The Arizona Coyotes are only hours into training camp, and there is a buzz in the air. That buzz is due to the busy off-season and additions made by general manager Bill Armstrong. Some of those additions include forwards Jason Zucker and Alex Kerfoot, while defensemen Matt Dumba and Sean Durzi make their Arizona debuts on the blue line.
With the club ready for the grind of training camp, some players will join from the 2023 NHL rookie camp, which took place over the weekend. Those players chosen to participate may get a look in Arizona this season but may spend most of the upcoming season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Tucson Roadrunners, the affiliate of the Coyotes.
Tucson is in line for a special season, regardless of how those players fare in the main camp. The Roadrunners have a good, veteran group running the day-to-day hockey operations, from the general manager to the assistant coaches. That group comes with much experience in the AHL and NHL.
The group in charge of the Tucson roster has the important task of keeping these players sharp in case of a call-up, but they also have to make the most of their opportunity to work on their craft in the AHL. The group is the general manager, head coach, and assistant coaches, collectively known as hockey operations. Their role on the team is as important as the players, as they too have the goal of reaching the NHL differently.
Roadrunners Hockey Operations Department
General manager John Ferguson Jr. was drafted in the 12th round of the 1985 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadians, the same organization his father, John Ferguson Sr, had played. Although he had never played a game in the NHL, he was an alternate captain for the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Fredericton Canadiens. Fredericton had won the regular season title in 1992 with a record of 43-27-10 for 96 points, a team that Ferguson Jr. was part of. That particular team went on to lose in the division semifinal to the Moncton Hawks, four games to three.
Ferguson Jr. then stepped into an office position, accepting a role as part of the Ottawa Senators scouting staff, performing duties as an amateur and professional scout from 1993-96. He then became vice president and director of hockey operations for the St. Louis Blues but was promoted to general manager for five seasons. He went on to become the 13th general manager in Toronto Maple Leafs history on Aug. 29, 2003, until he was terminated from the position on Jan. 22, 2008.
Related: Ferguson Leads Tucson to Success
He would go on to be part of the San Jose Sharks organization from 2008-14 as a scout, then was given the position of general manager of the Boston Bruins AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. He remained there until the 2021 season when the Coyotes organization made him general manager of the Tucson Roadrunners.
Roadrunners Coaching Staff for 2023-24
Head coach Steve Potvin has an extensive record as well. After playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the Sudbury Wolves, he played in the AHL from the 1995-96 season until 1998-99. Potvin played for the Portland Pirates, Baltimore Bandits, Albany River Rats, and Hamilton Bulldogs. He would then take his skills overseas from 1990-00 until the 2008-09 season. His last season would be during the 2009-10 season with the Arizona Sundogs of the Central Hockey League.
Potvin has plenty of experience behind the bench as he started in a head coach position with Arizona Jr. Coyotes during the 2014-15 season. He would then jump to skills coach of the Arizona Coyotes in the 2016-17 season, followed by getting named an assistant coach for Tucson in the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons. In the 2020-21 season, he would be named head coach of Tucson and would be back behind the Roadrunners bench as an assistant coach the following season. Potvin would then assume the coaching duties again last season and return as head coach. Twenty players have graduated from the Roadrunners roster to play in Arizona under the guidance of Potvin.
Assistant coach John Slaney will return for his sixth season behind the Tucson bench. He was a ninth overall pick of the Washington Capitals in the 1990 NHL Draft. He, like head coach Potvin, has a successful coaching record, beginning with an assistant coaching job with the Portland Pirates from the 2011-12 season until the end of the 2014-15 campaign.
He would move to the Arizona organization as an assistant coach between the 2015-16 season through the 2016-17 season. After his tenure with Arizona, he was then hired as an assistant coach with Tucson, where he remains today. His off-ice resume is just as impressive as his on-ice accomplishments.
Slaney played 631 games in the AHL, producing 166 goals and 353 assists for 519 points. He won the Eddie Shore award for best AHL defenseman, won the Calder Cup with the Philadelphia Phantoms in the 2004-05 season, and was introduced into the AHL Hall of Fame in 2013-14.
He appeared in 199 Ontario Hockey League games with the Cornwall Royals, winning the 1989-90 Canadian Hockey League Defenseman of the Year award. Slaney was an offensive defenseman in the OHL, scoring 94 goals and 168 assists for 242 points. He would make the NHL with the Capitals, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Philadelphia Flyers, producing 22 goals and 69 assists for 91 points in 268 games.
Zack Stortini is the newest member, returning for his second season behind the Roadrunners bench as an assistant coach. He came to the Arizona organization from the OHL Sudbury Wolves, where he had the same position from 2019-20 until the 2021-22 season.
Drafted by the Edmonton Oilers 94th overall in the 2003 NHL Draft, Stortini played an aggressive and physical style of hockey. He lacked offense but did not lack toughness and the willingness to stick up for teammates. His style of play earned him the honor of being named the most penalized player in the AHL, with 299 penalty minutes during the 2013-14 season with the Norfolk Admirals. During his OHL days, he played 27 games with the Sudbury Wolves, accumulating 55 goals and 65 assists for 120 points and 745 penalty minutes. Playing in the AHL, he racked up 55 goals and 54 assists for 109 points, 1,825 penalty minutes and a Calder Cup championship in the 2006-07 season. Stortini also played 257 NHL games, registering 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points and 725 penalty minutes.
The Roadrunners should build on last season’s 30-33-8-1 record, which placed them seventh in the Pacific Division. Behind Potvin, Slaney, and Stortini, Tucson could make a run at a higher playoff seed. Goaltender Ivan Prosvetov will be in for a big year, and so will forward Hunter Drew and defenseman Victor Soderstrom. 2023-24 may be a big season for the entire organization as things continue to develop for the Arizona Coyotes.
