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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - The Phoenix Coyotes have been idle for almost two months, but there was still plenty to talk about Thursday night when the team hosted a town hall meeting at the Ice Den.
An estimated crowd of 250 gathered to discuss a range of topics with President and CEO Anthony LeBlanc, general manager Don Maloney and coach Dave Tippett – everything from the development of young players to ticket prices.
"We want to stay engaged," LeBlanc said. "We want to work with our fans. We want to hear what they have to say. So getting all that feedback, we knew we had some hiccups on the business side. The hockey side, I think, has been great.
"I think it's really important for our fans to hear what Don and Dave have to say, so this is a really important event for us."
During the session, LeBlanc announced the team's name will officially change to the Arizona Coyotes on June 27, the opening night of the draft in Philadelphia. The Coyotes are planning to host a draft party that night at Jobing.com Arena, and a limited selection of new memorabilia will be available there, LeBlanc said.
The name change will affect the jerseys only on the shoulder patch, which previously had "PHX" on it. It will now read, "AZ."
LeBlanc also said it's unlikely the Coyotes will host an outdoor game next season. Owners expressed their interest in doing so last season and had even attended the event at Dodger Stadium between the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks to see how it unfolded.
The Coyotes were hoping to piggyback off the momentum of the Super Bowl, which hits Glendale in Feb.1, with their own outdoor game, and Chase Field was considered a likely destination. LeBlanc, however, said it's fair to expect the Coyotes will host a game in the "near future.
"I'm disappointed," LeBlanc said. "I thought what you saw in New York this past year had a really good play for us. But I respect the league. They know their marquee events a lot better than we do."
The league hasn't reneged on its promise to bring an All-Star Game back to the Valley after the previous one planned for the 2004-05 season was washed out by a lockout. LeBlanc said the Coyotes will host the event, but a date hasn't been nailed down.
Other notable takeaways:
- Tippett and Maloney are meeting with the ownership group Friday to hash out their off-season plan for improving the Coyotes. After the talk, LeBlanc plans to give Maloney a budget "in the next week or two" for his summer spending.
-Ticket prices in some sections will increase next season, LeBlanc said, while others will be priced cheaper.
-Captain Shane Doan continues to improve after battling Rocky Mountain fever during the season. "That's encouraging for all of us," Maloney said.
-Tippett said he'd be surprised if young defensemen Connor Murphy and Brandon Gormley don't make the team out of training camp in the fall.
-Asked which prospects with the team's American Hockey League affiliate in Portland have a chance to make the Coyotes next season, Maloney identified forwards Lucas Lessio and Tobias Rieder as scoring threats. Maloney compared Rieder to current winger Radim Vrbata and said this of Lessio: "He has dynamic power and speed. He creates things on his own. He can be all over the ice sometimes."
-Maloney also singled out center Tyler Gaudet, whom the team signed last November, as a prospect who could make a splash at camp.
-The Coyotes are contemplating adding a color analyst alongside play-by-play announcer Bob Heethuis for radio broadcasts.
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