Carl Grundstrom – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – SAN JOSE SHARKS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 17:51:28 +0000

CALGARY, AB - FEBRUARY 23: San Jose Sharks Center William Smith (2) skates with the puck during the first period of an NHL game between the Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks on February 23, 2025, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, AB. (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire)

The Sharks missed the playoffs for a sixth consecutive season in 2024-2025. They improved by five points over the previous season, but that still left them with 52 points (20-50-12), the lowest total in the league by nine points. The Sharks finished 31st in Corsi percentage (45.6) and 31st in expected goals percentage (just under 44 percent), so it’s no surprise that they were at the bottom of the standings, but it also shows that they are still trying to climb out of a big hole. The Sharks power play struggled, too, ranking 28th with 5.15 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-four play. Same for the penalty killing, which ranked 28th with 9.10 goals against per 60 minutes of four-on-five play. On top of all of those struggles, the Sharks’ goaltending was subpar, too, especially once they traded Mackenzie Blackwood to Colorado. Alexandar Georgiev and Vitek Vanecek struggled. Yaroslav Askarov was the best of the remaining options, but he battled injuries and played in just 13 games, so this all combined to form the worst team in the NHL last season.

What’s Changed?

Desperate to add more talent to the supporting cast around 2024 No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks signed free agent forwards Jeff Skinner from the Edmonton Oilers and Adam Gaudette from the Ottawa Senators while also trading to acquire Philipp Kurashev from the Chicago Blackhawks and enforcer Ryan Reaves from the Toronto Maple Leafs. On the blueline, the Sharks bought out Marc-Edouard Vlasic, so this will be the first time since 2005-2006 that he has not been part of the mix on the San Jose blueline. The Sharks traded for Nick Leddy from the St. Louis Blues, Vincent Desharnais from the Pittsburgh Penguins and signed free agents Dmitry Orlov from the Carolina Hurricanes and John Klingberg from the Edmonton Oilers. San Jose also aimed to shore up its goaltending by acquiring Alex Nedeljkovic from the Penguins to share the crease with Askarov.

What would success look like?

While the Sharks should be better than they were last season, it is such a long climb to get to the playoffs that it is not a reasonable expectation for this season. The main focus is to have the young core – Celebrini, Will Smith, William Eklund, Askarov – continue to develop into frontline NHL players. The Sharks have 10 established NHLers that will be unrestricted free agents next summer, so a main objective should be making them as productive as possible so that they can net the best possible return before the trade deadline. The Sharks can improve in virtually every facet of the game, so that should absolutely be an objective and if it means that the team finishes with 70 points and is still miles away from a playoff spot, but has improved by nearly 20 points, that would have to be considered a successful season.

What could go wrong?

Given their current position, it’s hard for anything to go too wrong for the Sharks. Of course, keeping Celebrini, Smith, Eklund, and Askarov healthy is important, but the team not improving in the standings would still lead to another high draft pick and if they were to land likely No. 1 pick Gavin McKenna, that’s not really a problem. If the Sharks are going to miss the playoffs, and that is the most likely outcome, then they should at least continue to build towards a more promising future and that includes having veterans that they can deal for more assets at the trade deadline.

Top Breakout Candidate

While there are some teams that have very few young players in position to have breakout seasons, the Sharks are in the opposite position. Smith, Eklund, and Askarov are all outstanding candidates to further their development this season, but Macklin Celebrini has to be the top breakout candidate because he was so impressive as an 18-year-old rookie, with a well-rounded game, that he has the potential to be a star and maybe as soon as this season.

FORWARDS

Macklin Celebrini

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	28	46	74	0.96

The first pick in the 2024 Draft did not disappoint in his rookie season. That’s not to suggest that there isn’t room to improve, but he was 18 years old and finished the season with 31 points (12 G, 19 A) and 114 shots on goal in his last 33 games. On a team like the Sharks, that finished nine points behind the 31st place Chicago Blackhawks, with a goal differential that was 35 worse than Chicago, Celebrini had relatively strong possession numbers. The Sharks controlled 48.7 percent of shot attempts and 47.1 percent of expected goals with Celebrini on the ice during five-on-five play. Finishing with 63 points (28 G, 35 A) in 70 games, Celebrini’s 0.90 points per game ranked ninth and his 3.37 shots on goal per game ranked fourth among rookies since 2000-2001. Celebrini plays such a solid and reliable game already, that it’s easy to get excited about his potential. If the Sharks can build up the talent around him, he could turn into an elite player soon. His high shot rate is an encouraging sign that his offensive production is sustainable and, as he grows, he will likely improve the quality of his chances and the rate at which he finishes. For his second season, it’s reasonable to expect 25-30 goals and 70-75 points from the Sharks’ franchise player.

Tyler Toffoli

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	28	27	55	0.70

A two-time Stanley Cup winner who was brought in to be a good influence on the young Sharks, Toffoli showed that he can still play at a high level, hitting the 30-goal plateau for the third straight season. Over the past three seasons, Toffoli has accumulated 70 goals at even strength, which ranks 30th in the league in that time. His quick release allows him to score from distance and can sometimes take a relatively harmless situation and turn it into a goal with a snap of his wrists. He’s not particularly fleet afoot but has excellent instincts that help to get him where he needs to be on time. He’s also a reliable two-way player and that sets a good example for his teammates. That all-around game has helped Toffoli be a consistently strong play driver throughout his career and, even on a Sharks team that was getting buried last season, the Sharks were outshooting opponents when Toffoli was on the ice. The Sharks attempted to improve their roster in the offseason, which should ensure that Toffoli remains productive during the 2025-2026 season. Toffoli’s most common linemates last season were Macklin Celebrini and William Eklund, and it seems likely that trio will ride together again this season. Toffoli should be expected to score 25-30 goals on the way to 55 points.

Will Smith

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
81	25	34	59	0.73

The fourth pick in the 2023 Draft, Smith was brought along slowly at the start of last season, playing limited minutes and getting healthy scratched as part of a plan to ease him into the National Hockey League. He managed a modest four points (2 G, 2 A) while playing in 18 of San Jose’s first 23 games. Smith started to show some flashes that kept him in the lineup and increased his ice time. Down the stretch, he produced 30 points (12 G, 18 A) in his last 34 games. Smith is a creative player, and once his confidence started to pick up, he was a consistently dangerous player. When Smith started to find his stride, he displayed a quick release on his shot, that allowed him to score off the rush, as well as terrific vision when it came to setting up his linemates. He had a fluidity in his movement and creativity to his game that suggested he was only scratching the surface last season. The question for the Sharks is whether they will move Smith to center, which was his position coming up, but he spent more of his rookie season skating on right wing. Smith only won 36.5 percent of his faceoffs as a rookie, so there is obviously room for improvement, but as he gets more comfortable in the NHL, the Sharks are probably a more dangerous team with Celebrini and Smith running in the top two center spots. Expect continued progress from Smith in his second season, with 20-25 goals and 50-55 points.

William Eklund

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
79	20	41	61	0.77

The seventh pick in the 2021 Draft, Eklund has made steady progress in his first couple of NHL seasons. After scoring 45 points (16 G, 29 A) in his first full season in 2023-2024, Eklund jumped to 58 points (17 G, 41 A) in his second season. He has good instincts and puts himself in good positions to attack, particularly in transition. Eklund thrives in open space and even though he is not physically imposing, he’s not shy about going to the net when the game slows to a more grinding style. Eklund has a quick release on his shot that he could still use more often, and he does like to unleash one-timers on the power play, but he is also a creator for his linemates, using his speed to put pressure on the defence. When he plays with the likes of Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli, his most common linemates last season, that makes Eklund a valuable contributor because those guys make the most of the opportunities that he creates. Eklund’s two-way game has also proven to be quite solid early in his NHL career. Among Sharks forwards, he had the second-lowest Corsi against and expected goals against per 60 minutes during five-on-five play. That gives him a solid foundation and Eklund should continue to progress in his third full NHL season, with 20 goals and 60 points looking like fair benchmarks in 2025-2026.

Alexander Wennberg

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	11	23	34	0.44

An excellent defensive center, Wennberg shows, every once in a while, that he has high-end puck skills that could make one wonder if he could fit higher on the depth chart. He’s probably not enough of a shooter to make that happen over the long haul, as he only had 82 shots on goal in 77 games last season, but Wennberg held his own while averaging a career-high 18:51 of ice time for a frequently overmatched Sharks team in 2024-2025. His most common linemates were Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund, but Luke Kunin, Fabian Zetterlund, and Will Smith each played more than 200 five-on-five minutes with Wennberg, too. For a player who ends up handling checking center responsibilities, Wennberg is not great on faceoffs. He won 47.5 percent of his draws in 2024-2025, his best mark since 2020-2021. His reluctance to shoot the puck puts a limit on how much Wennberg can produce offensively, but his puck skills and ability to distribute at least make him a solid complementary player and in San Jose, he’s possibly a player who gets more ice time because he has an established level of NHL competence that not every forward on the Sharks roster can claim. In addition to providing sound defensive play, Wennberg ought to contribute around a dozen goals and 35 points during the 2025-2026 season.

