Another defenseman appears early on our list.
The Arizona Coyotes have been known as a defense-first team for a number of years, so it’s fitting that the fourth entrant on our top 25 players under the age of 25 list fits into that category.
In the third round (73rd overall) of the 2018 Draft, the Coyotes selected defenseman Ty Emberson out of the US National Development Program. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin native was having a good draft year and had already earned a silver medal with Team USA at that year’s Under-18 World Junior Championships.
20/21 League: NCAA (University of Wisconsin), AHL (Tucson Roadrunners)
Games played: 31 (NCAA), 5 (AHL)
Goals: 4 (NCAA), 1 (AHL)
Assists: 9 (NCAA)
Highest rating: 18
Lowest rating: 26
Last year’s rankings: 25
Since being drafted by the Coyotes organization, the 6-foot-1, 194lbs right-shot blueliner has been developing his game at the college level with the University of Wisconsin Badgers, where he has played an integral role.
In total, Emberson has racked up 101 regular-season appearances for the Badgers with nine goals and 25 total points – helping to guide the team to a B1G regular-season championship in 2021 while also wearing the coveted captain’s ‘C’.
Emberson earned individual recognition for his performances with the team this past season, being named to the All-Tournament Team as well as an honorable mention to the All-Star Team.
After the season, Emberson earned himself a three-year entry-level contract with the Arizona Coyotes and got his first taste of the professional game with a brief stint with the organization’s AHL affiliates, the Tucson Roadrunners.
In all, the 21-year-old played in five regular-season games with the Roadrunners and even scored his first-ever professional goal in Tucson’s 5-2 victory over the Texas Stars back on May 8th before featuring in one playoff game to round out the year.
Emberson’s development appears to be progressing as expected, and there’s every reason to believe he has the potential to one day suit up for the NHL team, with at least a full season or two with the Roadrunners likely the next stage in his process before that can be achieved.
With the Coyotes looking more and more to youth, the future, and developing their own players, Emberson could be among a crop of talented players the team has drafted that will fight to make up the core of the future.
There are players with more potential, or a proven track record, ahead of him on this list, but he has already shown impressive potential and could be a real gem for the Coyotes in the long run.
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