Ranking top U.S.-born players in Coyotes history
It wasn’t long ago when American players were a rare breed in the National Hockey League. Back in the 1960s, players such as Tom Williams and Larry Pleau were among the only U.S.-born players in the circuit.
While sports such as Major League Baseball feature a wider representation of nations in its player pool, only the NHL among the four legacy sports leagues does not have the United States as players’ most common country of origin; that honor goes to Canada.
Still, in 2020, more American players are lacing up for NHL teams than ever before. First overall picks hailing from the U.S. such as Scottsdale’s Auston Matthews (2016) and Jack Hughes (2019) have become more common, as have more elite players hailing from American soil.
The Coyotes, meanwhile, saw a flurry of top American talent upon their arrival to Phoenix in 1996 before a relative drought of U.S.-born players was evident on the Coyotes’ rosters through most of the 2000s.
However, since Coyotes President of Hockey Operations and General Manager John Chayka rose to power in 2016, the Coyotes have more American talent on their roster than ever before.
Based on their impact on the Coyotes organization, here are top 10 Americanborn players in team history:
Boucher (Woonsocket, Rhode Island) had a solid NHL career but spent just parts of three seasons with the Coyotes, posting a 28-45-18 record to go along with a 2.98 GAA. The stats aren’t necessarily Vezina-caliber, but it’s enough to safely declare Boucher as the Coyotes’ top American goaltender in team history. His major claim to fame was setting the NHL’s modern record for the longest shutout streak at 332:01, set while he was with the Coyotes during the 2003–04 season. Recently he’s been working as an analyst on NBC’s NHL coverage.
Still just a few years into his career, the Coyotes saw enough in Dvorak (Palos Hills, Illinois) to ink him to a long-term deal through 2025. Dvorak, despite battling some tough injuries early into his career, has still managed to produce consistently when healthy and still has managed to score the eighth-most points (115 in 246 games) among U.S.-born players in team history.
Mueller’s career was short-lived but exciting when he was setting record after record during his early days with the Coyotes as a rookie. Mueller (Bloomington, Minnesota) finished fifth in the Calder Trophy voting in 2007-08 by registering 54 points in 81 games, a Coyotes rookie record until someone else on this list bested him a decade later. Unfortunately, Mueller couldn’t keep pace with his rookie numbers and he fell out of the league by 2013.
Stepan (Hastings, Minnesota) has only been with the team for a few seasons but his presence helped legitimize the Coyotes as a contender over the past year or so. His ability to both be a leader in the locker room and connect with younger players helped endear him to teammates and fans alike. Stepan has tallied 119 points in 224 games for the Coyotes.
Goligoski (Grand Rapids, Minnesota) is another player who helped legitimize the Coyotes in the Chayka era. His free-agent signing with Arizona in 2016 turned some heads, but Goligoski’s veteran presence
Mara (Ridgewood, New Jersey) spent most of his 20s in Arizona, appearing in 323 games with the Coyotes, his most for any team. Mara’s best season came in 2005-06 when he registered 15 goals and 47 points in 78 games. Mara is currently the head coach of the Boston Pride of the National Women’s Hockey League.
Keller (Chesterfield, Missouri) is, by far, the youngest player on this list — but his contributions already are hard to ignore. Keller led the Coyotes in scoring for two straight seasons, in both 2017-18 and 2018-19, and garnered significant Calder hype during his rookie season in which he shattered Mueller’s records. Although Keller has been criticized for his inconsistent play, he’s nonetheless emerged as one of the most influential U.Sborn players in team history.
Some of Tkachuk’s crazy statistical seasons — and the fact that he served as captain for a time — seem to warrant a higher rating on this list, but Tkachuk (Melrose, Massachusetts) simply didn’t have the chance to stick around in Arizona long enough to make himself a true franchise icon. Still, his 52-goal season in 1996-97 is a mark Coyotes fans will always remember. Did you know 41 of those goals came at even-strength?
Only Canadian-born Shane Doan has more points in Coyotes history than Roenick (Boston), who tallied 379 points in just 454 games over parts of six seasons for a points-per-game rate of 0.84. For perspective, Doan registered 0.65 points per game over is 1,466-game Coyotes career. Roenick remains to date perhaps the only bonafide No. 1 center in team history — and the top American forward to wear a Coyotes uniform.
No American-born player appeared in more games for the Coyotes than Yandle (Boston), who suited up 558 times over nine seasons. And while his statistical contributions aren’t quite as full as those of Tkachuk or Roenick, Yandle was an anchor for Coyotes teams both good and bad throughout this century. Yandle was also there for (and played a big part in) the 2011-12 playoff run, the highest point in team history.