Jeff Skinner

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
78	21	21	42	0.54

The 33-year-old winger finally got a taste of playoff action with the Edmonton Oilers last season after skating in 1,078 regular season games, though he was hardly a major factor, only dressing for a handful of postseason contests. Skinner’s role diminished relatively early in the season, and he did pick up the pace a bit in the final month but, overall, he was not what the Oilers were looking for. Skinner is a finesse winger who consistently drives play, but he’s not exactly Bob Gainey or Jere Lehtinen when he doesn’t have the puck and that lack of defensive commitment can threaten his spot in the lineup if he’s not scoring at a high level. To be fair to Skinner, even though he had the highest expected goals against per 60 minutes among Oilers forwards that played at least 200 five-on-five minutes, the Oilers did outscore opponents 33-3 2 with Skinner on the ice in those situations. There’s probably some good fortune at work there. In San Jose, Skinner should be a reliable veteran presence who brings legitimate skill to the table. Signed to a one-year deal, Skinner is also a prime candidate to be traded if the Sharks are, as expected, not in the playoff hunt. It would seem highly unlikely that he would surpass 30 goals again, something that he has done six times in his career, but 20-25 goals and 45 points seems like a fair expectation for him during the 2025-2026 season.

Philipp Kurashev

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
77	12	18	30	0.39

After a breakout season in 2023-2024, when he scored 54 points (18 G, 36 A) for the Chicago Blackhawks, Kurashev plummeted to just 14 points (7 G, 7 A) last season. He did miss 31 games, but his ice time was also cut drastically, from more than 19 minutes per game to 13:43 per game. He struggled right from the start last season, scoring five points (3 G, 2 A) in his first 30 games, and his ice time was cut significantly in the second half of the season. Kurashev performed a little better, but it was too little, too late to try and salvage the season. Kurashev seems like a worthwhile risk for the Sharks to take, in the hopes that he can recapture his 2023-2024 form, but he is also going to depend on his linemates to lift his play to a certain level because while he has good hockey sense and knows where to be on the ice, he’s not an especially dynamic player who creates a lot on his own. If he can maintain a spot in San Jose’s middle six. Kurashev should bounce back to some degree from last season, scoring double digit goals and maybe 30 points.

Carl Grundstrom

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
66	10	10	20	0.30

Being a low-end fantasy forward on the Sharks likely means that you’re not going to be involved in too many fantasy leagues, and that may well be the case with Grundstrom, who managed nine points (3 G, 6 A) in 56 games last season while scoring on just 3.4 percent of his shots on goal. At the same time, there is an argument to be made that Grundstrom should play more than he did last season. Among Sharks forwards to play at least 200 minutes at five-on-five, Grundstrom had the best expected goals percentage at just under 50 percent. That occurred while his four most common linemates were Ty Dellandrea, Nico Sturm, Barclay Goodrow, and Luke Kunin, so there is the possibility that if Grundstrom were to find a regular spot with more quality linemates, he just might have a greater impact. Grundstrom has never played more than 57 games in an NHL season, so just staying healthy and in the lineup should be the first priority, but if he manages to play even 65 games, 10 goals and 20 points should be within his grasp. Grundstrom could have more value for leagues that reward hits because he had 172 in 56 games while playing less than 10 minutes per game last season, so 200-plus hits over a full season should not be out of the question.

Adam Gaudette

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	14	11	25	0.31

After spending most of the 2023-2024 season in the American Hockey League, where he scored 44 goals in 67 games for Springfield, Gaudette returned to the NHL last season with the Ottawa Senators, and he made his mark by scoring 19 goals in 81 games. Among players that played at least 200 five-on-five minutes, Gaudette ranked fifth in the entire league with 1.34 goals per 60 minutes, trailing only Tage Thompson, Alex Ovechkin, Morgan Geekie, and Cole Caufield. While it’s encouraging that Gaudette could contribute offensively despite his limited role in Ottawa, it needs to be noted that he scored on 21.1 percent of his shots on goal and, prior to last season, he had a shooting percentage of 9.0 percent in 220 NHL games so, in all likelihood, regression is coming. Gaudette won more than 50 percent of his faceoffs last season and his ability to play center and wing does give him a better chance to secure regular playing time with the Sharks. He’s probably not going to climb too high on the depth chart for any sustained period of time, but he can probably move around the bottom six a little bit. A fair expectation for Gaudette would see him scoring double digit goals and 20-25 points, which is generally not going to get fantasy managers excited, but in short bursts he might generate some interest.

DEFENCE

John Klingberg

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
72	6	24	30	0.42

When Klingberg left for hip surgery after playing just 14 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023-2024, it looked like his NHL career may be finished. His mobility was obviously compromised. His defensive play had declined rather precipitously from his best days in Dallas and a 32-year-old defenceman coming off hip surgery was hardly the most appealing option. To Klingberg’s credit, he made it back to the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers and played in 11 games down the stretch. He was better than in his Toronto stint but was still shaky defensively. What made Klingberg more appealing is that during Edmonton’s playoff run, Klingberg ranked third in Corsi percentage (49.7) and fourth in expected goals percentage (48.8). That hardly looks like a standout defender, but it might be an indication that he can be competent defensively and that would be enough because, one of Klingberg’s more appealing traits is that he can run the point on a power play and the Sharks sorely need someone who can do that for them. During his time with the Dallas Stars, Klingberg recorded 148 power play points out of his 374 total points (71 G, 303 A) in 552 games. In the three years since, he has bounced around and not really had a consistent power play role, but that opportunity should be there for Klingberg in San Jose. If he plays 67 games in 2025-2026, Klingberg should be able to contribute 30 points. There’s a chance that it works out even better than that, with more of an impact on the power play, but for a player who has played 25 regular-season games in the past two seasons, it’s still worth exercising some caution when it comes to forecasting his point projection.

Mario Ferraro

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	4	16	20	0.25

With the Sharks moving on from Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Ferraro is now the longest tenured Sharks defender, having completed six seasons in teal. He has averaged more than 21 minutes of ice time in the past five seasons and has surpassed 120 hits and 120 blocked shots in each of the past four seasons. While he plays a significant role in San Jose, Ferraro is not much of an offensive contributor. He finished last season with a modest 17 points (5 G, 12 A), a total that he has exceeded only once in his six NHL seasons, and he has five career power play points, four of which came in his second season, 2020-2021. Ferraro partnered primarily with Timothy Liljegren last season and they were relatively successful, with the Sharks controlling 49.6 percent of the expected goals share during five-on-five play with that tandem on the ice, but neither one is particularly adept at creating offensive chances, so that puts a damper on any expectations for Ferraro to suddenly emerge as a point producer on the San Jose blueline. His blocked shots and hit totals can make Ferraro more appealing for fantasy purposes, but his lack of scoring does make that more challenging. The most reasonable expectation is that Ferraro will chip in 15-20 points while going to battle defensively, which is not overly appealing for fantasy hockey managers.

Dmitry Orlov

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
80	6	24	30	0.38

A veteran defenceman who is solid at both ends of the rink, Orlov has typically not played a lot on the power play, but that might change in San Jose. His first priority is going to be providing defensive stability at even strength. Across the past three seasons, there are 128 defencemen that have played at least 3,000 five-on-five minutes, and Orlov ranked sixth in Corsi percentage (57.6) and seventh in expected goals percentage (55.6), so he is used to the puck moving in the right direction when he is on the ice. That will be harder in San Jose, but Orlov’s reliability should help in that regard. He has exceeded 30 points four times in his NHL career, peaking at 36 points when he split the 2022-2023 season between the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins. There is some offensive upside that comes with being able to move the puck, even if he is not usually logging big power play minutes. Orlov has also recorded more than 100 hits in nine of the past 10 seasons, with the only exception being the shortened 2020-2021 season. In San Jose, Orlov should play more than 20 minutes per game and that should allow him to contribute half a dozen goals and 25-30 points, which makes him rather fringy in terms of standard fantasy value.

Timothy Liljegren

Predicted Stats
GP	G	A	PTS	PPG
75	6	17	23

Often shoved to the background when he was with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Liljegren stepped into a regular role with the Sharks, playing more than 19 minutes per game, and delivered solid two-way play, finishing with the best expected goals percentage (49.4) among Sharks defenders to play at least 200 five-on-five minutes. Liljegren is a strong skater who has decent puck skills, so there could be some offensive upside, but he’s also 26 years old and it’s getting a little late to suddenly develop a more productive scoring game. Even if that’s the case, if Liljegren can maintain a steady top four role on San Jose’s blueline, his point production should improve as the quality of the Sharks lineup improves. Liljegren does not play an especially physical game, and he finished with 64 hits in 67 games last season, but he does block shots. In the past two seasons, Liljegren has 227 blocked shots in 123 games, so for that one particular category, he does offer some value for fantasy managers. If Liljegren can stay in the lineup more regularly than he did in Toronto, it would be reasonable to expect him to contribute half a dozen goals and 20-25 points during the 2025-2026 season. If he adds 140 blocked shots, that might give him some value in deeper leagues.

