Arizona Coyotes begin rookie camp, head to Las Vegas for tournament

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes’ rookie camp got underway on Friday morning in Scottsdale as players skated with the coaching and development staff before flying to Las Vegas.

The rookie camp — comprised of those with fewer than 100 games of pro experience — began at the Scottsdale Ice Den with a roster of 30 players. They flew to Las Vegas afterward for the 2018 Vegas Rookie Faceoff, where they’ll play three games against squads from the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, respectively.

Tucson Roadrunners head coach Jay Varady, who is leading the camp, said this weekend is an opportunity for him and the organization evaluate the players, establish identity and create competition.

It also helps for everyone getting to know each other, especially for Varady, the first-year AHL coach who was leading the Kingston Frontenacs last year. He took over this offseason as bench boss of the Roadrunners to replace Mike Van Ryn, who resigned to become an assistant coach for the St. Louis Blues.

“It starts with their names,” Varady joked. “Having their name bars on the jersey’s a great start for me. There’s just a lot of guys here. We had a day and a half with them so far, but that’s the beginning of the process. We’re going to go spend some time together, spend a whole weekend together, so by the time we get into that, I think those relationships will start to grow.”

A few of those names will stay with Varady beyond rookie camp; Lane Pederson, Kyle Capobianco and Jens Looke played in Tucson last year, and Tyler Steenbergen, Brayden Burke, Cam Dineen and Jalen Smereck will likely come up to the AHL this season.

As far as the rest of them are concerned, this weekend’s rookie camp will play a part in determining who will play in Tucson — or Glendale — next year and beyond.

Capobianco, a defenseman who played one game (13:33) in the NHL last year, is looking to expedite his own timeline.

“Like [general manager John] Chayka said, last couple years, one of these guys from camp has made the team,” he said. “So it’s an exciting time and everyone’s going full speed right now.”

Last year, eventual Coyotes Clayton Keller, Christian Fischer and Dylan Strome were participants in rookie camp.

The Coyotes’ two most recent first-round picks — center Barrett Hayton (2018) and defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph (2017) — are in this year’s camp, as are most of the other draft picks from recent classes. But Joseph, 19, and Hayton, 18, will likely go back to juniors (the Charlottetown Islanders and Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, respectively) this season.

“[It was] a high-intensity practice and first time going out with a new coach and new players,” Joseph said Friday. “I think everybody did pretty well and we’re all excited to go to Vegas.”

“I think really just grow as a player,” Hayton said of his goal for the rookie camp. “I think being able to play within the structure will be great and I think there’s a lot of things you can really learn from the coaching staff and really getting some details off them, I think that will really help my game.”

If any of this year’s rookie camp participants are on the Coyotes in 2018-19, they will be few. That has as much to do with the Coyotes’ own roster being filled as much as it has to do with the development needs of Arizona’s prospects. Injuries and other special circumstances could, perhaps, allow for NHL time for some of the young players.

LOOSE PUCKS

–Many members of the Coyotes’ NHL team were at the Scottsdale Ice Den on Friday, skating together informally. They aren’t officially required to report until Thursday, the start of Arizona’s training camp.

–Former Coyotes Shane Doan and Zbynek Michalek were also with the team on Friday to participate in the informal skates.

–The Coyotes will host a Fan Fest at Gila River Arena on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and several players will be on hand for autographs, Q&A sessions, selfie stations and other interactive events.

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