Arizona Coyotes select Michael Hrabal No. 38 overall in 2023 NHL Draft

The Arizona Coyotes have selected goaltender Michael Hrabal No. 38 overall. Hrabal last played for the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League.

The Czechia goaltender played last season in the USHL with the Lancers, where he put up a 9-13-4 record and posted a 2.86 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. The Lancers were the third-worst team overall in the USHL. He represented Czechia at the IIHF U-18 World Championships, posting a 1-4 record and a .920 save percentage. The numbers weren’t great, but he was a big reason why the Czechs stayed in tight against the Americans in the quarterfinal.

“The University of Massachusetts commits numbers might not look like much in the USHL, but he did a lot of load-carrying this year,” Daily Faceoff’s prospect analyst Steven Ellis said. “His international play has been solid, and despite an early exit at the U-18s, Hrabal gave his team a fighting chance. It also helps that he’s 6-foot-6 but moves like a much smaller, more agile netminder.

Hrabal grew up playing in HC Sparta Praha’s program and emerged as a star goaltender during his final season in his home country when he posted a 7-3-0 record with a .929 save percentage in 2020-21. That same year, his play was noticed, and he was promoted to the U-20 squad. In 24 games with the junior team, he finished with a dominant record of 18-3-0 with a .936 save percentage and 2.14 goals against average.

Hrabal was drafted by the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the 2021 USHL Draft, but his rights were traded to the Lancers. Hrabal was also selected in the 2022 CHL Import Draft by the Regina Pats, but opted to play in the USHL.

Hrabal will join a prospect pipeline that features xxx. The 6-foot-6 netminder has committed to the Univ. of Massachusetts (UMASS) for the 2023-24 season, which will be beneficial for his development.