‘Yotes Notes: Dylan Strome’s record-setting night and Steve Sullivan’s Preds pride

We told you last week how Coyotes prospect Dylan Strome has been checking off boxes on his to-do list this OHL season.

Strome has already played in the IIHF Junior World Championship, he is serving as the Erie Otters’ captain, he has worked on areas of his game such as quicker decision-making and play away from the puck, and he had a dominant regular season with 75 points (22 goals) in 35 games.

The Otters were one of the four teams to qualify for the Memorial Cup (Canada’s junior national championship) as OHL champions.

Strome is very close to checking the final box of his OHL tenure after Erie dismantled St. John, 12-5, on Tuesday to improve to 2-0 at the Memorial Cup with a game against host Windsor on Wednesday. Strome had four goals and three assists, along with a game-high 10 shots on goal, and 21 faceoff wins in 30 draws. Strome’s seven-point effort broke the tournament’s single-game record of six points, which had been accomplished four times, most recently by Seattle’s Mike Mathers in 1992.

“It was pretty incredible,” Strome said via text message. “It was just one of those nights where everything goes our way and our power play was on fire. It’s definitely a great feeling but there’s lots of work ahead. No one remembers the 12-5 round-robin game. Our focus is still on winning the championship.”

At this point, the Otters are the favorite to win the Memorial Cup, which would be the organization’s first. When the tournament wraps up, Strome will take a break to rest and heal his body, and then it will be time to go to work, preparing for Coyotes training camp and the leap to pro hockey.

Coyotes assistant GM Steve Sullivan wants Strome to acquire two key attributes this summer: the leg strength of Anthony Duclair and the fast feet of Bruno Mars.

“He needs to get in the gym and get stronger and he has to work on his feet; quick feet on and off the ice,” Sullivan said. “Those are the two main things. Everything else with Dylan is high-end or elite.”

PREDS PRIDE

Sullivan is enjoying the Stanley Cup Playoffs a little more than usual this spring. His joy has everything to do with the success of the Nashville Predators, who advanced to the Stanley Cup Final on Monday with a win over Anaheim in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final.

Sullivan spent six seasons with the Predators, posting a high of 68 points in 2005-06.

“That’s really where I identify myself most as a player and looking back, that’s where I had the most fun and the most success,” said Sullivan, who also played for New Jersey, Toronto, Chicago, Pittsburgh and the Coyotes. “To see that city and a whole lot of people I got to know succeed — I’m ecstatic. I’m so happy for them.”

Sullivan said he is especially happy for GM David Poile, who stuck with Sullivan through a difficult back injury. In February 2007, Sullivan was injured against Montreal and missed the rest of that season, all of the 2007–08 season and the first half of the 2008–09 season.

Sullivan made his comeback on Jan. 10, 2009, against Chicago after nearly 23 months off. He won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy that season for perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

“One of the big reasons I was able to come back was [Poile’s] patience with me,” Sullivan said. “I give him a lot of thanks and a lot of credit for what he’s done there.”

Coyotes assistant coach John Slaney was also a Predator for the first season of the franchise’s existence (1998-99). Nashville claimed him in the expansion draft, reuniting him with Poile, who was Washington’s GM while Slaney played there from 1993-95.

“I’m happy for David because he is such a great man who always takes the opportunity to stop and come and talk to you,” Slaney said. “He has been in this hockey world for a long time, and I don’t think he’s ever been to the Final so it is well deserved.”

KEL SIGNS IN TUCSON

The Coyotes AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, agreed with defenseman Kevin Ekman-Larsson on a one-year AHL contract Saturday. Ekman-Larsson, 22, is the younger brother of Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Kevin Ekman-Larsson isn’t likely to crack the NHL roster, but with the recent death of the Ekman-Larssons’ mother, Annika, with whom both boys were extremely close, the move is both a nice gesture on the Coyotes’ part to bring the brothers closer together and a wise business move.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the team’s best player and will be eligible for a contract extension next summer. It makes sense to do everything possible to support him and help him move past last season’s trying season of injuries and loss to regain his status as one of the league’s elite players.

ULF SAMUELSSON TO BLACKHAWKS?

A league source told the Chicago Tribune that former Coyotes assistant Ulf Samuelsson, a former teammate of Chicago coach Joel Quenneville and Coyotes coach Dave Tippett with the Hartford Whalers, is the leading candidate to replace Hawks assistant coach Mike Kitchen, who was fired by the Hawks on April 24.

Samuelsson, who was an assistant in Arizona from 2006-2011, is the current head coach of the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes

VEGAS FANS IN ARIZONA?

The expansion Vegas Golden Knights announced their television deal on Tuesday with ROOT SPORTS’ Rocky Mountain region.

According to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Vegas’ broadcast territory, as allotted by the NHL, includes Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, as well as select parts of southern California (eastern), Nevada and western Arizona. It’s both surprising that the Knights would be allowed in Arizona and uncertain since ROOT SPORTS’ own website map does not include Arizona (or Montana) in its Rocky Mountain Region.

A spokesperson for FOX Sports Arizona said his understanding is that the Coyotes have sole rights in Arizona, but FSAZ was checking to see if the situation had changed with Vegas being added to the league. Clarification from ROOT SPORTS and the NHL was not immediately available.

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