Arizona Coyotes defenseman Troy Stecher is “out for a little bit” after sustaining a lower-body injury, Coyotes head coach André Tourigny told reporters on Monday morning.
Stecher, 29, has one goal and five points while averaging 18:41 of ice time per night in 42 games with the Coyotes this season. He logged 17:47 over 24 shifts in Arizona’s 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
The Coyotes are slated to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at Mullett Arena in Tempe, AZ on Monday night at 7:00 p.m. MST.
The Coyotes signed Stecher to a one-year, $1.1 million contract back on July 1. The transaction marked a return to the desert for Stecher after he was moved by the Coyotes to the Calgary Flames at the 2023 trade deadline.
Stecher originally signed a one-year, $1.25 million deal with the Coyotes ahead of the 2022–23 season. He quickly earned the trust of Tourigny and his staff, averaging nearly 17 minutes per night and collecting seven assists in 61 games over his first tour of duty in the desert.
The Vancouver Canucks originally signed the Richmond, BC-born Stecher as an undrafted free agent out of the University of North Dakota back in 2016. Stecher established himself as a fan favorite over his four seasons with the Canucks before signing with the Detroit Red Wings as an unrestricted free agent in 2020.
After a brief stint with the Los Angeles Kings at the end of the 2021–22 season, Stecher joined the Coyotes and has made himself an indispensable part of the team’s defensive group ever since (save for his spell in Calgary).
Through 482 career NHL games over parts of eight seasons with the Canucks, Red Wings, Kings, Coyotes, and Flames, Stecher has collected 19 goals and 108 points. The 5’10” defender has added four goals and seven points in 21 career playoff contests.
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