Coyotes prospect Tyler Gaudet: 'I'm hoping to be a bottom-six player'

Undrafted forward Tyler Gaudet is entering his first professional hockey season ready to work for a shot at an NHL roster spot, but his sights aren't set where you'd expect.

"I'm hoping to be a bottom-six player," Gaudet told AZCentral.com. "Try to contribute on the defensive side of the puck all the time, and just be a very aware player on the ice and a 200-foot player all the time."

Gaudet signed with the Arizona Coyotes organization during his overage season with the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and appeared in two games with the AHL's Portland Pirates. He attributes his defensive focus to starting his hockey life on the blue line.

"As a kid, I kind of started as a defenseman and then I moved up to forward, so I've always been comfortable with the D side of the puck," Gaudet said. "I feel if I can start the rush out and contribute that way, it benefits me and it benefits my teammates, so I kind of like that role. I got used to it, and it just developed in my game."

A bottom-six job can be difficult to land on a team like Arizona, which employs a surplus of experienced depth players including Kyle Chipchura, Joe Vitale, and David Moss. But coach Dave Tippett points out the team is open to trying different, younger players after missing the playoffs two years in a row.

"Everybody's a good guy, but our business is about winning," Tippett said. "If he comes in and says, 'I'm better than one of these players,' we have to look at that situation."