The past four months have delivered a steady run of milestones for Coyotes defenseman Kyle Capobianco.
In July, he returned to the ice for the first time since surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered in a Feb. 7 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In September, he was cleared for training camp and played in his first preseason game. On Oct. 12, he played his first game for the Tucson Roadrunners and had an assist in a 8-2 win against Ontario.
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On Saturday, he scored his first NHL goal in the Coyotes’ 5-2 win against the Ottawa Senators at Gila River Arena. And 11 days before that goal, he stunned his uncle, Randy Exelby, by taking him out for sushi at Sakana Restaurant in Scottsdale.
“What was more amazing, me eating sushi or him paying the bill?” Exelby asked. “I still go with him paying the bill.”
Exelby runs the Valley’s well-known hockey equipment shops, Behind the Mask. A former goalie, Exelby saw time in the NHL, AHL and IHL, including 41 games for the Phoenix Roadrunners in the 1989-90 season. Exelby and his nephew are close. They still do Taco Tuesdays where Exelby pays — “he eats like nine tacos,” Exelby said – and ever since Capobianco arrived in Arizona, Exelby’s home in north Scottsdale has served as Capobianco’s home away from home (Mississauga, Ontario).
“He still lives with me,” Exelby said. “He doesn’t pay rent, though, so I’m not sure for how long.”
Exelby witnessed Capobianco’s hard rehab road firsthand. Like a half-dozen Coyotes, Capobianco spent time working with rehab guru Bill Knowles at HP Sports in Wayne, Pa. He also spent some time in Toronto. Other than that, he was here in Arizona, working to make it back for the start of the season, as president of hockey operations John Chayka predicted he would way back in April.
“He worked really hard, which you have to do,” Exelby said. “It had to be frustrating and disappointing at times, but he kept at it.”
The silver lining in Capobianco’s ACL surgery was that he had a lot of people he could lean on for advice and intel. Jakob Chychrun experienced it. Tucson teammate Nick Merkley experienced it, and others such as Antti Raanta and Nick Schmaltz have lived the Bill Knowles experience for knee injuries.
“You basically have your own apartment there,” Capobianco said, laughing. “It’s hard work and sometimes you feel like you’re all alone, but talking to guys like Chych and Merks helped a lot.”
Chychrun played against Capobianco in the Ontario Hockey League.
“I have always appreciated his game,” Chychrun said. “He’s coming back from a tough injury so I was happy to answer any questions he had. I have talked to everybody who has gone through that. It’s not an easy process, but he’s got the right head on his shoulders.”
When he was cleared to play, Capobianco admitted it wasn’t easy to trust the knee, even when the trainers were telling him it was OK.
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“The first couple games were a little shaky,” he said. “Being able to watch video is huge so you can see what’s going on, and getting those first games in allows you to trust the leg. The strength coaches are on me, too, so we’re still working toward where we want to be.”
Capobianco is filling critical minutes in the wake of injuries to defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson and Jordan Oesterle. He logged 17:12 of ice time on Saturday and he is also playing on the penalty-killing unit, something he seldom did in Tucson. Through three games, the Coyotes haven’t missed a beat.
“He’s one of those guys who looks like he never has to hurry,” said Raanta, who made 34 saves in Saturday’s win. “He looks a little like Phil Housley, smooth, and his face is the same all the time: no expressions. I think he’s getting more comfortable all the time so now he’s starting to play the puck. He’s not just throwing it in.”
Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet was impressed with Capobianco’s cameo last season, and assistant GM Steve Sullivan has long suspected he would lock down a spot on the NHL roster. With Hjalmarsson and Oesterle out, Capobianco will have the chance to build on his early success.
“He’s good at moving the puck and jumping up and he’s got a really good shot,” Tocchet said. “I want him to have a shot mentality first. Sometimes he’ll overpass. There’s a couple things he’s got to clean up but this is just starting his NHL career as a young defenseman so he’s going to have a lot of good games ahead of him.”
Capobianco was happy to put the first goal behind him. It came at 7:09 of the first period on a deflected wrist shot through traffic.
The first of many.
Congrats on your first @NHL goal, Capo! 👏 pic.twitter.com/eRexT868qa
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) October 19, 2019
The Coyotes gave him the puck, but he hadn’t formulated any grand plans for it, other than maybe storing at his parents’ house.
“Use it as a coaster or something,” he said.
One he'll never forget.
Congrats Capo! pic.twitter.com/qF8pFmEo9I
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) October 20, 2019
After Saturday’s game, Capobianco caught up with Exelby, who was in the crowd with friends whose kids made signs for Kyle. There was little time to celebrate — the Coyotes depart Sunday morning on a four-game road trip — but Capobianco did find time to chirp his uncle.
Exelby said that part of his nephew’s game still needs work.
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“The first thing he said to me is that he has more goals than I did, but I was goalie so that doesn’t mean much,” Exelby said. “I mean, if you even call what he got a goal. It hit a guy’s shin pad, bounced a few times. It counts on the scoreboard but c’mon, really?
“The truth is, it was pretty exciting to see. I was glad to be here. That was a tough injury he had, but it has all worked out.”
(Photo of Kyle Capobianco’s first NHL goal: Joe Camporeale / USA Today Sports)