Among the editors here at SB Nation Arizona, we are lacking in solid hockey expertise. We rationalize this by reminding ourselves that we share this ignorance with many desert dwellers.
This is Arizona after all, so it's not like we could strap on the skates and play on a frozen pond in the backyard as kids.
But this is Arizona after all, which also means we are full of transplants from colder climes and many of them are big hockey fans and there are plenty of natives that have also been converted to the fast-paced, hard-hitting action.
We'll get our act together and have much more insightful Coyotes coverage by the time the season starts. In the meantime, we are fortunate to have our very own experts on the ground in Los Angeles covering the NHL draft.
Travis Hair from Five for Howling is part of the massive SB Nation crew smothering the big event with analysis. Rumor has it, Travis was frisked at the door to make sure he wasn't carrying any snakes that he might be tempted to throw.
The Yotes have five picks in the 2010 draft including two in the first round.
Five for Howling recently participated in the SBN Mock Draft. Here's the results:
The SBN Mock Draft - With the 13th Pick the Phoenix Coyotes Select Mark Pysyk - Five For Howling
Ranked 11th in the last ISS rankings, Mark Pysyk is a solid defenseman who could contribute to the big team sooner rather than later. While DMen typically take a little longer to develop, Pysyk has been a good player on a terrible team in the WHL the Oil Kings may not have played well, by Pysyk has eaten up minutes for them and been solid on the blueline.He's not the highest scoring guy, but plays an effective shutdown game and hits hard. He's only 18, but with another year in Junior to grow a little more he could see action with the Coyotes the year after. I'll get up more later today about the kid, but with the Coyotes needing more defensive prospects, they can't go wrong with Pysyk.
For more in-depth NHL draft coverage, you can also visit the SB Nation Draft Stream which will have lots of great coverage from around the league.