Arizona Coyotes acknowledge report NHL is investigating them for illegal pre-draft physical testing

The Arizona Coyotes issued a statement Thursday acknowledging reports they are being investigated over allegations that they are illegally conducting pre-draft physical testing on Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players.

TSN' Darren Dreger first reported Thursday evening that the NHL was involved in an ongoing investigation into whether the Coyotes were involved in a recruiting misconduct. Teams are prohibited from performing physical testing on any draft-eligible CHL player before the NHL Scouting Combine.

"We are aware of the reports," the Coyotes said in a statement. "We have discussed the matter with the NHL and we will have no further comment at this time."

The NHL did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

If found guilty, the Coyotes will likely be looking at monetary fines, a league source said. Dreger reported that a fine of $250,000 per player illegally tested could be rendered at the discretion of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Richard Morin covers the Coyotes and Diamondbacks for azcentral sports. He can be reached at rmorin@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @ramorin_azc.