Welcome to the AZ Coyotes Insider newsletter. My plan is to publish stories four to six times per week. By subscribing, you’ll be supporting independent, accountable journalism. Subscribe now so you won’t miss a story. Rapid ascents are nothing new for Michael Bunting. He played just about every sport at Cardinal Newman Catholic High School in Scarborough, Ontario; from volleyball, badminton and tennis, to soccer and hockey.
Good for him. We need more of these sleeper prospects to pan out.
In Bunting's case, I think he has that facet we've sorely lacked - the desire to post up and attack rebounds. I won't go on a whole rant, but one thing that's driven me to the brink of madness in recent years has been the almost "one and done" mindset of our offense a lot of the time. They pass a million times around the perimeter (gotta love excess opportunity for mistakes and turnovers, but I get the need to create space), until someone finally takes a long shot. In those all-too-often cases, there's rarely anyone there to jump on rebounds or pick up leftovers, it's just a weird, visible "there's the shot, let's go back the other way" attitude that I get from watching them. I'm not even talking about having a big ol' Hanzal-esque power forward to crash the net, just a guy willing to get in the kitchen and jump on some leftovers. Dirty or not, a goal is a goal.
I hope Bunting keeps that up and continues to grow.
Excellent article. I like what I’ve seen from him and remember watching his aggressive play in his first Coyotes camp. GMBA must be happy with the surprise show casing of he and Hill as potential high grade trade items...
or will they be around for awhile? I’ve still got my “ Killer D’s” t-shirt.
Love the article Craig... As others have stated, we've been hearing about Bunting for how many years? Could it be that a diamond in the rough is just what this team needed to find their scoring mojo?
In a sign of the times, here I sit in my hotel room one block away from Centre Bell.The Canadiens are down the road in Toronto and won't return here until tomorrow night's game. So close, and no hot dog. I'll be on a plane heading back West tomorrow afternoon, hopefully with a bucket of Timbits that will stay fresh till I touch down in Arizona...🇨🇦🌵
Great article! This is the type of article that makes me a happy subscriber—the blend of substance and personal is excellent. Am forwarding the article when I can to some Soldiers and leaders—some great elements regarding perseverance, maturing, listening and heeding, etc.
There was a huge maturity and skating jump that was notable at the beginning of the 2019/2020 season. He started being able to draw penalties without getting too emotionally involved. Other AHL players in the Pacific Division do dread playing against him. He gets in their head. He also became a much more confident play maker that year too, not just a scorer.
I know he had to have worked on some intense stuff this past year because his game didn't regress during the time off, he looked BETTER at the beginning of this season.
Goodness I hope the band stays together guys, it's so much fun to watch Garland and Bunting on the same line, they aren't big guys and won't make other players hurt too much with hits, but boy can those 2 chirp! They piss off the other team by out skating them and THEN have the audacity to have breath left over to still talk. It drives the other teams nuts!!!
I like hearing more about the Roadrunners. Craig, I know you do not really get a chance to see their games, but I would like if you had an article focused on interviewing their Tucson beat writer who goes to/sees all the games and can give an in-depth scouting report on various players.
I've loved Bunting for some time and wondered why he wasn't given this chance until now, after reading your article Craig I understand why. He has the opportunity to be a effective player for a long time. Love him with Garland, hopefully Army adds a C with some grit this offseason creating a line opponents hate to play against and would likely draw a lot of penalties.
Love how he is unafraid to go into the blue paint and fight for the puck. Just shows that size is not needed. This alone just might keep him on the team moving forward.
Somebody in front of the net that can be a little nasty?
Yes, please!
Hard to believe this guy was drafted by Don Maloney SEVEN years ago.
Bunting reminds me of a young Jordan Martinook, except with better scoring prowess.
Next time someone calls me lazy, I'm going to look them dead in the eye and snarl...."REST IS MY WEAPON!"
Good for him. We need more of these sleeper prospects to pan out.
In Bunting's case, I think he has that facet we've sorely lacked - the desire to post up and attack rebounds. I won't go on a whole rant, but one thing that's driven me to the brink of madness in recent years has been the almost "one and done" mindset of our offense a lot of the time. They pass a million times around the perimeter (gotta love excess opportunity for mistakes and turnovers, but I get the need to create space), until someone finally takes a long shot. In those all-too-often cases, there's rarely anyone there to jump on rebounds or pick up leftovers, it's just a weird, visible "there's the shot, let's go back the other way" attitude that I get from watching them. I'm not even talking about having a big ol' Hanzal-esque power forward to crash the net, just a guy willing to get in the kitchen and jump on some leftovers. Dirty or not, a goal is a goal.
I hope Bunting keeps that up and continues to grow.
Just want to say those Kachina Roadrunners jerseys are fantastic.
Excellent article. I like what I’ve seen from him and remember watching his aggressive play in his first Coyotes camp. GMBA must be happy with the surprise show casing of he and Hill as potential high grade trade items...
or will they be around for awhile? I’ve still got my “ Killer D’s” t-shirt.
Love the article Craig... As others have stated, we've been hearing about Bunting for how many years? Could it be that a diamond in the rough is just what this team needed to find their scoring mojo?
In a sign of the times, here I sit in my hotel room one block away from Centre Bell.The Canadiens are down the road in Toronto and won't return here until tomorrow night's game. So close, and no hot dog. I'll be on a plane heading back West tomorrow afternoon, hopefully with a bucket of Timbits that will stay fresh till I touch down in Arizona...🇨🇦🌵
Great article! This is the type of article that makes me a happy subscriber—the blend of substance and personal is excellent. Am forwarding the article when I can to some Soldiers and leaders—some great elements regarding perseverance, maturing, listening and heeding, etc.
Boy have I been waiting for this!
There was a huge maturity and skating jump that was notable at the beginning of the 2019/2020 season. He started being able to draw penalties without getting too emotionally involved. Other AHL players in the Pacific Division do dread playing against him. He gets in their head. He also became a much more confident play maker that year too, not just a scorer.
I know he had to have worked on some intense stuff this past year because his game didn't regress during the time off, he looked BETTER at the beginning of this season.
Goodness I hope the band stays together guys, it's so much fun to watch Garland and Bunting on the same line, they aren't big guys and won't make other players hurt too much with hits, but boy can those 2 chirp! They piss off the other team by out skating them and THEN have the audacity to have breath left over to still talk. It drives the other teams nuts!!!
I like hearing more about the Roadrunners. Craig, I know you do not really get a chance to see their games, but I would like if you had an article focused on interviewing their Tucson beat writer who goes to/sees all the games and can give an in-depth scouting report on various players.
I've loved Bunting for some time and wondered why he wasn't given this chance until now, after reading your article Craig I understand why. He has the opportunity to be a effective player for a long time. Love him with Garland, hopefully Army adds a C with some grit this offseason creating a line opponents hate to play against and would likely draw a lot of penalties.
Love how he is unafraid to go into the blue paint and fight for the puck. Just shows that size is not needed. This alone just might keep him on the team moving forward.