GOAL

Yaroslav Askarov

Hockey fans everywhere were absolutely stunned when the Nashville Predators took their most prized prospect - first round pick goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, who looked ready to hit the NHL full-time - and dealt him to the San Jose Sharks last offseason. Fueled by rumors that the top prospect was uninterested in spending any more time developing in the AHL, Nashville attempted to recoup their loss with a first-round pick demand and sent Askarov to the league's most obviously rebuilding franchise for a fun year of trial by fire.

Where most prospects would have absolutely tanked in that kind of environment, though, Askarov managed to make the most of an abysmal situation - and while he didn't exactly pull the Sharks out of their nosedive, he did manage to string together one of the most impressively passable seasons any rookie goaltender has put up on a team that came dangerously close to missing out on the twenty-win mark by season's end. In his thirteen NHL appearances, he put up seven quality starts and hit almost exactly league average metrics in goals saved above average; for perspective, team starter Alexandar Georgiev only managed to scrape together eleven quality starts, and he had 31 chances to do so. Now, with both his quietly impressive survival skills at the NHL level and truly excellent AHL numbers during his minor league stints, Askarov will almost certainly be handed more control of the crease this year. He'll tandem with former Penguins backup Alex Nedeljkovic, getting more NHL reps as the Sharks try to prevent their rebuild from entering the dreaded Bermuda Triangle that teams like Buffalo and Utah (formerly Arizona) have gotten stuck in for years at a time. It's somewhat risky to hinge a top prospect's development in net on a team very obviously still in retool mode, but Askarov has proven during his appearances in the last few years that he's got some adaptability to his game style and a bit of a goldfish mentality that makes it hard to pinpoint the moment his game will disintegrate during a tough matchup. He makes for an optimistic future in the Bay Area, so long as he doesn't regress this year.

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – LOS ANGELES KINGS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 18:37:33 +0000

SAINT PAUL, MN - OCTOBER 15: Los Angeles Kings Left Wing Kevin Fiala (22) lines up for a faceoff during the NHL game between the Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild on October 15th, 2022, at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, MN. (Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire)

Review: The Kings’ old guard of Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty were combined in 2022-23 with a newer cast entering its prime to form a competitive squad. Kopitar, Kevin Fiala, Adrian Kempe, Viktor Arvidsson, Phillip Danault and Doughty each exceeded the 50-point mark, giving Los Angeles a nice variety of offensive threats. The defense was top-notch too, allowing the third fewest five-on-five expected goals against (158.72). If only Los Angeles had adequate goaltending. Jonathan Quick entered the campaign at 36 and seemed to be running on empty, posting a 3.50 GAA and an .876 save percentage in 31 contests. Pheonix Copley was better, but still less than ideal with his 2.64 GAA and .903 save percentage in 37 games. It wasn’t until Los Angeles dealt Quick to Columbus in exchange for Joonas Korpisalo on March 1 that the Kings’ goaltending situation stabilized, though Los Angeles still lost to Edmonton in the first round after finishing the regular season with a 47-25-10 record.

What’s Changed? It cost the Kings forwards Alex Iafallo, Rasmus Kupari and Gabriel Vilardi, but they acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois from Winnipeg, providing Los Angeles with a great second-line center today and a successor to Kopitar tomorrow. Korpisalo left as a free agent, so Los Angeles inked netminder Cam Talbot to a one-year, $1 million contract.

What would success look like? Throwing Dubois into what was already a strong offense could conceivably make Los Angeles one of the top-five scoring teams. The defense is also a good bet to remain among the league’s best, so what the Kings really need is a solid season out of Talbot. While he had a subpar 2.93 GAA and .898 save percentage in 36 contests with Ottawa last season, Talbot’s goals saved above expected last season was just -0.7, which suggests that he was only slightly below average after factoring out the team in front of him. So, when you pair Talbot with a world-class defense, you might not get something magical, but you should get a solid performance.

What could go wrong? Then again, Talbot is 36 years old and Los Angeles just saw how rough things can get for a goaltender in the twilight of their career. At worst Los Angeles has another Quick situation on its hands. Similarly, who knows how much Kopitar, also 36, has left in the tank. The one-two punch of Kopitar and Dubois might not play out as well as hoped, especially given that Dubois might need some time to adjust to his new team, which could lead to him disappointing early on.

Top Breakout Candidate: Given enough time, the Kings might have had a successor for Kopitar even without Dubois in Quinton Byfield. As it is, Byfield should still make big strides this season after finishing 2022-23 with three goals and 22 points in 53 contests. While his natural position is center, the Kings’ current depth up the middle is likely to shift him to the wing, and there’s a good chance he secures a top-six spot in the process. With 99 NHL games now under his belt, the 2020 second overall pick is a solid bet to take advantage of such an opportunity.

Forwards

Anze Kopitar - RW

There’s an argument to be made that Anze Kopitar is one of the more underappreciated star players of this generation. He’s played nearly 1,300 games and has 1,141 points in 17 seasons with the Kings and as he heads into his 36-year-old season, he’s coming off leading the Kings in scoring last year with 74 points, including 28 goals and his second Lady Byng Trophy. He did this while he captained the Kings back to the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Kopitar continued to do all the little things that have made him an elite player for more than a decade. He had his 10th straight season with 50 or more points and his eighth season with 70-or-more points, his first one since 2017-2018 when he had 92. Overall, it was his best offensive season since 17-18 as he scored at nearly a point-per-game pace. While the offense was outstanding, he also faced many of the Kings’ toughest opposing players head-on and maintained steadily positive possession numbers against them while also putting up strong expected goal percentages. That he did this at 35 is impressive because this is usually when all players start slowing down. Kopitar will continue this season to be a mentor to Quinton Byfield, having him on his wing and looking to help guide him to being the next great center in L.A.

Adrian Kempe - RW

When it came to scoring goals for the Kings, no one did it as often or as efficiently as Adrian Kempe. He led Los Angeles with 41 goals which put him in the top-15 in the league (13th). Kempe excelled while on the wing with Anze Kopitar up the middle and took advantage of his outstanding playmaking abilities. He was also best on the team in power play goals with 11, one better than Viktor Arvidsson. Kempe wasn’t just an offensive weapon at 5-on-5 and the power play, however, he also scored three shorthanded goals to put a scare into opponents when he was on the ice killing penalties. Kempe proved to be a threat to score anytime he was on the ice as he also posted 27 goals at even strength. Being an all-around menace to opponents is a great quality to have when it comes to offense because it makes opponents uneasy. Kempe’s evolution into a big-time goal scorer the past two seasons (he scored 35 two years ago) has helped the Kings fill the void left by Dustin Brown’s retirement. Kempe’s style is much different, however, as he’s able to use his very good shot to score goals as opposed to mucking things up around the net. That he’s found a home alongside Kopitar puts him in position to score every shift of every game.

Quinton Byfield - LW

It feels like we’ve been waiting for some time for Quinton Byfield to explode offensively in the NHL and if last season was any indication, that breakout season might just be on the way. Byfield found a home on a line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe last season and played more than 500 minutes with them at 5-on-5. Their advanced numbers together were strong in terms of possession and expected goals. While Kopitar led the Kings in scoring and Kempe led the way in goals, Byfield’s stats were much more modest, yet still the best of his young NHL career. He had a career high 22 points in 53 games with three of those being goals. He saw some time on the power play and had a power play goal, but he hasn’t become a mainstay with the extra man. Byfield’s played 99 career games in the NHL, and he’s been very carefully eased into becoming a regular NHL player. If he can play a full 82 games and do so with Kopitar and Kempe often, it’s hard to see how that wouldn’t translate into more goals and points. Byfield is also 21 years old and had his development stunted because of the pandemic. He was the No. 2 pick in 2020 and given how he produced in junior hockey, it’s difficult to believe he won’t break out eventually.

Pierre-Luc Dubois - C

The Kings felt they had a need to add another center who could fill the net and make them a better team that can advance deeper into the postseason. They made a blockbuster trade with Winnipeg to acquire Pierre-Luc Dubois to make it happen. They gave up picks and prospects to land the 25-year-old pivot and heir apparent to the No. 1 center spot and Dubois will give the Kings a much deeper attack at center in general. While Phillip Danault has been outstanding as the No. 2 center the past two seasons, putting Dubois in that spot with his more natural offensive instincts and abilities makes L.A. that much more dangerous offensively and it’ll help the Kings more because Danault can now shut down opponents from the third line and be able to produce more offense from that spot as well. Dubois has been a strong scorer throughout his career with Columbus and Winnipeg but is coming off his most productive season in which he had a career high 63 points with 27 goals. Like the Kings, the Jets were a playoff team and Dubois was vital to their success, but now that he’s joining L.A., he’s part of a roster that’s both deeper up front and on defense as well as having an abundance of scoring wingers. He signed an eight-year, $68 million extension as part of the sign-and-trade deal with the Kings and how he fits in will be more than worth watching.

