Arizona Coyotes to select 14th in 2019 NHL Draft
Apr 9, 2019, 5:50 PM | Updated: Apr 10, 2019, 8:28 am
A general view of the selection board during the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 22, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Arizona Coyotes will have the No. 14 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, it was revealed during the league’s annual draft lottery on Tuesday.
The Coyotes picked No. 5 overall last year, getting center Barrett Hayton.
Arizona hasn’t had much luck in the NHL’s draft lottery over the years, never selecting higher than No. 3 overall. But this year’s selection is thanks in part to the fact that the team had one of their best records in years, significantly reducing their odds to get a top selection. They had a 1.5 percent chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick, the 14th-best odds in the league.
Coyotes general manager John Chayka has put a heavy emphasis on the defense and center positions in his time leading the franchise, but what they do this year will — like any year — depend on the merits of which players are available when the Coyotes are on the clock.
The only other time the Coyotes have picked at No. 14 was in the 1998 NHL Draft when the team selected goalie Patrick DesRochers. In nine games played over two seasons with the Coyotes, DesRochers made 161 saves of his 187 attempts (88 percent). DesRochers also spent time with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Getting the No. 1 overall pick was the New Jersey Devils.
The presumed top selection in this year’s draft is forward Jack Hughes, the brother of Quinn Hughes, who was selected No. 7 overall last year. The younger Hughes plays for the US National Development Team and has 23 goals in 41 games this season for the U18 team. Draft experts have tabbed Finnish forward Kappo Kaako as the second-best prospect in this year’s draft class.
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