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Wolf Pack To Desert Dog, Capobianco goes in third round to Arizona

Kyle Capobianco has been drafted by a team and a State he is very familiar with. The Sudbury Wolves defenseman was selected early in the third round (63rd overall) by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
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Sudbury Wolves defenceman and Arizona Coyotes draft pick Kyle Capobianco goes one on one with Wolves reporter Nick Liard. File photo.
Kyle Capobianco has been drafted by a team and a State he is very familiar with.

The Sudbury Wolves defenseman was selected early in the third round (63rd overall) by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

““It’s a moment and experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life and I’m thankful I got to share it with my family,” said Capobianco in a phone interview from Florida.

Capobianco is familiar with Arizona, his uncle Randy Exelby owns Behind the Mask Hockey Shops in Scottsdale, Arizona, and he visits him every year, which will help the process.

“My uncle will help with that, going down there for development camp and being able to see my uncle will be very welcoming.”

While Capobianco didn’t have to wait long into the morning on Saturday to hear his name, it was a stressful time as the NHL draft started on Friday night, with the first round, and then the second to seventh round going the next day.

“It’s definitely different than watching on TV, experiencing the draft and all the trades, Gary Bettman on stage is a pretty cool experience. Once it gets going it seems the picks just fly by, so it was nice to be taken.”

The native of Mississauga has other ties to the franchise, as in his draft profile his favourite player is listed as Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who has been a staple on the Coyotes blue-line for parts of the last five seasons, and Capobianco is excited for the chance to meet him and possibly one day play along side the d-man.

NHL Central Scouting had Capobianco as the 44th ranked prospect from North America and he landed pretty close to that prediction.

In and interview with Arizona Coyotes TV, Director of Amateur Scouting for the Coyotes, Tim Bernhardt spoke about why they jumped at the chance to take Capobianco and said it has been hard to find defensemen with his skill set in the past few drafts.

“He’s a smooth skating, smart defensemen, has a lot of physical maturing to do yet. We like his head, we like his legs and he is 6'1 so he is probably going to fill out yet.”


Capobianco knows he has a long road ahead of him and will be back with the Wolves this season.

He echoed scouts profiles on him as far as what he needs to improve on.

“I think building up strength and speed, this game is evolving into a game that’s built around quickness. That’s something I need to work on is being more explosive, and keeping my confidence high.”

His teammate Matt Schmalz was taken in the fifth round, and we are still awaiting a call back from him.

Check back for the draft reaction on Schmalz, and his new road to becoming a Los Angeles King.

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