Coyotes recall Adin Hill, Dakota Mermis; reassign Michael Bunting
Feb 5, 2019, 12:48 PM | Updated: 12:49 pm
Arizona Coyotes goaltender Adin Hill (31) gives up a goal to Washington Capitals' Matt Niskanen as Coyotes center Nick Cousins (25) watches during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Arizona Coyotes recalled goaltender Adin Hill and defenseman Dakota Mermis on Tuesday and reassigned forward Michael Bunting in a corresponding roster move.
The moves come just a day after Darcy Kuemper started in net for the Coyotes in Dallas, while Calvin Pickard was expected to be the starter for the second half of a back-to-back in Nashville on Tuesday. The team didn’t immediately give info about the status of Kuemper.
Hill, 22, has been in the NHL this year already and appeared in 13 games, going 7-5-0 in 11 starts. He owns a .901 save percentage this season with a 2.76 goals against average and a shutout. He was named one of the NHL’s Three Stars of the Week in early December.
The Comox, B.C. native has been in Tucson since the Coyotes moved Pickard into the backup role and Kuemper had been healthy. The team’s starter at the beginning of the season, Antti Raanta, has been injured for some time.
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Kuemper has been the starter in Raanta’s absence and is playing in his second season with the Coyotes. He owns a .911 save percentage this year with a 2.73 goals against average and one shoutout. He is 6-3-1 in the month of January.
The Coyotes and general manager John Chayka have shuffled bodies constantly all season as injuries have piled up in an uncanny fashion. On Monday night, defenseman Alex Goligoski left the game with an upper-body injury after his face was slammed into the boards. That might explain the decision to recall Mermis, but CapFriendly reported that defenseman Jakob Chychrun is on injured reserve now. He reportedly did not accompany the team on the road trip.
