March 14th, 4:01 PM CDT: In response to the news of Kesselring being recalled on an emergency basis, Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports reports that defenseman Patrik Nemeth left the Coyotes practice this morning with an apparent injury. It is not yet known the nature or extent of the injury that Nemeth sustained this morning, but we do know that he will not be playing in the team’s game tonight.
March 14th, 3:16 PM CDT: The Arizona Coyotes have recalled forward Bokondji Imama and defenseman Michael Kesselring on emergency loans from their AHL affiliate Tuscon Roadrunners. Both players will be made available to dress for tonight’s matchup against the Calgary Flames.
For the second time in as many days, Imama will again be on the roster for the Coyotes. Now playing in his second year in the Coyotes organization, Imama has spent most of his time in Tuscon. In 95 games played over those two seasons, Imama has 10 goals, 14 assists, and a whopping 274 PIM. He has scarcely played in the NHL, having only seen six games in Arizona, averaging just over five minutes of ice time a night.
As the Coyotes continue to assess which players will be around for the future of Arizona hockey, Imama provides the Coyotes with the ability to add quite a bit of grit into their lineup, if they choose to do so.
In his third full season of professional hockey, Kesselring arrived in Arizona during the trade deadline, being one of the pieces sent from the Oilers in the trade for Nick Bjugstad. Drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 NHL draft, Kesselring developed a knack for scoring goals at the AHL level during his time with Edmonton. In 49 games played for their AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors this season, Kesselring racked up 13 goals, providing some offense from the back end.