Here is a look at the nine players selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2015 NHL Draft:
No. 3 overall: Dylan Strome
Age: 18
Born: Mississauga, Ontario
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Height: 6-3
Weight: 185
2014-15 stats: 68 games, 45 goals, 84 assists, 129 points, plus 47
2014-15 team: Erie Otters (OHL)
Facts: Strome won the Ontario Hockey League scoring title and set Erie Otters franchise records for assists and points in a season.... His older brother is New York Islanders forward Ryan Strome, who was drafted fifth overall in 2011.
Comment: Strome could fill a longstanding need for a top-end, skilled center. He probably won't be ready to play in the NHL next season and will return to Eerie for another year of development.
Quote: "He's the real deal and he does everything out there. He's one of the hardest working guys and a good student of the game. He deserves all the credit for what he accomplished." -- Coyotes prospect Max Domi on Strome, a former OHL opponent
No. 30: Nicholas Merkley
Age: 18
Born: Calgary
Position: RW
Shoots: Right
Height: 5-10
Weight: 191
2014-15 stats: 72 games, 20 goals, 90 points
2014-15 team: Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Facts: Merkley was NHL Central Scouting's No. 23 rated prospect and No. 13 on the Coyotes' draft board. ... Merkley had five goals and 27 points in 19 postseason games to help the Rockets win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.
Comment: Merkley is the kind of skilled player that, if he pans out, could really bolster the Coyotes organizational depth in an area where they need a lot of it. His weight is already where it needs to be and so is his grit, but he will work on the details of his game next season.
Quote: "He's quick, he's very smart, he's creative and he's tough. He's got a physical edge to him. I'm really thrilled that he found his way to us. There's a drive to this player that's second to none." -- GM Don Maloney
Nicholas Merkley poses with Coyotes executives after being chosen 30th overall during the first round.
No. 32: Christian Fischer
Age: 19
Born: Wayne, Illinois
Position: RW
Shoots: Right
Height: 6-1
Weight: 212
2014-15 stats: 66 games, 31 goals, 33 assists
2014-15 team: U.S. Under-18 team
Facts: During his first season with the United States National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., Fischer lived with Matthew Tkachuk, the son of former Coyote Keith Tkachuk. ... Fischer set a United States Hockey League record for fastest goal to start a game when he scored six seconds into the first period on March 5, 2015, vs. Omaha. The goal was shorthanded. ... He is scheduled to begin his college career next fall at Notre Dame.
Comment: Fischer has a big body, and the Coyotes view him as a power forward prospect. He's a physical, gritty player who has produced points at every level thus far and displays good vision and passing ability.
Quote: "One of my best friends is (Scottsdale product) Auston Matthews. I was roommates with him on the development team the last few years and I've been down to Scottsdale a lot." -- Fischer
No. 63: Kyle Capobianco
Age: 17
Born: Mississauga, Ont.
Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
Height: 6-2
Weight: 180
2014-15 stats: 10 goals, 40 points
2014-15 team: Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
Facts: Capobianco led the Wolves in assists last season. ... His favorite NHL player is Coyotes D Oliver Ekman-Larsson. ... His uncle is former pro goalie Randy Exelby, who lives in the Valley and owns Behind the Mask, a hockey equipment store. Capobianco comes to Exelby's hockey school every summer.
Comment: Capobianco has some filling out to do to get his weight up to NHL standards, but coach Dave Tippett views him as the prototype of the new, mobile, puck-moving defenseman.
Quote: "He gets a couple bruises after I shoot on him. He bruises easily." -- Capobianco on his uncle, Exelby.
No. 76: Adin Hill
Age: 19
Born: Comox, British Columbia
Position: Goalie
Catches: Left
Height: 6-4
Weight: 198
2014-15 stats: 46 games, 31-11-1 record, 2.81 goals against average, .921 save percentage
2014-15 team: Portland (WHL)
Facts: Hill is the first goalie drafted by the Coyotes since 2012. ... He led all WHL rookie goaltenders with 31 wins in 46 games. He also led the WHL in save percentage (.921).
Comment: At 6-4, Hill has the size that is quickly becoming a requirement for NHL goalies. Maloney said he was a phenom in his mid-teens, went through a growth spurt that made him awkward. He is just starting to show the ability he did at an earlier age.
Quote: "When I was younger I was a fairly good player and we had a rule that you could only score three goals in a game. I would score three goals in the first five minutes of the game so then at the first intermission I would switch into the goalie gear." -- Hill on how he became a goalie.
No. 81: Brendan Warren
Age: 18
Born: Carleton, Michigan
Position: LW
Shoots: Left
Height: 6-0
Weight: 191
2014-15 stats: 52 games, 17 goals, 34 points, 49 PIM
2014-15 team: USA U-18, (USHL)
Facts: Warren models his game after Detroit's Justin Abdelkader. ... Warren was teammates with Coyotes pick Christian Fischer.
Comment: Warren is another player in the power forward mold that uses his size and speed to protect the puck and make plays.
Quote: "It will be pretty cool doing this journey side by side, pushing each other through the ranks." -- Warren on being drafted by the same team as his USA Hockey teammate, Christian Fischer
No. 83: Jens Looke
Age: 18
Born: Gavle, Sweden
Position: RW
Shoots: Right
Height: 6-0
Weight: 180
2014-15 stats: 43 games, two goals, six points.
2014-15 team: Brynas (Swedish Hockey League)
Facts: Looke was the youngest player and scored three goals on Sweden's World Junior Championship team. ... Looke finished 10th among European skaters in the final NHL Draft Prospect Rankings.
Comment: Looke is a bit of an unknown; the type of player the Coyotes rely heavily on scouts to assess. He will attend the team's prospect camp in July.
Quote: "He's a solid all-around player with a good intellect for the game. I haven't seen him as much as our scouts. When I went to see him in a game, he got KO'ed by a big hit." -- Maloney
No. 123: Conor Garland
Age: 19
Born: Scituate, Massachusetts
Position: RW
Shoots: Right
Height: 5-8
Weight: 163
2014-15 stats: 67 games, 35 goals, 125 points
2014-15 team: Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
Facts: He won the Jean Beliveau Trophy as the league's top scorer, and the Michel Briere Trophy as league MVP. ... Garland is the first player in Wildcats history to lead the Q in scoring, and he is only the second American-born player to do it (Pat LaFontaine was the first).
Comment: Garland's size surely scared off a lot of teams but the point production is there. If he can add a little thickness to his frame, and if his skill and speed translate at the next level, he could be a sleeper pick.
Quote: "At worst, we have a dynamic minor league player for years to come. At best, we found ourselves a really special player at a spot where you don't normally find them." -- Maloney
No. 183: Erik Kallgren
Age: 18
Born: Stockholm, Sweden
Position: Goalie
Catches: Left
Height: 6-2
Weight: 157
2014-15 stats: 34 games, 1.75 goals against average, .936 save percentage.
2014-15 team: IK Oskarshamn (Sweden's second highest league)
Facts: He had a 2.52 GAA and a .920 save percentage in seven postseason games.
Comment: Kallgren looks like a longshot pick, the type of guy teams often take in the final round as a gamble because they see something in his game. His size isn't prototypical of today's NHL goalies but he has quickness and athleticism.
Quote: Our Swedish scout, Thomas Carlsson, likes him a lot. He's one of those guys you take a flier on. Fortunately, with Euros, we have their rights for four years, so we'll just let him play a while and develop; watch him and help him along." -- Maloney
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