Coyotes call up 20-year-old sensation

The Falcon has landed.

They didn't want to rush him and throw him into the fire, but injuries, the need for scoring help and the fact they are battling for their playoff lives forced the Coyotes to call up 20-year-old center Daniel Briere from the Springfield Falcons.

The 5-foot-9, 160-pound dynamo is expected to make his NHL debut tonight when the Coyotes (26-29-12) meet the Pacific Division-leading Colorado Avalanche (34-19-16) at America West Arena.

Briere took over the scoring lead in the American Hockey League last weekend, racking up nine points in his last three games. He has 92 points in 68 games overall on 36 goals and 56 assists.

He's already set Springfield franchise records for points, assists and power-play goals (12) and has a team-high plus-23 rating. He was the Coyotes' second first-round pick, the 24th player taken overall, in the 1996 draft.

"We have some questions on a couple of injured players and if they'll be able to perform, so we figured there's no better time to try and shoehorn him into the lineup," Coyotes General Manager Bobby Smith said. "We think he can give us a shot in the arm."

Two of the club's top three centers are sidelined: Craig Janney because of ligament damage to his knee and Bob Corkum because of a concussion. Janney is out four weeks, Corkum for at least another week. The Coyotes also are without their leading scorer, left wing Keith Tkachuk, who will miss two more weeks because of a fractured rib.

Briere, incidentally, suffered a groin injury Sunday during the second period of Springfield's game with St. John's. He missed Tuesday's 4-0 victory over Kentucky.

Smith, however, said the injury wasn't serious.

"We wouldn't call him up if he wasn't 100 percent," Smith said. "They just kept him out of that one game as a precautionary measure."

Briere was en route to Phoenix on Wednesday night and was unavailable for comment.

Management has been saying all along it was in no hurry to promote Briere despite the way he's been torching AHL teams this season, his first out of the junior-league level. The Coyotes wanted him to develop for a full season in Springfield, and perhaps another full season after that, before bringing him to this level.

Smith said Chad Kilger had a hard time because he was thrust into the NHL by Anaheim the year he turned 19. Two weeks ago, Smith traded Kilger to Chicago along with defenseman Jay More for defenseman Keith Carney and right wing Jim Cummins.

"I don't want to put that kind of pressure on the kid," Smith said. "We just want him to come in and do what comes naturally to him. He could be very positive for us right now.

"He's been playing extremely well, and he's shown his talent and his courage and his ability to score at a level beyond junior hockey. To us, he's answered the question as to whether he can play in the NHL. It was just a question of when and how long."

The other question is: Whom does he play with?

Just a few hours before his promotion was announced, Coyotes Coach Jim Schoenfeld said his top six forwards were basically set, with Jeremy Roenick and Cliff Ronning at center, Dallas Drake and rookie Brad Isbister at left wing, and veterans Mike Gartner and Rick Tocchet at right wing.

Briere won't be an effective offensive weapon by playing on the third or fourth lines, so it's obvious that Schoenfeld will be playing more musical chairs tonight. Because of Briere's size, it's likely he will be paired with at least one physical winger to help protect him.

Wherever Schoenfeld decides to put him, expect to see Briere used right away on the power play, which has struggled all season. He also probably will see duty on many four-on-four situations.

"We'll miss him a lot, no question about that," Springfield General Manager Bruce Landon said. "He was far and away the best player on our team. But that's why we're here, to develop players and help the team in Phoenix.

"Obviously, we'd love to have him back at some point, but if he deserves to stay in the NHL, then that's where he belongs, and we hope that's where he stays. We're very happy for Daniel."

Briere's promotion likely will prevent him from becoming the first Springfield player in nearly 40 years to win the AHL's scoring title. The last rookie in the league to win the title was Stephan LeBeau, who recorded 134 points in 1988-89.