Kevin Fiala - LW

No player on the Kings was as productive as Kevin Fiala last season. Fiala finished second on the team in points with 72 (Kopitar led the way with 74) but missed 13 games due to injury. He racked up a team-leading 49 assists to help pad out his point total, but his 23 goals tied him with Gabriel Vilardi for fourth most on the team. After coming over from Minnesota in a trade last summer, it was fascinating to see how Fiala was going to fit into what the Kings were doing offensively. As it turned out, they couldn’t have asked for a better player to fit into their scheme. Fiala spent part of the season working on a line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe but also played a host of 5-on-5 minutes with Blake Lizotte and Viktor Arvidsson, the latter of whom he was teammates in Nashville. The offensive numbers really popped with Kopitar and Kempe, as could be expected, but it’s the ability to play with anyone in the Kings lineup that helps immensely. Certainly, Fiala is not a player L.A. wants to be playing fewer minutes with less-offensively creative players, but if he can lift them up offensively, that’s good for everyone involved. With the addition of Pierre-Luc Dubois it will be interesting to see how coach Todd McLellan sets his lines and who Fiala joins up front.

Arthur Kaliyev - RW

While the Kings have a host of exciting veteran scorers, one of their more exciting and growing more consistent goal providers is Arthur Kaliyev. Last season in 56 games, Kaliyev had 13 goals and 28 points and nearly doubled his output from the previous year when he had 27 points in 80 games. Kaliyev was an offensive spark plug for L.A. He averaged 11:41 of ice time per game, essentially third line minutes, but his even strength goals for per 60 made him one of the more productive forwards on the team. A blocked shot led to a lower-body injury that cost him 26 games last season, but the 22-year-old 2019 second-round pick was able to return during the postseason and played two games against Edmonton. Kaliyev’s upside is tremendous and with the addition of Dubois to the lineup it should help allow Kaliyev more opportunity to grow as a goal scorer and all-around offensive threat. The hope for him this season is that last season’s injury didn’t stunt his growth as a player, and he’ll be able to take another step forward as a scorer. Whether he plays with Dubois or Phillip Danault on the second or third line, he’ll have an outstanding centerman to work with.

Phillip Danault - C

There are few two-way centermen in the NHL who are on the kind of level Phillip Danault does and one of them (Patrice Bergeron) just retired. Danault’s defensive work is at an elite level as a faceoff man (54.4 percent; 17th in the NHL among players with 1,000 or more faceoffs), as a player who can control possession (nearly 53 percent shots attempted at 5-on-5) and expected goals (54.1 percent). On top of that, Danault is also a very good offensive producer. He set a career high with 54 points last season with 18 goals. He’s posted 50-or-more points in back-to-back seasons with Los Angeles further leaning into a side of him that was apparent but not best used with Montreal. Danault is a perennial Selke Trophy contender but with Bergeron retired, he’ll be in consideration as a front-runner. He’s vital to the Kings’ success and with Dubois in the fold, he’ll be counted on even more heavily for defensive matchups. The question is how much, if at all, will it affect his offensive output. Ideally, L.A. will deploy their top three lines as groups that can score at will, but Danault’s line will be able to do that as well as shut down opponents.

Viktor Arvidsson - RW

Part of what makes the Kings such a dangerous team is their offensive depth and Viktor Arvidsson is a major contributor to that. Last season, Arvidsson was fourth on the team in scoring with 59 points and third in goals with 26 in 77 games. When the Kings signed Arvidsson as a free agent in 2022, the hope was he’d evolve further into the type of offensive contributor he showed to be with the Nashville Predators. In two seasons, he’s scored 46 goals and 108 points and that checks out compared to what he did in previous seasons. What’s come back to normal in a good way for Arvidsson is his shooting percentage. His final year with the Predators he had his worst shooting season at 6.6 percent and it rebounded in his first season with the Kings at 8.8 and last season he shot 11.4. That’s much more in line with what he did earlier in his career. Although shot percentage can be volatile, seeing Arvidsson’s stats return to being closer to what he’s had throughout his career is a great sign for the Kings. Arvidsson spent virtually all of his 5-on-5 time with Phillip Danault last season and there’s not much reason to think that will change now, especially given how well they performed together. A repeat performance would make the Kings an even more dangerous team in the West.

Trevor Moore - LW

The growth of Trevor Moore’s career since he joined the Kings in a trade from the Toronto Maple Leafs has been nothing short of incredible. Last season, Moore posted 29 points with 10 goals in 59 games. A pair of upper-body injuries kept him out of 23 games in the second half of the season, but he was able to return for the playoffs. Moore’s raw numbers were down because of injuries. The year before he had a career high 48 points and while Moore’s scoring rate dipped a little bit (0.59 points per game to 0.49) it was still the second-best rate of his career. But points are only part of the reason why Moore is valuable to Los Angeles. Among players with 500 or more minutes played at 5-on-5, he had the second highest puck possession and expected goal percentage numbers and was a strong player in all facets including both sides of the puck on special teams. He’s a dynamite all-around player and teamed up with Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson to be part of one of the most consistent lines the Kings rolled out during the season. With better health, that trio should once again be reunited and help make opponents miserable throughout the season.

Defense

Drew Doughty - D

After injuries held Drew Doughty to 39 games two years ago, he was back to looking more like his old self last season with 52 points in 81 games. Doughty’s ability to control the Kings’ play in all facets of the game through his puck-carrying and passing showed why he was so desperately missed. He led Kings skaters in time on ice and average time on-ice per game. He averaged the most minutes played on the power play and on the penalty kill. Doughty was a force on the power play with four goals and 23 assists. He had more assists on the power play than he did at even strength (20) which highlighted his importance to the Kings power play which ranked fourth in the NHL (25.3 percent). By comparison, Los Angeles’ power play was 27th the year before with Doughty out of the lineup for most of the season. As Doughty goes, the Kings offense goes and while the defensive metrics aren’t top tier around the league, he’s not as bad as many want you to believe. Besides, if the points pile up his value will always be high. The Kings have young puck carriers and point producers on the way up with Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence, but this is Doughty’s team and his show to run.

Mikey Anderson - D

The value Mikey Anderson brings to the Los Angeles Kings goes well beyond the measure of goals and assists. He had five goals and 15 assists, but Anderson does the dirty work as Drew Doughty’s partner laying the body and driving opponents mad with his physical play along the boards and in front of the net. Anderson was also a stalwart on the Kings’ penalty kill with Doughty as their top defensive pair. Because Anderson was leaned on as the heavy, his possession numbers weren’t as strong as Doughty’s despite being seemingly attached at the hip. Although maintaining possession and generating shots is a vital part of being a defenseman in the modern NHL, Anderson’s throwback style comes with a different brand of value. He led the Kings in hits delivered with 162 and was third on the team in blocked shots (129). If there was a guy who would’ve been classically described as someone who “gets their uniform dirty” or “carries a lunchpail to work” it would be Anderson. More importantly, his dedication to doing all of that allows Doughty more freedom to help create and generate offense and that, for L.A., carries a lot of value alone. Look for him to continue playing that role to the hilt.

Vladislav Gavrikov - D

When the Kings acquired Vladislav Gavrikov from Columbus at the trade deadline, they knew they were adding a high-value defender capable of doing a lot of dirty work but also being a positive contributor on the offensive end as well. He put up 19 points between the Blue Jackets and Kings last season, but in L.A. he had nine points in 20 games and followed that up with one assist in six games against the Oilers in the postseason. Gavrikov also proved to be a strong defender when it came to puck possession with 54.1 shot attempt percentage with the Kings and a 58.9 expected goals-for percentage. Keeping the puck away from the opponent while also helping teammates generate quality chances are key reasons why the Kings re-signed Gavrikov for two years at $11.75 million. As far as auditions go, Gavrikov’s went sparkling for the Kings. He paired up with fellow defensive-minded blue liner Matt Roy for the majority of his time in L.A. but also played some with Drew Doughty, but it was with Roy he had his greatest success. It would be expected that they would pair up once again this season, but with Brandt Clarke likely being involved full-time next season, the pairs could shuffle a bit.

