Coyotes 25 under 25: #15 Vladislav Kolyachonok

Sep 15, 2022 - 7:00 PM

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The 2022–23 season is fast approaching. Here at Five For Howling, we’re looking at this year’s 25 best Arizona Coyotes players under the age of 25.

Last offseason, the Arizona Coyotes made a trade with Florida Panthers that saw Anton Strålman, a 2024 second-round pick, and prospect Vladislav Kolyachonok head to the desert in exchange for a 2023 seventh-round pick.

At the time, Kolyachonok seemed to be the least important part of the deal, but after making his NHL debut, that is definitely not the case.

Vladislav Kolyachonok

2021–22 League: AHL (Tucson Roadrunners), NHL (Arizona Coyotes)

Regular Season Games Played: 33, 32

Regular Season Goals: 2, 1

Regular Season Assists: 12, 2

Highest Individual Ranking: 15

Lowest Individual Ranking: 16

Last Year’s Ranking: 14

Like Cam Dineen earlier on the list, Kolyachonok made his NHL debut this past season, playing 32 games with the Desert Dogs. He wasn’t the flashiest player and didn’t contribute much offensively, but he proved to be a solid player on the Coyotes’ blue line.

Kolyachonok was first called up in January and only lasted a week. But a month later, he was back in an NHL jersey, where he would remain for the rest of the season.

After 32 games with the Arizona Coyotes, Kolyachonok will likely be back in the AHL to start next season. The Arizona Coyotes’ blue line is overflowing at this point, and because Kolyachonok doesn’t need to clear waivers, it makes sense for him to be reassigned to the AHL.

Thankfully, Kolyachonok is only 21 years old, so another season with the Tucson Roadrunners will give him a chance to continue to develop against lower competition. But given how he performed last season, don’t be surprised if Kolyachonok is one of the Coyotes’ first call-ups if someone gets hurt or is traded.

Kolyachonok is still young, but unless he completely changes his game, we have a pretty good idea of his ceiling. He is projected to be a role player for the Coyotes, a third-pairing defenseman who doesn’t contribute much offense.