Filed under: Coyotes
SAN JOSE -- Keith Yandle, fresh off his first All-Star Game appearance, apparently doesn't think he has much name recognition yet. He greets a handful of reporters after the Coyotes' morning skate by stretching out his hand and saying, "Hi, I'm Keith," much to the delight of his teammates. "Hi, I'm Keith!" several shriek with laughter. So perhaps the polite Phoenix defenseman hasn't quite reached superstar status yet, but as far as the Coyotes are concerned, the 24-year-old is one of the main reason the team is in the sixth spot in the Western Conference. He's the top scoring defenseman in the league, with 44 points in 51 games, and he's currently on the top scoring roll in the league, with a nine-game point streak, all assists.
"He's been confident," Phoenix forward Scottie Upshall said. "Every game it's been his goal to be our best player, and you hope every year guys step up and want to take the reins. He's our assistant captain and he's taken a lot on himself. We have a great group of veteran guys back there, and to mix in a young player like that is spectacular. ... For years to come, he's going to be a great player."
What does coach Dave Tippett see that Yandle has provided his club this year? "Lots of points," Tippett said with a grin. "He's an unbelievable player in today's game. He's a young player that, everything we've thrown at him, he's grabbed it and ran with it. He's a big part of our team."
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Source: http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/01/keith-yandle-expected-to-star-in-coyotes-stretch-run/
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