Utah’s NHL rebuild will start with the sixth pick in next month’s draft.
The newly minted NHL franchise had a 7.5% chance — the sixth-best odds in the league — of moving up to grab the top spot and a chance at prospect Macklin Celebrini. But Tuesday’s draft lottery went chalk, with the San Jose Sharks taking the top pick and leaving Utah with No. 6 overall selection.
“Every organization dreams of moving up and picking at No. 1, so we’re all very hopeful that that lottery balls fall our way,” Utah general manager Bill Armstrong said. “Then reality kicks in and they flip the card. ... [But] we’re going to get a really good player. We’re picking in the top 10, and here we go.”
The franchise has plenty of needs as it continues to rebuild and Armstrong said he tends to prioritize talent over fit.
“It changes a little bit to some degree as you start to build out your team, but I’ve always challenged the scouts to pick the best player,” he said. “Because if he’s that good you can always move him for who you want. In my mind, if you try to pick too much positionally, you can really move past some great players.”
The team does, however, have clear defensive needs.
The former Coyotes have not had a winning season since 2019. The team has lost more than 40 games each of the last three years and finished 36-41-5 in 2023. Over the last several seasons, Arizona struggled defensively. In 2023, the Coyotes had the 24th-ranked defense in the league. Arizona was nearly dead last defensively (31st) in 2021.
The team took a jump offensively a year ago, moving up to 16th in the league in goals scored. But Arizona was the worst offense in hockey in 2021.
Several of the top 10 prospects in the draft are defensemen. The list includes Artyom Levshunov out of Michigan State, Zayne Parekh out of Saginaw and Zeev Buium out of Denver.
Armstrong said the team’s scouts have been meeting in Salt Lake City as they’ve begun ordering their draft board.
“Our process has stayed the same” with the relocation, Armstrong said. “I think the thing that changes is our scouts are excited about coming into Salt Lake and seeing the city. … I think it’s going to be a lot of good energy and our scouts get to see the new city we’re playing in. The people in Salt Lake and all the people in Utah have been so excited about us coming.”
But without a practice facility in Utah, Armstrong said the franchise would likely do most of its pre-draft workouts in Arizona.
Armstrong has tempered expectations since the team moved from Arizona to Utah last month, noting that the team is still accumulating assets to become a contender.
And, on Tuesday, he may have tempered expectations on how quickly the No. 6 pick could help on the ice.
“Normally in the draft, the top three have a chance to come in and play,” he said.
But Armstrong added, “I like this year’s draft and I know our scouts are excited about where we’re picking.”