Matt Roy - D

Playing defense as a defenseman in the NHL these days is a quick way to not land in the limelight but an even faster way to earn the respect of teammates. By that measure, few would be more respected in the Kings locker room than Matt Roy. He was tops among defensemen in puck possession and expected goals but had 26 points over 82 games last season. He’s not tasked with being a top puck-carrier nor is he needed to quarterback the power play, but he was one of their top defenders on the penalty kill (third most minutes) and top defenders overall (third most 5-on-5 minutes played). While his defense is first and foremost for what makes him vital to the Kings, he also had a career year in scoring and his nine goals were five more than his previous career-high set in 2019-2020 and one of those was a shorthanded tally. The offensive contributions make for a great bonus out of a player who they depend on to shutdown opposing scorers and should he team up with Vladislav Gavrikov again this season, they’ll make a very formidable pair for opponents to try and deal with nightly.

Goaltending

Cam Talbot - G

It’s hard to believe it, but for the first time in over 15 years, Kings fans will start their season without Jonathan Quick as a part of their goaltending tandem. The last time the Southern California team kicked off a season without him on the roster was 2006 – to put that into perspective, the league’s best goaltender that year was Miikka Kiprusoff, Martin Brodeur was only halfway through his career with the Devils, and Henrik Lundqvist was just an exciting new young prospect for the New York Rangers fresh off his first year of North American hockey ever.

It’s almost anti-climactic for the Kings to end the Quick era with such a fizzle; after all, Cam Talbot is hardly a fresh young prospect set to take the reins from the team’s long-standing monarch and carry them through their next era. But in the scramble of the goaltending carousel over the last few years, the Kings largely sat things out – and now they’ll enter the 2023-24 season hoping that Talbot can bounce back from a mediocre season with the Ottawa Senators as they push to become perennial playoff contenders once again. Talbot, at first glance, had a fairly dismal campaign last season for Ottawa statistically. He posted an .898 unadjusted save percentage through 36 games played and fell short of his expected save percentage using advanced metrics, and he battled through a whopping three injuries over the course of the year. But there is room for optimism; he looked good to start the season once he returned from a fractured rib sustained in a pre-season practice and putting aside the way his numbers fizzled out around his back-to-back injuries at the end of the year, he was a slightly above-average league starter on a team that isn’t quite ready to

make the jump to being a playoff contender. He also plays a style that lends itself well to a team that can offer good structure, if inconsistency and a bit of inexperience; he’s content to play a patient game and feed off of what the defense is doing in front of him, and he lacks some of the unpredictability that could make it hard for younger Kings players to establish a good rhythm during the season. He’s not the long-term answer for L.A., but he’s not the riskiest move they could have made as they try to figure out what their post-Quick future looks like.

Projected starts: 45-50

Pheonix Copley - G

Last season, we said that it was finally Cal Petersen’s net to lose – and he did just that, getting usurped midway through the season by free agent signee Pheonix Copley of North Pole, Alaska. Copley has made a career of seemingly waiting in the wings (or in his case, specifically in the AHL) until the up-and-comers in the NHL faltered. He snuck in and took the backup gig for the Washington Capitals in 2018-19, then bode his time in the AHL for a few years before getting a chance to do it again in Los Angeles last year. Now, he’ll serve as one-half of a somewhat bizarre tandem for the Kings as they scramble to figure out their solution in net long-term – likely backing up Cam Talbot for the time being, but certainly not a clear-cut number two option by any stretch.

Copley does his best when he’s able to get a rhythm going in net, thriving on the ability to keep his feet moving and plenty of back-and-forth action up and down the ice. Where he struggles, though, is in sustained pressure on his own end or in sporadic hiccups by his defence; he’s shown difficulty maintaining his edges and holding his positioning within the crease over the course of his career, and he lacks some of the patience that his new tandem partner Talbot has made a cornerstone of his own game. Copley, in a way, plays a similar style to former Kings prospect Cal Petersen; he’s willing to chase down the play and take up a little extra space, but despite decent tracking ability he can struggle with keeping himself in the play when things start to go a little awry. He’s likely not the answer the Kings are looking for – but for now, he’s a decent stopgap until they figure out their next move.

Projected starts: 30-35

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – LOS ANGELES KINGS – NHL Player Profiles

Joe Yerdon – Forwards and Defense, Catherine Silverman - Goaltending — Fri, 16 Sep 2022 18:46:04 +0000

VANCOUVER, BC - APRIL 28: Los Angeles Kings center Adrian Kempe (9) waits for a face-off during their NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on April 28, 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

FORWARDS

Anze Kopitar

Time may roll on, but Anze Kopitar continues to find ways to make it irrelevant. The 35-year-old from Slovenia led the Kings in scoring with 19 goals 48 assists (67 points) while averaging 20:46 of ice time per game. He’s been the Kings’ top point-getter for the past five seasons and as team captain, it’s one of many crowns for him to wear. He remains a fixture on both the power play and shorthanded. His 22 power play points were tops on the team and he had second-most ice time killing penalties trailing only defenseman Matt Roy. While it could be troubling that a 35-year-old has been so prominent in the team’s success, in the Kings’ case it’s not because Kopitar has been so good and so consistent for so long. Other players around Kopitar’s age have been showing signs of coming back to the pack while he’s continued to excel, and he helped the Kings return to the postseason after missing it the previous three seasons. Although the roster around him gets younger, Kopitar remains as good as he’s ever been, and he'll be invaluable to their future helping show young players like Quinton Byfield and Alex Turcotte what it takes to be an elite player in the NHL.

Adrian Kempe

Although the 26-year-old Swede has been a fixture in the Kings lineup for a few seasons, 2021-2022 was a coming out party. His 35 goals led the Kings in that category, and he was second in points behind Kopitar. He’s become a terrific two-way player and is vital to their success on the power play and penalty kill. Of those 35 goals, six came with the man advantage and three while shorthanded. Kempe also isn’t gun shy either. He led L.A. with 247 shots and that he missed four games makes it even more impressive. Considering he shot 14.2 percent with that kind of shot volume, the more shots the better. After Dustin Brown’s recent retirement, Kempe is the heir apparent to his role as a physical power forward who can pile up points. Kempe was one of five Kings players with over 100 hits (111) last season and his overall play earned him the most ice time he’s had in his career, averaging 18:35 per game. When it comes to the advanced numbers Kempe’s were middle of the pack on the Kings, but on most other NHL rosters he would’ve had some of the best with CF% and xG% well above 50 percent. If L.A. Is going to continue to be a playoff team, they’ll need Kempe to continue to take charge like he did last season.

Alex Iafallo

One key to becoming an everyday NHL player is to play consistent game in and game out and be reliable and that’s how you could best describe Alex Iafallo. He’ll play around 18 minutes per game and contribute an outstanding two-way game when at 5-on-5. Iafallo can be counted on for 30-40 points per season and 15-20 goals. Last season he tied a career high with 17 goals and his 37 points was his second-best mark to 43 he had in 2019-2020. As he heads into his sixth NHL season, the nearly 29-year-old from Western New York is excellent in all situations. He’s a fixture on the top power play unit and helps that group maintain possession and make sure the puck movement flows. He’s also a mainstay on the penalty kill and can help turn a man-down situation into one where the attacking team must be aware they could get scored on themselves. Whether he’s asked to play on the top line or to anchor the second or third line, coach Todd McLellan knows what he’ll get from Iafallo and knows that his versatility will allow him to work well with his linemates. Iafallo helps maintain and drive possession on any line and most players he plays with have better CorsiFor percentage numbers than they do without him. What doesn’t show up in the raw stats for Iafallo is there in spades with the advanced numbers.

Kevin Fiala

After returning to the playoffs after a three-year dry spell, the Kings were able to better boil down what they needed to address in the offseason and the biggest one was adding goals. To solve that, the Kings added Kevin Fiala in a trade with the Minnesota Wild and locked him up to a seven-year, $55.125 million deal. What the 26-year-old from Switzerland adds is a potent goal scorer who blew up with 33 goals and 85 points last season. Fiala has been a 20-plus goal scorer the past three seasons, but the step he took last season made it impossible for the Wild to be able to afford him as a restricted free agent. A dynamic winger, Fiala will fit in well to the Kings puck possession game (52.3 CF% last season) and his ability to help improve scoring chances (56.2 xG%) will perk up L.A.’s offense regardless. Picture putting Fiala on a line with Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe and that’s a unit that will drive opposing teams mad because they can hang onto the puck and score by either crashing the net or using their skill to outmaneuver defenders. Fiala will have to maintain his scoring rate (0.8 points per game or better the past three seasons) but with the players they have and the younger players soon to make a jump of their own, Fiala is a perfect fit to help bring those generations together and keep the offense flowing.

