Dylan Strome made the opening-night roster, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll make his NHL debut when the Coyotes host Philadelphia in their season opener on Saturday.
Per Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports, Strome is likely to be a healthy scratch against the Flyers. The 19-year-old forward is understandably disappointed that he might not be playing, but says he’s still happy to be in the NHL and will just wait for his opportunity.
Strome, the third overall pick in the 2015 draft (after Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel), is still eligible to be sent back to his junior team in Erie. However, as a teenage CHL product, he cannot be assigned to the AHL.
In addition to Strome, the Coyotes’ roster features three other highly touted youngsters who have yet to play an NHL game: 20-year-old Christian Dvorak, 19-year-old Lawson Crouse, and 18-year-old Jakob Chychrun.
Dvorak, Crouse, and Chychrun could all play Saturday. The Coyotes’ second game goes Tuesday in Ottawa, the first stop of a six-game road trip.
Tippett could foresee a situation where Dvorak & Strome alternate for a while. Dauphin has impressed w/maturity, stability, more experience.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) October 14, 2016
Laurent Dauphin, in case you’re wondering, is a 21-year-old center who spent most of last season in the AHL, but got into eight games for the Coyotes (1G, 0A).