GLENDALE, Ariz – The draft is all about filling needs, and the Coyotes have plenty. Because of their flurry of trades at the deadline this past February, the Coyotes have two picks in the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. They traded away their top defenseman, who was also their leading scorer. Having picked Boston College defensive stalwart Noah Hanifin with their first pick (#3 overall), the Coyotes addressed one of their most pressing needs for a team with the league’s 28th best defense. Next on 
the agenda will be attempting to improve an offense that ranked 29th in the league. While the Coyotes hope that they already have the pieces in place to revitalize their lifeless offense, they will then need to replenish their minor league stockpile of talent.
That could begin with their second pick of the First Round. While it’s unlikely they’ll find immediate help this late in the game, there is still some good talent available.
Brock Boeser is a good possibility. He’s a rugged winger with pretty good size (6’1”, 191 lbs.), and considered a solid two-way player. He put up pretty good numbers playing for Waterloo in the USHL. He is the type of player that the Coyotes need to compete in the rough-and-tumble Western Conference.
Travis Konecny is another possibility. He’s an electrifying player, though a bit on the small side at 5’10”, 171 lbs. He has great vision and is great at involving his teammates and making everybody around him better. He is also the Captain of the Ottawa 67’s and the 2014 Ivan Hlinka tournament Team Canada, and he’s only 17.
Nick Merkley is perhaps the best player still available at #30. He emerged this season as a legitimate playmaker, registering 70 assists (and 90 points) in 72 games with Kelowna, adding another five points in five Memorial Cup games. He is rugged, though not terribly big (5’10” and 187 lbs.), and excellent on defense as well as offense.
Boeser’s size makes him a solid pick for the Western Conference, while Konecny’s skill and his position (center, a prime need of the Coyotes) make him attractive to the Coyotes. Merkley is a pretty good combination of strength and skill, and also has played center. I think this hybrid makes Merkley the most logical choice for the Coyotes’ #30 pick.
With the 30th pick, the Arizona Coyotes select Nick Merkley from the Kelowna Rockets.
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