Victor Arvidsson

When the Kings added Arvidsson from Nashville before last season, it was expected he would bring a spark to an L.A. offense that desperately needed it. Mission accomplished. In 66 games, Arvidsson had 20 goals and 29 assists making him one of three Kings to crack the 20-goal barrier. He wasn’t regularly on the top power play unit, but his eight power play points was fifth-best on the team. Like most of the Kings’ players, Arvidsson was strong on possession (56.4 CF% at 5-on-5) and contributed to creating better scoring chances while he was on the ice (56.7 xG% at 5-on-5). What makes Arvidsson different is that he doesn’t fit the prototypical build associated with the Kings. L.A. is always known for being a big team that uses physical play to soften up opponents and create space on the ice. Instead, Arvidsson–who stands at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds–takes advantage of the more physical play of his teammates and his maneuverability allows him to find space to create scoring chances. This season, Arvidsson will have a chance to reunite with former Nashville teammate Kevin Fiala to create goals. Deepening the team can allow for better matchups and for Arvidsson and his linemates that only serves to make the Kings that much more dangerous with the puck.

Phillip Danault

After so many years of flying under the radar as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL, Philip Danault now gets proper recognition for it. What’s funny now is that perhaps his offensive abilities may have been underutilized as well. In his first season with the Kings, Danault was second on the team with 27 goals and third in points with 51. His 27 goals were a seasons-best by a long shot (his previous best was 13, done two times) and he proved himself to be a more than worthy No. 2 center behind Anze Kopitar. Added to the Kings because of his defensive prowess, that he became a serious offensive threat made life a lot easier for rookie Quinton Byfield. Danault popping goals meant Byfield wasn’t leaned on heavily to produce in his first season. Danault was a top-10 in voting for the Selke Trophy for league’s best defensive forward for the fourth straight year and he was outstanding of faceoffs once again winning nearly 54 percent of his draws. Although Kopitar is also an excellent defender up the middle, Danault’s presence cut down some of the pressure of handling penalty kills for Kopitar. Danault was third on the Kings in shorthanded ice time but had the best rate of power play goals against per 60 minutes played at 7.58 among those who played most time on the kill.

QuintOn Byfield

Being a rookie in the NHL is tough. Being the new guy, particularly when you were the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft. It’s even more difficult with a broken ankle. Byfield broke his ankle in a preseason game before the start of last season and wound up missing the first three months. Trying to work off that and get caught up to a new way of hockey life was hard. He finished with five goals and five assists in 40 games and played depth minutes averaging 12:09 ice time per game. Learning the NHL on the fly as a rookie is hard enough without missing time to injury, but there’s little doubt Byfield will be relied upon more heavily and soon. With a healthy offseason and ideally a healthy training camp and preseason, Byfield is a leading candidate to have a breakout season. At 6-foot-5, 220 pounds and 20 years old he’s more than a handful on the ice. Center had been a weak spot for the Kings the previous few seasons, but now with Danault proving he can score as well as defend, Byfield’s time to shine is coming. The Kings’ added depth at forward and emergence of other young players, like Arthur Kaliyev, gives Byfield all the weapons he’ll need to have a strong season.

Trevor Moore

No one player came out of nowhere last season the way Trevor Moore did. Known mostly for being a solid third- or fourth-line player, Moore blew up with 48 points including 17 goals. He also tied for the league lead for most shorthanded goals with five. The 27-year-old’s play vaulted him up the line sheet to the second line next to Danault and Arvidsson and gave the Kings a second line that could both frustrate opponents defensively and generate plenty of offense. Moore’s ice time went up by more than a minute per game to 15:41, up from 14:32. Perhaps the most stunning of Moore’s statistics last season was how he became a shooter going from roughly 1.5 shots per game to 2.5. Moore’s emergence was something that got its roots in the truncated 2020-2021 season where he had 23 points in 56 games. That said, predicting Moore would’ve pushed for 20 goals and been fifth on the team in points would’ve been viewed as an optimistic hope more than a realistic happening. What’s more impressive is it may be repeatable. Moore shot 8.4 percent last season which is down from his career high mark of 11.4 last season and 10.0 the year before that.

Arthur Kaliyev

Kaliyev was able not just make the Kings roster as a rookie but became an invaluable part of the lineup because of his pure offensive abilities. In 80 games, Kaliyev had 14 goals and 13 assists and played 12:39 per game. It’s tough to make your mark with comparatively limited ice time, but Kaliyev made his mark as a weapon on the power play with six of his 14 goals coming with the man advantage, which tied him with Kempe and Kopitar for the team lead. At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Kaliyev is decently sized, but it’s his shot that helps him stand out. Kaliyev can wire his shots and place them perfectly, a big reason why his output on the power play is so strong. If given any kind of space, he can make defenses pay for the lapse. When he was a second-round pick by the Kings in 2019, his two-way play was a point of concern and although he’s not exactly a candidate for penalty kill, he’s gotten a little better. That said, if he’s able to improve that part of his game more he’ll be a better fit for the top-two lines. For now, he’s an outstanding offensive threat deeper into the lineup and a unique weapon with the man advantage.

DEFENSE

Drew Doughty

It was a tough 2021-2022 season for the 2016 Norris Trophy winner. He missed weeks at the beginning of the season with a knee injury and a wrist injury in March knocked him out for the remainder of the season and playoffs. In 39 games, Doughty showed all his trademark abilities with 31 points including seven goals. He was a difference maker on the power play with four goals and 13 points total with the extra man. In all, he averaged 25:44 of ice time per game and was without a doubt their top defenseman. Although the Kings had a lot of success last season, it can’t be helped but to wonder how different it would’ve been with him in the lineup. Certainly, the seven-game exit to Edmonton in the first round of the playoffs may have gone a bit different. What will be worth paying attention to this season is how Doughty bounces back at age 33 from his injury-marred season. He’s still an elite puck possession player as he led the team at 5-on-5 with 58.8 CF% and his 55.7 xG% was second to Alexander Edler among defensemen. Provided age and ill-effects from time missed with injury don’t have an impact, the Kings will be more than pleased to have Doughty running the show on the back end again.

Matt Roy

If there’s an unsung hero on the Kings roster, Matt Roy might be the most logical selection. After being pressed into duty in 2019-2020, Roy has turned into one of the steadiest defenders on the team and a key player when it comes to defending leads and shadowing the opponents’ top forwards. Roy had two goals and 17 assists last season, but he was tops in minutes played on the penalty kill with 138:24 and his 8.24 power play goals against per 60 was one of the best marks among regular penalty killers. Incredibly, Roy got 95.3 percent of his zone starts in his team’s end of the ice. Every defense needs a guy like that who puts their every effort into making life miserable for opponents and easier on their goaltenders and Roy is L.A.’s guy. If there was an award for best defensive defenseman, Roy would likely be in that conversation because of how he’s used and how his puck possession numbers are still outstanding (55.7 CF%). It’s not a glamorous role, but he’s vital to helping the Kings win and shut down opposing teams.

Sean Durzi

As a bolt from the blue, Sean Durzi arrived on the Kings blue line and became a high-impact offensive player for Los Angeles. At 23, Durzi finally broke into the NHL last season and played 64 games for the Kings racking up three goals and 24 assists. Durzi was a second-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018 and, after parts of three seasons in the AHL, established himself as a very capable player at 5-on-5 but also a strong quarterback on the power play. Durzi had two goals and 13 assists–more than half his points–with the man advantage. Equal parts having solid puck possession and a good shot made him an ideal player for the power play unit, particularly in Doughty’s absence. Durzi’s mobility with the puck also allowed him to fit in seamlessly to the Kings blue line. Durzi can help move the puck out of the zone against the league’s third and fourth lines and give the Kings attack a jump up the ice. After all, the Kings will have better depth up front which means skilled players get worked in deeper to the line mix. Of Kings defensemen with more than 500 minutes at 5-on-5, Durzi was sixth of seven with a 51.6 CF% and only his most common defense partner Tobias Bjornfot was lower. A healthy blue line and better matchups should make for improvements all around for Durzi.

Alexander Edler

When the Kings signed the longtime Vancouver Canucks defenseman last season it was seen as a dart in the dark that the 36-year-old Swede could give them a little something. Turns out he did that and more but was bitten by the injury bug. Edler was tops on the Kings with a 58.3 xG% and was fourth with a 56.9 CF% with three goals and 16 assists in 41 games. He missed more than three months of action from December to March with a broken ankle but returned in time for the end of the season and playoffs. Edler’s success was something else to see as he hadn’t put up advanced numbers like he had since the heyday of the Canucks from 2010 through 2015. His CF% was the best of his career and his xG% was his best by more than five percent. It’s usually said you know what you’re going to get when you add older players to the roster but expecting what Edler had been with Vancouver in his final few seasons there and instead getting a version of him more like what he was 10 years ago is the happiest kind of surprise. If Edler’s health can hold up and he returns to this brand of play, the Kings’ depth on the blue line will look even better than it does on paper.

GOALTENDING

Jonathan Quick

At long last, the Los Angeles Kings are in the final year of their seemingly endless deal signed for starter Jonathan Quick. It appeared as if the team was going to have to cut ties early – and at times it appeared as if the team had hamstrung itself by failing to do so – but as year ten gets underway, it certainly seems as if one of the league’s 2010’s crease giants may actually get to finish out his massive deal with the club that drafted him to begin with.

