Coyotes select Kevin Bahl with 55th overall pick

In the second round the Arizona Coyotes selected defenseman Kevin Bahl with the 55th overall pick. The Coyotes 55th overall pick was acquired from the Minnesota Wild in a trade that sent Martin Hanzal, Ryan White, and a fourth-round pick in 2017 in exchange for Grayson Downing, a first round pick in 2017(used on Pierre-Olivier Joseph) and a conditional fourth round pick in 2019.

At 6’ 6” 216 pounds Kevin Bahl definitely brings size to the table and won’t need as much time developing physically before he is ready for professional hockey. Bahl has spent the last two seasons with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s and has played in 115 games and has 2 goals and 20 assists.

If you couldn’t tell by his numbers Bahl is not an offensive defenseman, but he could be a solid defensive defenseman in the vein of Zbynek Michalek or Rostislav Klesla were and Niklas Hjalmarsson is now. Lately the Coyotes have valued the more offensively minded two way defenseman, but if Bahl can continue to develop he may be an important piece on the Coyotes blue line.