2023 DCHL Draft

Arizona Picks at 29 and 97

For the first time since taking over the team, Arizona had no picks heading into the highly anticipated 2023 DCHL draft. This would also be the first time the GM would be without their first round pick (by choice) after sending the first round picks belonging to Arizona and Dallas in exchange for defenseman Ryan Graves.

Leading up to the draft, trade talks once again surfaced between Arizona and Boston regarding defenceman Jake Bean. Talks around the defenceman were rumored to have started during the 2022-2023 season but eventually fizzled out closer to the deadline as both teams were competing for the playoffs and Arizona was unwilling to moved the defenceman at the time.

After much deliberation, a deal finally came together with Arizona sending Jake Bean to Boston in return for the 29^th overall pick in the draft. With the pick, the Coyotes selected Mikhail Gulyayev, who is a small but speedy defenceman who loves to help transition the puck into the offensive zone. Gulyayev was at the top of the list for the Coyotes and they couldn’t jump to the phones fast enough to make the selection. With Larsson on the last year of his contract and Parayko with three years remaining, its important for the franchise to have a options with who will eventually fill those holes.

                           

As the draft continued, Arizona traded $3,000,000 Cash to Toronto for pick 97, belonging originally to the New York Rangers. Arizona chose to select goaltender Ruslan Khazheyev. Standing 6’4” and weighing in at 201 lbs, the Russian goaltender is surprisingly mobile in the net. 

                    

Arizona could have found a diamond in the rough with the 97^th overall pick. Having gone 2/2 on their picks, the Coyotes are incredibly happy with how their draft went and look forward to these two players developing over sea’s.  

Top 10 Prospects

1) Matty Beniers
2) Marco Kasper

3) Ty Nelson

4) Mikhail Gulyayev

5) Dylan Samberg

6) Gage Goncalves                                                                                                                              

7) Declan Chisholm

8) John Beecher

9) Trevor Kuntar

10) Ruslan Khazheyev