Coyotes Choose Another American In Second Round

The Phoenix Coyotes chose Chicago-born center Alexander Ruutu with their second pick of the NHL Entry Draft Saturday, the first of the second round and 51st overall.

Doubtless the club had a good scouting report on Ruutu, who is has Finnish roots. His father, Christian, is a Coyotes scout. Christian Ruutu played nine seasons in the NHL and was drafted in 1983.

The younger Ruutu, 18, scored 18 goals with 13 assists in 41 games for the Finland junior club Jokerit Jr. last season.

Phoenix selected left wing Lucas Lessio with its second second-round pick, the 56th pick overall.

Lessio, 18, shoots from his left side and is 6-1, 197 pounds. He finished second in scoring among rookies for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario (Can,) Hockey League with 54 points in 66 games.

Lessio is from Maple, Ontario and grew up a Maple Leafs fan, according to his NHL.com profile.

Coyotes Choose D Connor Murphy With 20th Overall Pick

The Phoenix Coyotes used their first-round pick (20th overall) in Friday's 2011 NHL Entry Draft to take defenseman Connor Murphy of the U.S. U-18 Developmental team.

Murphy, 18, is 6-3 and 185 pounds. He's an Ohio resident who is committed to playing college hockey at Miami (Ohio).

Murphy's size will obviously help the Coyotes down the line, but he's widely viewed as a prospect who will need a couple of years to develop before he is NHL-ready.

Murphy's father Gord played 14 years in the NHL with Philadelphia, Boston, Florida and Atlanta, and is currently an assistant coach with the Panthers. 

Murphy was part of the U.S. U-18 team that won the World Championships earlier this year. 

2011 NHL Draft: TV Schedule, Draft Order, Viewing Party, And More

The 2011 NHL Draft kicks off on Friday, June 24 at the the XCEL Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota and will be televised on VERSUS at 4:00 p.m. Arizona time (7:00 p.m. ET). The Phoenix Coyotes hold the 20th overall pick along with two picks in the second road. They have eight total picks in the seven-round draft. 

At last year's draft in Los Angeles, Phoenix selected defenseman Brandon Gormley with the 13th overall pick and goaltender Mark Visentin with the 27th overall pick in the first round. 

Here's a full list of the Phoenix Coyotes draft order in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft:

Round 1 - 20th overall
Round 2 - 51st overall
Round 2 - 56th overall* (from Philadelphia Flyers)
Round 3 - No picks**^
Round 4 - 111th overall
Round 5 - 141st overall
Round 6 - 155th overall# (from New York Islanders)
Round 7 - 196th overall
Round 7 - 201st overall## (from New York Rangers)

In addition, if the Philadelphia Flyers come to terms with traded goalie Ilya Bryzgalov before Friday, the Coyotes get their third round pick.

Here's the full scoop on the fan viewing party being held by the Coyotes:

The Phoenix Coyotes will host a Bud Light NHL Entry Draft Viewing Party this Friday, June 24 from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 18 Degrees Neighborhood Grill, located at the Ice Den in Scottsdale (9375 E. Bell Road - just east of Pima on Bell Road). Admission to the event is free. The first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft will be televised live on VERSUS at 4:00 p.m.

The event will be hosted by Coyotes' announcers Bob Heethuis and XTRA 910's Luke Lapinski while Coyotes defenseman Derek Morris will also be available to sign autographs and talk to fans. In addition, Coyotes' mascot Howler will be on hand to greet and entertain fans and a Coyotes raffle will run throughout the event, providing fans the chance to win autographed Coyotes merchandise and prizes.

Following the Coyotes Bud Light NHL Draft Viewing Party, fans in attendance will also have an opportunity to take part in the Ice Den's free open skate from 7:20 p.m. to 9:20 p.m. A special skate rental price of $5.00 will be available to all fans attending the party.

During the Draft Party, 18 Degrees will be offering a drink special of $2.00 Bud Light pints and $2.00 Bud bottles, and food specials that include half off all appetizers as well as 16-inch pizzas with one topping and two dozen wings for $21.99. For more information, please visit www.PhoenixCoyotes.com.

2011 NHL Draft: Coyotes May Look To A Center 20th Overall

The season of the draft will conclude this weekend, when the 2011 NHL Draft gets underway on Friday night. Of the four major sports, the National Hockey League's annual draft might be the most intriguing. Like the MLB draft, which took place earlier this month, NHL teams boast deep minor league systems, meaning we will not see guys that are drafted this weekend in an NHL sweater for at least a couple of years.

But typically throughout the first round, and sometimes later, we see players taken that will make an impact in their rookie season. Examples this year featured Anaheim's Cam Fowler, Carolina's Jeff Skinner, and Boston's Tyler Seguin.

Of course, there are guys that will need a couple years of seasoning in the minors to develop, but come into the NHL stronger players than they would have otherwise. That's a group that includes Chicago netminder Corey Crawford, and what is looking like the case with Coyotes forward Mikkel Boedker.

The Coyotes and their fans will see plenty of both kinds of draftees once the draft festivities get underway primetime Friday, but at this point, who the Coyotes will be taking is unclear.

So far, there are two possible scenarios that Phoenix general manager Don Maloney has noted as options for the Coyotes. There might be more, but these are the two he has actually given himself.

One option, but not necessarily the number one strategy, is trading the pick. While the Coyotes aren't actively shopping the 20th overall pick, Maloney has stated that Phoenix would be open to swapping it for NHL-level talent.

If the Coyotes choose to hang onto that pick and go with a youngster, it is highly likely that they will choose a center.

Phoenix doesn't have amazing depth in the middle. They spent most of the season rolling with a foursome of Martin Hanzal, Kyle Turris, Eric Belanger, and Vernon Fiddler. Both Fiddler and Belanger are unrestricted free agents, with Belanger the more likely of the two to return, and Turris, who still needs time to develop as a forward, is a restricted free agent, though it's difficult to see any team trying to break the Coyotes by signing him to an offer sheet.

If Phoenix does decide to upgrade in the middle, they'll have a wealth of options. But of course, that all depends on what happens in front of them. There are quite a few teams in front of them which could be looking for help in the middle as well.

Once the Coyotes do finally get on the clock, there are a couple guys that could be options for them, provided they are still available. 

One of those options of Boone Jenner. The recently turned 18-year-old played the season in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League), where he notched 66 points in 63 games, including 25 goals. But where Jenner is really going to be an asset to whoever drafts him is in the faceoff circle. He's been noted as a top notch guy at the dot, which is something any team can use more of.

But while that's my prediction for a pick, if the Chicago Blackhawks don't select him first, our guys over at Five For Howling went in a different direction. They still went center, but had the Coyotes going with London Knights (also OHL) forward, Vladimir Namestnikov.