- Slug: Sports-Coyotes friends, 500 words
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By John Alvarado
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Professional hockey players Jakob Chychrun and Clayton Keller first met as kids when former NHL defensemen Jeff Brown coached them on a team with his son, Logan.
They became close friends and then opponents – squaring off for the bronze medal in the 2015 International Ice Hockey World Championship, when the U.S.-under 18 team with Keller defeated Chychrun’s Canadian team, 10-3.
Now, the two have reunited with the Arizona Coyotes. In the 2016 NHL Draft, the team selected the two friends.
Keller, a forward, said he feels good with Chychrun, a defenseman, on the team.
“Just to have someone my age going through this is great,” Keller said. “He is a great guy and a great leader.”
The Coyotes selected Keller with the seventh overall pick, and took Chychrun nine selections later, after a trade with the Detroit Red Wings. Keller said he was excited when he heard the news of Chychrun’s selection.
“I was just so happy that me and him would be going here together, which is awesome,” Keller said. ”If someone would have told me that before the draft, I would say ‘no way.’ ”
The history of how the NHL draft picks met starts with the Chychrun and Brown families. Jeff Brown and Jeff Chychrun, former NHL defensemen who were coincidently selected No. 37 and No. 38 in 1984 NHL Draft and were lifelong friends, decided to invest their retirement years in coaching their sons.
At the age of 10, Keller met Chychrun in St. Louis when they played on an all-star team coached by the dads. Their friendship grew through hockey camps.
“He’d always come to St. Louis for camps,” Keller said. “So, it was good to have him there. He’s been one of my great friends and will continue to be.”
Likewise, Chychrun said he got to bond with Keller again when the two were in Buffalo for the NHL draft.
“We might be teammates for a very, long time,” Chychrun said. “It is good to have familiarity there and continue to build on a relationship.”
Their first week of July in the Valley was eventful. After meeting with the media Tuesday afternoon, they went to Chase Field where they threw out the first pitch. The next morning, Keller, Chychrun and several other prospects went to Phoenix Children’s Hospital to hand out gifts, such as Howler stuffed animals, blankets and Kindle Fires.
The two friends are not the only ones happy that they are teammates in Arizona. Forward and Coyotes captain Shane Doan praised their addition.
“I am really excited about both guys,” Doan said. “Keller, you can see his hands and what he’s done. He’s really special.”
When they faced off in the international competition, Kelly had three assists in the U.S. victory. Chychrun was held to zero points.
Even though he may have been not been able to help his team, Doan said he is impressed with his skill set.
“I watched Chychrun and I think he is going to be a stud,” he said. “He is a big powerful defensemen and in the little scrimmage they did, he loops the net and holds on to the puck. You’re just not suppose to able to do that when supposed to be big, strong and a defensemen.”
