"It'll be cool to be in AZ, and play in Tucson," head coach André Tourigny said after last night's game in Wichita, Kan. "We'll see the other half of our lineup, and then compare both lineups."
Player to Watch: Ben McCartney, who will be making his preseason debut. The gritty forward
excelled at the Rookie Faceoff Tournament
last weekend, where he served as the Coyotes' captain while scoring scoring the game-winning goal against - you guessed it - the Anaheim Ducks.
A LOOK AT THE DUCKS
The Ducks are opening their preseason slate against the Coyotes, and will play four games over six days when it's all said and done. They will host Arizona on Wednesday, as well.
Anaheim has 64 players on its initial roster for training camp, and it features 17 former first-round picks, including 10 made by the club. Leading the charge are Trevor Zegras (2019, ninth overall), Brayden Tracey (2019, 29th overall), Jamie Drysdale (2020, sixth overall), Jacob Perreault (2020, 27th overall), Mason McTavish (2021, third overall), Pavel Mintyukov (2022, 10th overall) and Nathan Gaucher (2022, 22nd overall).
Anaheim finished 31-37-14 last season, and in seventh place in the Pacific Division.
Player to Watch: Though Anaheim's final roster was not available prior to publishing, McTavish, Mintyukov, and Gaucher all played well at the 2022 Rookie Faceoff Tournament last week. Keep a close eye on McTavish, though, whose superb skillset and hockey IQ was on display as captain for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. The 19-year-old, who recorded three points in nine NHL games last season, notched eight goals, nine assists, and one heck of a save while helping Canada win gold.