GLENDALE — As call-ups from the American Hockey League go, some don’t generate a ton of excitement. The Arizona Coyotes’ decision to bring up Tucson Roadrunners standout Matias Maccelli, however, showed that there was no more keeping the native of Finland down on the farm any longer.
An injury might have moved the timeline up, but Maccelli was going to get the call regardless at some point. It was made official on Monday, and the 21-year-old forward and former fourth round draft pick practiced with the Coyotes, playing on the wing.
Two things that stand out about Maccelli are, first, his 55 points in 42 games at Tucson in his first season in the rugged AHL. Maccelli currently ranks third in the American Hockey League for assists (41) and total points, while leading all rookies in both categories.
Also noteworthy is that he was called up on Dec. 28 and was set to make his NHL debut that night at San Jose, after scoring 21 points in his first 21 games in Tucson and being named the AHL Rookie of the Month for November. But just before the game, he was placed in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols, and after being cleared, was sent back to Tucson a few days later.
“Getting called up and getting ready for your first-ever game, and then a couple of hours before the game, you get called that you have COVID,” Maccelli said. “Obviously it’s frustrating but at the same time it is what it is, nothing you can do about it. Just try to make it back after that.”
Maccelli did just that, focusing on playing hard and producing in Tucson rather than hoping for a callup soon after he’d gotten past COVID. And he produced at an even higher rate.
With forward Liam O’Brien week to week due to an upper body injury suffered last week, the Coyotes had a roster spot for Maccelli. But the front office had plans to bring him up even before O’Brien was hurt late last week.
“It feels good to get a call-up that way,” Maccelli said
Maccelli is the Roadrunners’ leader in multiple-point performances this season with 14, and registered his first AHL hat trick on Nov. 12 against Ontario in an 8-4 win. Maccelli has eight three-point or more performances this season, four of which came in the span of six games from Feb. 5-19.
As part of Tucson’s top line, he tallied 19 points in 10 games in February. His overall points-per-game average of 1.33 is the second-highest in Roadrunners history, per the team.
Maccelli said it took a couple of games with Tucson for him to get used to the style of play. But once he got chemistry going with his linemates, thing began to fall into place.
Maccelli will become the seventh player to make his NHL debut coming up from Tucson this season. Three of those are currently with the Coyotes — defensemen Janis Moser, Vladislav Kolyachonok and Dysin Mayo.
“We like his talent, I think Jay (Varady, Tucson’s head coach) did a really good job with him down there. You can see the growth in his game,” Coyotes coach André Tourigny said. “Offensively, it’s tough to produce at that level. ... His game came a long way.”