It certainly seems ill-advised to make any kind of prediction regarding Quick with more than a mild degree of confidence, given how the last handful of seasons have played out. Even when the now-36-year-old veteran struggled, the team doggedly left him as their number one – and just when it seemed as if he had truly hit a permanent technical decline, he made a miraculous bounce-back last year to edge up-and-comer Cal Petersen out as the team’s number one once again. Just when you think you know what Quick is going to be, he manages to mix things up once again. He’s no longer the league’s fastest-moving skater in net, nor is he still a sure bet for a handful of impossible-looking stops every night. That impressive ability to almost separate his upper body movements from his lower-body control, giving him a dangerously wide stance that could stop on a dime while making a flashy windmill glove save, has dulled as he’s logged 700 career games and continued to climb. He still has the ability to read an offensive approach at an elite level, but the execution is just a bit too muted to still consider him in the league’s top-tier at what he does. That being said, he seemed to catch a second wind last year. It might have been due to the über-competitive nature he’s so well known for, but whatever caused it kept the Kings from taking yet another backslide as their younger netminder hit a few road bumps in the season. That bodes well for both the Kings and Petersen this year if Quick is once again able to dig deep and pull out a few more of those league-topping games – but given the performances he gave in the three seasons leading up to last year, it’s hard to truly bet on him.

Projected starts: 30-35

Cal Petersen

It’s finally Cal Petersen’s net to lose. The only problem, of course, is that he did just that last season; just when it appeared the Kings were poised to tab him as their true number one, he started to struggle and opened the door for yet another year of the Jonathan Quick show. The good news is that every young goaltender goes through growing pains, so it’s hard to look at one rough year and discount the seasons that Petersen was LA’s most reliable option. The bad news, though, is that Jonathan Quick’s ten-year deal is set to finally expire this summer – and he both has a lot of mileage on his skates and a family that could influence whether or not he wants to continue on with the team as a veteran safety net in 2023.

Look for Petersen to shake off some stretches of bad reads this year if he hopes to put up the kind of numbers fans expected after his league debut. When he plays well, he’s got all the lower-body agility that Jonathan Quick possesses, but a little bit of a more aggressive initial positioning to his game and a bit of a stronger grasp on how to work his angles. He just needs to make sure he isn’t putting himself in a position where he has to rely on his dazzling saves every night; while it’s valuable that he’s capable of show-stopping pad reaches and glove saves, it shouldn’t be his go-to move.

Projected starts: 50-55

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Top 300 Prospect Rankings

McKeen's Hockey — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:09:56 +0000

These are our final prospect ranking prior to the start of the season. As a subscriber you can download the list in an excel chart and can link to the player pages in the chart found here. As always, the rankings you see below are based on our 20-80 scouting system looking at five categories for skaters (Skating, Shot, Puck Skills, Hockey Smarts, Physicality) and six for netminders (Athleticism/Quickness/Speed, Compete/Temperament, Vision/Play Reading, Technique/Style, Rebound Control, Puck Handling). Our prospect team spent large portions of their last few months pre-COVID in the rinks, watching the players below and many others, and further work on video (Instat Hockey has been a terrific resource in recent days) before passing judgement on their future projections.

The 20-80 scouting system is meant to allow players from different leagues in different parts of the world to be compared to one another, such that grades on a player in the OHL can be directly compared to grades from an AHL player, and to grades of someone playing in the MHL.

PROSPECT CRITERIA

Players under 26 years of age as of the September 15th prior (Sep. 15, 1994) to the season in question who have appeared in less than 60 NHL games (30 for goalies) and less than 35 in any one season – or 25 last year (20 for goalies, 15 last season) are considered prospects

