The Arizona Coyotes still believe in Dylan Strome.
Speaking with Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports, general manager John Chayka was quick to dispel any notion that the Coyotes are not satisfied with the progress of Strome, the team's top prospect.
"The belief out there that we're not happy with Dylan's game, that's just not true," Chayka said. "We're very excited and happy about the progress he's made in the last three weeks to a month.
"He went from a player who has gotten by on talent for a while to becoming one of our hardest workers in practice and that's a prerequisite to being a top player in the NHL: your work ethic and your level of commitment every day in practice."
Strome has been a frequent healthy scratch in the early goings, appearing in just three of the team's seven games. The third overall pick in 2015 has not played in Arizona's last three games and is not slated to be in the lineup Saturday when the Coyotes take on the Colorado Avalanche.
Strome recorded an assist in his NHL debut versus the Ottawa Senators earlier this month, his lone point on the season.
Strome can play nine games before the Coyotes need to decide whether he sticks with the club or returns to junior with the OHL's Erie Otters, where he scored 111 points in 56 games last season. As a 19-year-old junior, Strome is ineligible to play in the AHL.
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