forward prospect Miko Matikka had a goal and an assist in Denver’s four-game run to the NCAA title. In his freshman season, Matikka had 20 goals (the second highest total for the Pioneers) and 33 points in 42 games. He will return to Denver next season.

Top photo via Getty Images

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