Ty Murchison’s ice hockey origin story is marketing gold. The Sun Devils defenseman is like a walking advertisement for non-traditional markets. For starters, Murchison didn’t play ice hockey until he was 11. He played roller hockey. He grew up in Corona, California, southeast of L.A.. His dad, Ken, who did play pro ice hockey (including a stint for Liam Kirk’s...

Rookie tournaments have always been must-see events for NHL teams’ personnel. The league’s most famous rookie tournament in Traverse City, Michigan has featured as many as eight teams in past years, making it a destination for staff both north and south of the border. The tournaments present an opportunity for executives, coaches and scouts to hobnob with their peers, to scout the competition, and if the opportunity presents itself, to flex their drafting muscles in front of those same peers. “Players can make a name for themselves when they dominate a tournament like this,” Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong said. “It can also let the organization know that, “Hey, we got a good one.’” For most of their existence, the Coyotes…

Throughout his first year on the job, Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong put a brave face on the lack of confidants to whom he could turn. While he has jokingly compared his first months in the big chair to driving a Tesla 200 miles per hour in the fog, Armstrong has always pivoted quickly away from that pity-me approach, reminding everyone...

Leah Merrall and Craig Morgan discuss arena venues and more on the PHNX Coyotes Podcast!

What’s this? A ranking of Coyotes prospects? A ranking of any kind from me?Before you dial up PHNX to ask if an imposter has taken my place, let me explain. This isn’t really my ranking. This is more what I think the organization’s ranking would be. Let’s face it, my ranking — or anybody else’s — doesn’t matter. What the...

As I reported last week, Rick Tocchet is headed to the broadcast booth for the 2021-2022 NHL season. https://twitter.com/CraigSMorgan/status/1435675113685327872 It was a tumultuous offseason for Tocchet after he and the Coyotes parted ways in May. He was a finalist for the New York Rangers head coaching job, and almost everyone thought he was getting the Seattle Kraken job before that...

Jonathan Phillips is a celebrity in the British hockey community. He is entering his 18th season in the Elite Ice Hockey League, he has been a fixture on various British national teams since 1999, he ranks eighth all-time in EIHL points, and he ranks first in games played. Those achievements earn Phillips a nod when he walks into the local...

When DNVR CEO Brandon Spano first reached out, I admit that I didn’t expect the conversation to last long. I have spoken to many outlets that boasted of big plans and endless possibilities, but their business and content plans didn’t match their enthusiasm. The longer we talked, however, the more intrigued I became by the idea of PHNX. Spano preached community building through engagement. He preached quality content across broadcast and digital platforms. He preached collaboration, he preached creativity, and he preached fun. He preached a type of journalism that doesn’t originate from the pulpit; it originates in the pews. When I hung up the phone after that conversation, I realized that I had to give this outlet a closer…