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Arizona Coyotes sign forward prospect Sam Lipkin to entry-level contract

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Mike Gould | Last updated 4/4/24

The Arizona Coyotes have signed forward prospect Sam Lipkin to a three-year, entry-level contract, the club announced Thursday morning.

Lipkin, 21, wrapped up his sophomore season at Quinnipiac University with 15 goals and 35 points in 39 games. The 6’3″ center helped the Bobcats win the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey national championship in 2023.

The Coyotes originally selected Lipkin in the seventh round (No. 223 overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft. The Lafayette Hill, PA product played for the USHL’s Chicago Steel before starting at Quinnipiac in 2022.

“We are pleased to sign Sam Lipkin and have him join our organization,” Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said in a release on Thursday. “Sam is a big, skilled, two-way forward who had a very successful college career. We look forward to continuing to watch his development.”

According to PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, Lipkin will report to the American Hockey League’s Tucson Roadrunners on an amateur tryout contract for the rest of the 2023-24 season. His entry-level deal will begin in 2024-25.

Sources: Coyotes have signed Quinnipiac forward & 2021 7th-round pick (No. 223) Sam Lipkin to a 3-year ELC.
In 78 games at Quinnipiac he had 29 goals & 78 points & won an NCAA title.
He'll report to Tucson (AHL) on an ATO for the rest of season.
His ELC will kick in next season.
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) April 4, 2024

Lipkin blossomed with the Steel in his first post-draft season, finishing third on the team with 71 points (36 goals, 35 assists) in 59 games while often playing alongside the likes of Adam Fantilli and Jackson Blake.

Immediately thereafter, Lipkin moved on to Quinnipiac and helped the Bobcats put together a historic season in his freshman year. He finished second to newly-signed San Jose Sharks prospect Collin Graf in team scoring with 43 points in 39 games and set up the overtime winner as Quinnipiac beat Minnesota (featuring fellow Coyotes prospect Logan Cooley) in the Frozen Four final.

Through 78 games over his two seasons at Quinnipiac, Lipkin collected 29 goals and 78 points. He will now move on and join a Roadrunners team that currently sits in third place in the AHL’s Pacific Division with a 37-23-5 record and 79 points in 65 games.

One of Lipkin’s teammates during his first season with the Steel was current Coyotes forward Josh Doan, who was also selected by the team in the 2021 NHL Draft and now has five points through his first four NHL games in Arizona. The two could be reunited in Tucson if and when Doan returns to the AHL for the playoffs.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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