Ranking the Coyotes’ top 15 prospects as development camp concludes

What’s this? A ranking of Coyotes prospects? A ranking of any kind from me?

Before you dial up PHNX to ask if an imposter has taken my place, let me explain. This isn’t really my ranking. This is more what I think the organization’s ranking would be. Let’s face it, my ranking — or anybody else’s — doesn’t matter. What the organization thinks is all that matters.

I have compiled prospect rankings in the past, so it’s not entirely out of character. Some of this is based on draft order, some of it is based on recent performance, some of it is based on expectations, or perceived ceilings and skill sets, but here is my sense of the top 15 prospects in the organization with prospect development camp concluding and the Rookie Faceoff on tap this weekend.

Remember, this is bound to change next year. The Coyotes have eight picks in the first two rounds of the stacked 2022 NHL Draft.

1. Dylan Guenther
Draft info: First round (No. 9) 2021
Position: Wing
Age: 18
Height/weight: 6-1, 181
Scouting report: Guenther is known as a goal scorer because he already has an NHL-caliber shot, but his playmaking is an underrated facet that may garner more attention if he plays more at the center position this year in the WHL. Oil Kings coach Brad Lauer has suggested it is possible. Guenther has a well-rounded game with no apparent weaknesses. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman had him rated as the No. 3 prospect in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Likely 2021-22 team: Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL).

2. Barrett Hayton
Draft info: First round (No. 5) 2018
Position: Center
Age: 21
Height/weight: 6-1, 190
Scouting report: Hayton has endured two consecutive disjointed seasons. He started the 2019-20 season with the Coyotes, but played sparingly. He excelled at the World Championship, but suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out of the Coyotes’ lineup upon his return. Last season, COVID-19 shortened his season with the Tucson Roadrunners (AHL) to 26 games, so over the past two seasons he has only played in 80 games including his stint with Team Canada and an eight-game stint with Tampereeen Ilves in the Finnish league. The Coyotes are still high on his two-way game and offensive upside, but this is an important season for Hayton, who could really use some AHL seasoning.
Likely 2021-22 team: Tucson Roadrunners (but has a chance to earn an NHL roster spot)

3. Victor Söderström
Draft info: First round (No. 11) 2019
Position: Right defense
Age: 20
Height/Weight: 5-11, 179
Scouting report: Söderström is an offensive defenseman who can run a power play and ignite a breakout with a good first pass, or an up-ice rush. He still needs to add more strength and work on his defensive details, both in his zone and away from the puck in other areas. 
Likely 2021-22 team: Tucson Roadrunners (but has a chance to earn an NHL roster spot)

4. Ivan Prosvetov
Draft info: Fourth round (No. 114) 2018 
Position: Goalie
Age: 22
Height/weight: 6-5, 175
Scouting report: Prosvetov’s size, athleticism, compete level and attitude have the Coyotes excited about his potential. He still needs to clean up some noisy elements of his technique and do a more consistent job of tracking the puck. He is doing a better job of managing his emotions. Goalies can take longer than other prospects to develop. There is no rush. 
Likely 2021-22 team: Tucson Roadrunners

5. Jan Jeník
Draft info: Third round (No. 65) 2018
Position: Center/wing
Age: 20
Height/weight: 6-1, 181
Scouting report: Jeník plays with an edge. He’s an in-your-face forward who isn’t afraid to go to the hard areas along the wall or in front of the net. He is also an agitator who gets under teams’ skin. He has pretty good puck skills and is perfectly suited for the type of team that GM Bill Armstrong wants to create. Like the three players above him, he could use more seasoning in the AHL.
Likely 2021-22 team: Tucson Roadrunners

6. Matias Maccelli
Draft info: Fourth round (No. 98)  2019
Position: Wing
Age: 20
Height/weight: 5-11, 170
Scouting report: Maccelli has excellent skills if not explosive speed. He can make plays and he has some experience on the North American ice surface from his two seasons with Dubuque of the USHL. Coyotes director of player development Mark Bell has worked with him on playing more inside the dots in the offensive zone, instead of settling for perimeter play. 
Likely 2021-22 team: Tucson Roadrunners

7. Josh Doan
Draft info: Second round (No. 37) 2021
Position: Wing
Age: 19
Height/weight: 6-2, 183
Scouting report: Doan was a late bloomer because his growth spurt came late. For that reason, he is not like his father, Coyotes icon Shane Doan. He plays a cerebral game with a high skill level that made him the No. 3 points producer in the USHL for the Clark Cup champion Chicago Steel last season. But now he’s got the big body to go with those skills. Valley hockey fans will get to watch Doan develop before their eyes in Tempe this season.
Likely 2021-22 team: Arizona State Sun Devils (NCAA)

