Arizona Coyotes’ Christian Dvorak among four prospects invited to USA Evaluation Camp
Jul 17, 2015, 11:13 AM | Updated: 11:14 am
USA Hockey announced the 39 athletes invited to participate in its National Junior Evaluation Camp that will take place in Lake Placid, New York from Aug. 1-8.
Among those 39 athletes are four prospects from the Arizona Coyotes: Christian Dvorak, Ryan MacInnis, Christian Fischer and Conor Garland.
Arizona’s four prospects are tied for the most of any NHL team along with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The players will be split up onto a “Blue” and “White” team for practices, and games versus Finland and Sweden for the first three days of the camp. On Aug. 4, Team USA will trim the roster to become a single team for the duration of the Evaluation Camp.
Of the four Coyotes prospects attending the USA Hockey camp, Dvorak has the best chance to play on the NHL team this year.
The Illinois-born forward spent last season in the OHL with the London Knights before playing in the final two games for the Portland Pirates, the Coyotes AHL affiliate last season.
A second round pick in 2014, he notched an impressive 109 points (41 goals, 68 assists) in 66 games with London, which is the same team as fellow Coyote prospect Max Domi.
Dvorak fell to the second round of last year’s draft because of a torn ACL he suffered during the middle of his 2013-14 season with London.
He isn’t the only prospect that will have a chance to make the team next year.
MacInnis, a product of St.Louis, Missouri, will play with Dvorak, along with Fischer, on “Team Blue” at the USA Evaluation Camp.
The forward was a second round pick along with Dvorak in 2014, and played with Kitchener in the OHL where he put up 62 points in 67 games.
Fischer was taken 32nd overall in this year’s draft and spent the last two years playing with USA Hockey’s National Under-17 and 18 team.
Garland, who will play for “Team White”, was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft.
The 5-foot-8 forward scored 129 points (35 goals, 94 assists) in 67 games with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL.
Also playing in the camp is Matthew Tkachuk, son of former Coyote Captain Keith Tkachuk.
