One of the Coyotes' scouts from Chicago first tipped them off.
"This guy's a pretty good player," he said. "Make sure you have a look at him."
So early in the 2013-14 season when members of the organization took in London Knights games, they kept an eye on the rookie center playing limited minutes in a fourth-line role.
"You didn't get to see him much but when you saw him, you could see how smart he was and competitive he was and you could see some real good foundation in his game," Director of Amateur Scouting Tim Bernhardt said.