Stecher Drawing on Experience to Help Coyotes’ Blue Line

Troy Stecher is no stranger to rebuilding teams.

The 28-year-old defenseman started his career with the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks, who went from 30-43-9 in his first season (2016-17) to 36-27-6 in his last (2019-20). From there, he spent nearly two seasons with the also-rebuilding Detroit Red Wings – the club went from 19 wins in his first season to 32 last year – before he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings on March 20.

He’s witnessed firsthand what it takes for a franchise take the next step towards success, and Stecher knows just how difficult that journey can be.

As odd as it may sound, that’s one of the reasons he signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Coyotes on July 13.

“Some people might shy away from that, but for me, I feel like it’s a great opportunity to build a core and grow with that core,” Stecher said. “I think over time you see progress, and that’s always an enjoyable process to go through with a lot of guys that you create relationships with. 

“Obviously it’s going to be a challenge, and I look forward to that challenge.”

Stecher has played 359 games in his six-year career, amassing 89 points on 15 goals and 74 assists. It’s his career average of 18:16 for time on ice, though, that Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong had his eye on when he pursued the right-handed shooting blue liner when free agency opened up. 

That number is especially important considering the departure of veteran Anton Stralman, who himself chewed up 21:20 of ice time per game last season.

“I think he’s at his best when he is playing big minutes,” Armstrong said. “He’s a D that can play, he’s a minute muncher, and can go in there and help us and give us some stability from the back side.”

Though he’s coming to a new team, Stecher has worked with a number of Coyotes in the past.

Head coach André Tourigny and Chief Hockey Development Officer Shane Doan both had an opportunity to work with him during the 2020-21 IIHF World Championship, in which Team Canada won a gold medal.

Tourigny, who was an assistant coach on that team, spent a lot of time with Stecher over a three-week timeframe, and they spent a lot of time reviewing the underlying numbers for various situations.

That experience was one that stuck with him.

“I just had a lot of respect for [Tourigny],” Stecher said. “In practice we’d [review] splits, and I enjoyed his splits and what he was teaching. I thought it would be a good opportunity to play for him as head coach because I liked what he presented as…