No panic for Domi

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This article was published 10/11/2016 (3248 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz — Goals haven’t come in bunches for Max Domi this season — unless his first on Tuesday in Denver suddenly sparks a barrage — but that’s no great cause for concern for the Arizona Coyotes.

The 21-year-old left-winger with the NHL’s Pacific Division team continues to draw rave reviews from his coach and teammates, who consider the second-year forward the straw that stirs the drink here in the desert.

Domi, the son of former Winnipeg Jets tough guy Tie Domi, rattled a wrist shot off the shaft of Colorado defenceman Erik Johnson’s stick and past goalie Calvin Pickard late in the second period to snap a 2-2 tie as the Coyotes went on to register a 4-2 win over the Avalanche. He also picked up a pair of assists and now has nine helpers in 12 games this season.

‘I think it’s the fact that hockey’s such a vital part of Manitoba… you could go the farthest part of the KHL and you’d find a connection’– Coyotes captain Shane Doan, on the myriad connections to Manitoba around the NHL and the hockey world

Arizona has won four of its last six games after beginning the season with a victory over the Philadelphia Flyers and then suffering five straight defeats.

Domi, whose sensational rookie season in 2015-16 featured 18 goals and 34 assists, said wins — not the personal statistics of its members — define a hockey squad.

“Points are pretty overrated, to be honest. It’s a team sport, and if the team’s winning then that’s all you should really care about,” he said Wednesday after a Coyotes practice at the Ice Den facility in Scottsdale.

“There’s all kind of stuff you can do when the puck’s not going in. You can block shots, win faceoffs, kill penalties, getting the puck out, getting the puck in — little stuff, the details of the game, are what wins you hockey games.”

Like his father, Domi doesn’t tower over anyone. But there’s a whole lot of power and might that exudes from that 5-10, 195-pound frame. With his quickness and offensive flare, he was a 12th-overall pick by Arizona in 2013 but wasn’t rushed into the NHL.

The Coyotes gave him two more years to develop with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League before he won an NHL job in the fall of 2015, and he quickly joined the early front-runners for the Calder Trophy, given out to the league’s premier rookie (eventually won by Artemi Panarin of the Chicago Blackhawks).

He racked up 72 penalty minutes last season and already has a memorable fighting major this year, a one-punch takedown of Anaheim Ducks veteran forward Ryan Kesler last week.

Arizona head coach Dave Tippett said the kid is the total package.

“His talent level is elite, between skating and puck skills. But he’s a real competitive guy. He’s just a really good player,” Tippett said. “He’s a player that when he gets into games, he has the ability to have an impact with his work ethic, with his skill, with his tenacity.

“Along with that, he’s a mature guy. You get guys like him who have been around the NHL game their whole life, there’s not a lot of awe about the NHL. They come and they know what to expect in the dressing room and what day-to-day life is like. That’s just always been part of his life.”

Indeed, Domi has been immersed in the NHL life since the day he was born in Winnipeg in March 1995. While the family spent just a short time in the Manitoba capital (his father was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 94-95 campaign), Max said he’s heard all the stories about playoff whiteouts, bitterly cold nights and a fellow known to everyone as the Finnish Flash.

“I grew up in Toronto but I’m from Winnipeg and I tell people that because I think it’s kind of cool,” he said. “The people there are just second to none. I had a lot of fun when we were there last year, and I can’t wait to go back any chance I get.

“The way my dad talks about it, and my mom as well, is that it was their favourite place. It was a tight-knit group. They absolutely loved it. Dad had so much fun there, and obviously getting to play with a guy like Teemu Selanne was a career highlight for him.”

Manitoba connections

Beyond Domi and the obvious Shane Doan ties to the former incarnation of the Jets, three other members of the Coyotes have links to Manitoba.

Injured blue-liner Michael Stone was born and raised in Winnipeg, centre Ryan White was born and raised in the Brandon area, while centre Jordan Martinook was born in Brandon before his family moved west.

Doan said if you dig deep enough into every NHL organization, you’ll find Manitobans sprinkled through rosters at all levels.

“I think it’s the fact that hockey’s such a vital part of Manitoba that I think you could go the farthest part of the KHL and you’d find a connection,” he said Wednesday. “Hockey’s such a huge part of that part of the country.”

Preparing for Jets

Tippett said while he’s aware the Jets are banged up, he’s paid little attention to the team’s progress early in the season.

But he took note of the Jets dominating performance against the visiting Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.

“I saw the score (8-2) and obviously they had a really good game. The young (Patrik) Laine kid is a really good player and I’m a really big fan of Scheifele,” said Tippett. “I had him at the world championships and with the North American team (at the World Cup of Hockey) and I’m a big fan of that player.

“I know (Winnipeg head coach) Paul (Maurice), his teams are always prepared, so we’ll look at them (on film) and figure them out a little more.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @WFPJasonBell