Max Domi’s favorite team growing up was the Toronto Maple Leafs. He adopted the team because of his father, Tie Domi, who played for the Leafs during a significant portion of Max’s childhood.
Now, Max Domi has a new favorite hockey club, the Arizona Coyotes.
The Calder race in the NHL got a lot more interesting when 2015 top overall pick, Connor McDavid, succumbed to an upper body injury. This will keep him out of action for months, giving promising rookies like Domi a better opportunity to walk away as the top first-year player in the league.
So far, Domi has made a compelling case to win the Calder Trophy. The 20-year-old has 16 points on the season, eight of which have come by goals, the highest total amongst all of the rookie class.
Arizona drafted Domi with the 12th pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. After two final junior seasons with the OHL’s London Knights, Coyotes General Manager, Don Maloney, made the decision to put Domi on the 2015-16 roster.
Maloney didn’t want to put high expectations on the young rookie, but he has been throughly impressed thus far.
“I really didn’t have an expectation of X amount of goals or points for him,” Maloney told NHL.com. “I just hoped he would come in and get a regular amount of ice time and if that happened, the production would follow. That’s just who he is and the way he plays — and that’s what’s happened.”
It’s hard to not want Domi to succeed, especially given his circumstances. He suffers from Type 1 Diabetes. But Domi doesn’t let that affect his on ice play. His number 16 pays homage to Bobby Clarke, an NHL alumni who suffered from diabetes.
Domi is already one of the most enthralling players in the NHL. His style of play is fast paced and exciting, similar to that of a relatively young Coyotes roster. And while the team as a whole might not be competing for a Stanley Cup anytime soon, they have themselves a winner with Max Domi.
It’s ok to hold off on campaigning until the season is 2/3 over.