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Coyotes send top prospect Strome to AHL

Arizona Coyotes v New York Islanders

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 21: Dylan Strome #20 of the Arizona Coyotes skates against the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center on October 21, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Before the start of the season Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka said he wants to continue to be patient with prized prospect Dylan Strome.

Chayka said that he wants Strome to be a 200-foot player and that they are trying to bring him along “the right way.” That sort of role asking an awful lot out of a young player, and the Coyotes are trying to make sure he is absolutely ready to take it on before they throw him into the deep end of the pool.

That apparently means an early season trip to the American Hockey League after just two games.

The Coyotes announced on Monday that Strome has been assigned to Tucson of the AHL and that forward Mario Kempe has been recalled. Kempe will be available for Arizona’s game on Tuesday at the Vegas Golden Knights.

Strome, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft, has appeared in nine games over the past two seasons (including the first two games this season) recording just a single assist during that time.

At this point the AHL seems like the perfect spot for Strome. He spent the past three seasons making a mockery of the Ontario Hockey League with 315 points (including 104 goals) in only 159 games. But he has also shown that he is probably not quite ready to take on the role at the NHL level the Coyotes are hoping he one day will, so we end up where we are now with an assignment in the AHL.