8. Ilya Fedotov
Draft info: Second round, (No. 43) 2021
Position: Wing
Age: 18
Height/weight: 6-1, 176
Scouting report: Per Pronman: “Fedotov’s toolkit jumps out at you when you watch him. He’s a strong skater with a very high skill level who can be dangerous off the rush with his speed and reach, getting around defenders often. He has good vision, but I wouldn’t call him a natural playmaker. Instead he prefers to attack with his skill and has a decent shot, too. Off the puck he’s fine, but it’s not the strength of his game.” 
Likely 2021-22 team: Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo (KHL)

9. Janis Jérôme Moser
Draft info: Second round (No. 60) 2021
Position: Left defense
Age: 21
Height/weight: 6-0, 172
Scouting report: Scouts say Moser has a good hockey IQ and an ability to make good passes. He needs to work on his skating and he needs to bulk up for the rigors of North American pro hockey. He finished the 2020-21 season with 30 points in 48 games, good for seventh in the Swiss league in scoring among defensemen. The Coyotes have been eyeing him for a while. He’s a project, but they see significant upside. 
Likely 2021-22 team: Tucson Roadrunners

10. Ty Emberson
Draft info: Third round (No. 73) 2018
Position: Right defense
Age: 21
Height/weight: 6-1, 195
Scouting report: Emberson is one of several right-handed prospects in the Coyotes’ pipeline. He’s not going to give you a lot of offense but he is mobile and he plays a smart, physical game that can help shut down cycles in the defensive zone.  
Likely 2021-22 team: Tucson Roadrunners

11. John Farinacci
Draft info: Third round (No. 76) 2019
Position: Center
Age: 20
Height/weight: 5-11, 185
Scouting report: Farinacci put the playing portion of his season on pause last season after a stint in the USHL and a strong performance at the World Junior Championship. He wanted to work on his body with his Harvard teammates in anticipation of the NCAA season that he didn’t get to play last year due to COVID (the Ivy League schools did not play). Farinacci won’t wow you with any aspect of his game except his compete level, but he is a solid two-way center and as Armstrong has noted, he finds a way to succeed at every level.
Likely 2021-22 team: Harvard (NCAA)

12. Vladislav Kolyachonok
Draft info: Second round (No. 52) 2019
Position: Left defense
Age: 20
Height/weight: 6-1, 195
Scouting report: Kolyachonok is a strong skater with excellent acceleration from a stand still. He has some decent puck skills, but could stand improvement on his shot. He has shown good defensive awareness and gap control at lower levels. We’ll see how it translates. 
Likely 2021-22 team: Tucson Roadrunners

13. Liam Kirk
Draft info: Seventh round (No. 189) 2018.
Position: Wing
Age: 21
Height/weight: 6-1, 187
Scouting report: Kirk has good skating and stick skills but will need to beef up to play at the North American pro level. Here’s a piece that I wrote about him recently. As a seventh-round pick, he is a long shot, but Armstrong loves his desire and work ethic, and he keeps beating the odds.
Likely 2021-22 team: Tucson Roadrunners

14. Ben McCartney
Draft info: Seventh round (No. 204) 2021
Position: Wing
Age: 20
Height/weight: 6-0, 185
Scouting report: McCartney signed a three-year, entry-level deal in May. In his fourth full season with Brandon of the Western Hockey League, McCartney led the Wheat Kings and finished second in the WHL in scoring with 13 goals and 37 points in 24 games of a COVID-shortened season. He projects as a bottom-six player who can kill penalties, play a detailed game and play a physical game.
Likely 2021-22 team: Tucson Roadrunners.

15. Emil Martinsen-Lilleberg 
Draft info: Fourth round (No. 107) 2021
Position: Left defense
Age: 20
Height/weight: 6-2, 192
Scouting report: From Dobber Prospects: “Lilleberg isn’t going to steal your heart with his two-way play, but he is competent when joining the rush and can play the power play. Lilleberg has solid size and can stand up to older competition, as he has done in Norway, albeit in a third-pairing role for most of the year. Lilleberg has learned to be smart when distributing the puck and can throw some solid hits, but positioning can be an issue when he ramps up the energy.”
Likely 2021-22 team: Oskarshamn IK (Sweden)

Others to watch: D Cam Crotty, G Rasmus Korhonen, F Carson Bantle, F Alexandr Daryin, G Karel Vejmelka, G David Tendeck, F Aku Räty.