Coyotes sign Finnish standout, forward prospect Matias Maccelli
Apr 28, 2020, 3:33 PM
Matias Maccelli poses after being selected 98th overall by the Arizona Coyotes during the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena on June 22, 2019 in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Light/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevin Light/Getty Images)
The Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday announced the signing of forward Matias Maccelli to a three-year entry-level contract, securing a key player within their prospect pool.
Maccelli, 19, was named the Rookie of the Year in the Finnish Liiga this season, playing 43 games and recording 13 goals with 17 assists. He also played for Team Finland at the World Junior Championship and had two goals and five points in seven games.
He was drafted by the Coyotes in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, 98th overall, after Arizona had selected Swedish defenseman Victor Soderstrom and Harvard center John Farinacci.
Maccelli also played in the USHL with the Dubuqe Fighting Saints, scoring 93 points in 98 games there over two seasons.
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The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked Maccelli the No. 2 prospect in the Coyotes’ system after Soderstrom, although forwards Barrett Hayton (who has since ascended to the NHL) and Jan Jenik (who was a rising star before getting hurt at the World Juniors) are certainly in the mix as promising pieces of the Coyotes’ future.
Maccelli joins forwards Ryan McGregor and Nate Sucese along with defenseman Cam Crotty and goaltender David Tendeck as players who have signed entry-level contracts with the Coyotes since the season was put on pause in March.
