Arizona Coyotes announce Bill Armstrong as new general manager

The Arizona Coyotes confirmed previously reported rumors on Thursday by announcing Bill Armstrong as the club's next general manager. 

Armstrong, 50, had worked as assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting for the St. Louis Blues the past two years. He first joined St. Louis as a scout in 2004. 

In a prepared statement, team president and CEO Xavier Gutierrez said: 

"We are very excited to welcome Bill to the Coyotes as our new General Manager. We were extremely impressed with his experience, vast hockey knowledge, great ability to assess talent, and his tremendous draft record. Bill is a proven winner who has a strong work ethic and is a good communicator. He is a man of integrity and we are confident that he's the right person to build a winning culture here and lead our hockey operations department into the future." 

Armstrong is credited with the scouting of a handful of key pieces that helped St. Louis defeat the Boston Bruins in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. 

Armstrong serves as the full-time replacement for John Chayka, who shockingly left the organization ahead of the NHL restart. 

Arizona fell to the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round of the postseason tournament.