RANK	PLAYER	NHL	POS	AGE	HT/WT	ACQUIRED
1	Alexis Lafreniere	NYR	LW	19	6-1/195	`20(1st)
2	Tim Stutzle	Ott	C	18	6-1/185	`20(3rd)
3	Quinton Byfield	LA	C	18	6-4/215	`20(2nd)
4	Trevor Zegras	Ana	C	19	6-0/170	`19(9th)
5	Kirill Kaprizov	Min	LW	23	5-10/200	`15(135th)
6	Lucas Raymond	Det	LW	18	5-11/170	`20(4th)
7	Dylan Cozens	Buf	C	19	6-3/185	`19(7th)
8	Bowen Byram	Col	D	19	6-0/195	`19(4th)
9	Peyton Krebs	VGK	C	19	5-11/180	`19(17th)
10	Jake Sanderson	Ott	D	18	6-1/185	`20(5th)
11	Moritz Seider	Det	D	19	6-3/185	`19(6th)
12	Jamie Drysdale	Ana	D	18	5-11/175	`20(6th)
13	Igor Shesterkin	NYR	G	25	6-1/190	`14(118th)
14	Alexander Holtz	NJ	RW	18	6-0/190	`20(7th)
15	Cole Perfetti	Wpg	LW	19	5-10/180	`20(10th)
16	Marco Rossi	Min	C	19	5-9/185	`20(9th)
17	Vasili Podkolzin	Van	RW	19	6-1/190	`19(10th)
18	Victor Soderstrom	Ari	D	19	5-11/180	`19(11th)
19	Nick Robertson	Tor	LW	19	5-9/160	`19(53rd)
20	Cole Caufield	Mtl	RW	19	5-7/165	`19(15th)
21	Yaroslav Askarov	Nsh	G	18	6-3/175	`20(11th)
22	Spencer Knight	Fla	G	19	6-3/195	`19(13th)
23	Philip Broberg	Edm	D	19	6-3/200	`19(8th)
24	Jack Quinn	Buf	RW	19	6-0/180	`20(8th)
25	Matthew Boldy	Min	LW	19	6-1/190	`19(12th)
26	Nils Lundkvist	NYR	D	20	5-11/180	`18(28th)
27	Seth Jarvis	Car	RW	18	5-10/175	`20(13th)
28	Ty Smith	NJ	D	20	5-10/180	`18(17th)
29	Grigori Denisenko	Fla	LW	20	5-11/185	`18(15th)
30	Barrett Hayton	Ari	C	20	6-1/190	`18(5th)
31	Alex Newhook	Col	C	19	5-10/195	`19(16th)
32	Thomas Harley	Dal	D	19	6-3/190	`19(18th)
33	Alex Turcotte	LA	C	19	5-11/185	`19(5th)
34	Vitali Kravtsov	NYR	RW	21	6-3/185	`18(9th)
35	Philip Tomasino	Nsh	C	19	5-11/180	`19(24th)
36	Connor McMichael	Wsh	C	19	5-11/175	`19(25th)
37	Dawson Mercer	NJ	C	19	6-0/180	`20(18th)
38	Ilya Sorokin	NYI	G	25	6-2/180	`14(78th)
39	Gabriel Vilardi	LA	RW	21	6-3/200	`17(11th)
40	Ryan Merkley	SJ	D	20	5-11/170	`18(21st)
41	Alexander Romanov	Mtl	D	20	5-11/185	`18(38th)
42	Kaiden Guhle	Mtl	D	18	6-2/190	`20(16th)
43	Samuel Poulin	Pit	LW	19	6-1/205	`19(21st)
44	K'Andre Miller	NYR	D	20	6-3/205	`18(22nd)
45	Scott Perunovich	StL	D	22	5-10/175	`18(45th)
46	Evan Bouchard	Edm	D	21	6-2/195	`18(10th)
47	Braden Schneider	NYR	D	19	6-2/200	`20(19th)
48	Juuso Valimaki	Cgy	D	22	6-2/205	`17(16th)
49	Cam York	Phi	D	19	5-11/175	`19(14th)
50	Anton Lundell	Fla	C	19	6-1/185	`20(12th)
51	Morgan Frost	Phi	C	21	5-11/180	`17(27th)
52	Owen Tippett	Fla	RW	21	6-1/200	`17(10th)
53	Albert Johansson	Det	D	19	5-11/165	`19(60th)
54	Liam Foudy	CBJ	C	20	6-0/175	`18(18th)
55	Kieffer Bellows	NYI	LW	22	6-0/200	`16(19th)
56	Arthur Kaliyev	LA	RW	19	6-2/190	`19(33rd)
57	Oliver Wahlstrom	NYI	RW	20	6-1/205	`18(11th)
58	Nils Hoglander	Van	RW	20	5-9/185	`19(40th)
59	Matias Maccelli	Ari	LW	20	5-11/170	`19(98th)
60	Tobias Bjornfot	LA	D	19	6-0/200	`19(22nd)
61	Jacob Bernard-Docker	Ott	D	20	6-0/180	`18(26th)
62	Connor Zary	Cgy	C	19	6-0/180	`20(24th)
63	Dominik Bokk	Car	RW	20	6-1/180	T(StL-9/19)
64	Ryan Suzuki	Car	C	19	6-0/180	`19(28th)
65	Dylan Samberg	Wpg	D	21	6-3/190	`17(43rd)
66	Jake Bean	Car	D	22	6-1/175	`16(13th)
67	Josh Norris	Ott	C	21	6-1/195	T(SJ-9/18)
68	Rasmus Kupari	LA	C	20	6-1/185	`18(20th)
69	Jakob Pelletier	Cgy	LW	19	5-9/165	`19(26th)
70	Drake Batherson	Ott	RW	22	6-1/190	`17(121st)
71	Jan Jenik	Ari	RW	20	6-1/180	`18(65th)
72	John-Jason Peterka	Buf	LW	18	5-11/190	`20(34th)
73	Kirill Marchenko	CBJ	LW	20	6-3/190	`18(49th)
74	Bode Wilde	NYI	D	20	6-2/195	`18(41st)
75	John Beecher	Bos	C	19	6-3/210	`19(30th)
76	Tyler Madden	LA	C	21	5-10/155	T(Van-2/20)
77	Jack Studnicka	Bos	C	21	6-1/170	`17(53rd)
78	Jake Oettinger	Dal	G	22	6-4/210	`17(26th)
79	Alex Formenton	Ott	LW	21	6-2/165	`17(47th)
80	Matthew Robertson	NYR	D	19	6-3/200	`19(49th)
81	Calen Addison	Min	D	20	5-10/180	T(Pit-2/20)
82	Ty Dellandrea	Dal	C	20	6-0/185	`18(13th)
83	Akil Thomas	LA	C	20	5-11/170	`18(51st)
84	Mavrik Bourque	Dal	C	18	5-10/180	`20(30th)
85	Ian Mitchell	Chi	D	21	5-11/175	`17(57th)
86	Jason Robertson	Dal	LW	21	6-2/195	`17(39th)
87	Hendrix Lapierre	Wsh	C	18	5-11/180	`20(22nd)
88	Brendan Brisson	VGK	C	19	5-11/180	`20(29th)
89	Theodor Niederbach	Det	C	18	5-11/175	`20(51st)
90	Zac Jones	NYR	D	20	5-10/175	`19(68th)
91	Robert Mastrosimone	Det	LW	19	5-10/160	`19(54th)
92	Joe Veleno	Det	C	20	6-1/195	`18(30th)
93	Rodion Amirov	Tor	LW	19	6-0/170	`20(15th)
94	Jake Neighbours	StL	LW	18	5-11/195	`20(26th)
95	Julien Gauthier	NYR	RW	23	6-4/225	T(Car-2/20)
96	Justus Annunen	Col	G	20	6-4/215	`18(64th)
97	Egor Zamula	Phi	D	20	6-4/175	FA(9/18)
98	Shane Pinto	Ott	C	20	6-2/190	`19(32nd)
99	Noel Gunler	Car	RW	19	6-2/175	`20(41st)
100	Ridly Greig	Ott	C	18	5-11/165	`20(28th)
101	Jesse Ylonen	Mtl	RW	21	6-1/185	`18(35th)
102	Samuel Fagemo	LA	RW	20	6-0/195	`19(50th)
103	Mattias Norlinder	Mtl	D	20	5-11/180	`19(64th)
104	Olli Juolevi	Van	D	22	6-3/200	`16(5th)
105	Kristian Vesalainen	Wpg	LW	21	6-3/205	`17(24th)
106	Raphael Lavoie	Edm	RW	20	6-4/195	`19(38th)
107	Jan Mysak	Mtl	C	18	5-11/180	`20(49th)
108	Cayden Primeau	Mtl	G	21	6-3/180	`17(199th)
109	Pavel Dorofeyev	VGK	LW	20	6-1/170	`19(79th)
110	Morgan Barron	NYR	C	22	6-2/200	`17(174th)
111	Ville Heinola	Wpg	D	19	5-11/180	`19(20th)
112	Dylan Holloway	Edm	C	19	6-0/205	`20(14th)
113	Jack Dugan	VGK	RW	22	6-2/185	`17(142nd)
114	Alexander Khovanov	Min	C	20	5-11/195	`18(86th)
115	Jacob Perreault	Ana	RW	18	5-11/195	`20(27th)
116	Jake Evans	Mtl	C	24	6-0/185	`14(207th)
117	Adam Beckman	Min	LW	19	6-1/170	`19(75th)
118	Jett Woo	Van	D	20	6-0/205	`18(37th)
119	Nolan Foote	NJ	LW	20	6-3/190	T(TB-2/20)
120	Logan Brown	Ott	C	22	6-6/220	`16(11th)
121	Martin Kaut	Col	RW	21	6-1/175	`18(16th)
122	Jack Rathbone	Van	D	21	5-10/175	`17(95th)
123	Ozzy Wiesblatt	SJ	RW	18	5-10/185	`20(31st)
124	Ryan O'Rourke	Min	D	18	6-0/180	`20(39th)
125	Lukas Reichel	Chi	LW	18	6-0/170	`20(17th)
126	Jordan Harris	Mtl	D	20	5-11/180	`18(71st)
127	Lukas Dostal	Ana	G	20	6-1/170	`18(85th)
128	Egor Afanasyev	Nsh	RW	19	6-3/205	`19(45th)
129	Conor Timmins	Col	D	22	6-1/185	`17(32nd)
130	Lassi Thomson	Ott	D	20	6-0/190	`19(19th)
131	Eeli Tolvanen	Nsh	RW	21	5-10/175	`17(30th)
132	Kasper Simontaival	LA	RW	18	5-9/180	`20(66th)
133	Roni Hirvonen	Tor	C	18	5-9/165	`20(59th)
134	Thomas Bordeleau	SJ	C	18	5-9/180	`20(38th)
135	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	Ana	C	20	6-1/195	`18(54th)
136	Tyler Kleven	Ott	D	18	6-4/200	`20(44th)
137	Tyson Foerster	Phi	C	18	6-1/195	`20(23rd)
138	Helge Grans	LA	D	18	6-2/205	`20(35th)
139	Jonathan Dahlen	SJ	LW	23	5-11/185	T(Van-2/19)
140	Marat Khusnutdinov	Min	C	18	5-11/175	`20(37th)
141	Alexander Alexeyev	Wsh	D	21	6-3/200	`18(31st)
142	Pierre-Olivier Joseph	Pit	D	21	6-2/170	`17(23rd)
143	Topi Niemela	Tor	D	18	5-10/160	`20(64th)
144	Oskari Laaksonen	Buf	D	21	6-2/165	`17(89th)
145	Filip Hallander	Tor	LW	20	6-1/185	T(Pit-8/20)
146	Serron Noel	Fla	RW	20	6-5/205	`18(34th)
147	Martin Chromiak	LA	LW	18	6-0/185	`20(128th)
148	Shakir Mukhamadullin	NJ	D	18	6-3/180	`20(20th)
149	Mattias Samuelsson	Buf	D	20	6-3/215	`18(32nd)
150	Janne Kuokkanen	NJ	LW	22	6-1/190	T(Car-2/20)
151	Ryan Johnson	Buf	D	19	6-0/175	`19(31st)
152	Sean Farrell	Mtl	C	19	5-8/175	`20(124th)
153	Martin Fehervary	Wsh	D	21	6-1/190	`18(46th)
154	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	Buf	G	21	6-4/195	`17(54th)
155	Will Lockwood	Van	RW	22	5-11/175	`16(64th)
156	Isac Lundestrom	Ana	C	21	6-0/185	`18(23rd)
157	Michael DiPietro	Van	G	21	6-0/195	`17(64th)
158	Jonatan Berggren	Det	RW	20	5-10/185	`18(33rd)
159	Kevin Bahl	NJ	D	20	6-6/230	T(Ari-12/19)
160	Aliaksei Protas	Wsh	C	19	6-5/205	`19(91st)
161	Reilly Walsh	NJ	D	21	5-11/180	`17(81st)
162	Nick Abruzzese	Tor	C	21	5-9/160	`19(124th)
163	Tyler Tucker	StL	D	20	6-1/205	`18(200th)
164	Arseni Gritsyuk	NJ	RW	19	5-10/170	`19(129th)
165	Klim Kostin	StL	C	21	6-3/195	`17(31st)
166	Brayden Tracey	Ana	LW	19	6-0/175	`19(29th)
167	Joel Hofer	StL	G	20	6-3/160	`18(107th)
168	Joey Anderson	Tor	RW	22	6-0/195	T(NJ-10/20)
169	Yegor Spiridonov	SJ	C	19	6-2/195	`19(108th)
170	Sam Colangelo	Ana	RW	19	6-1/205	`20(36th)
171	Joey Keane	Car	D	21	6-0/185	T(NYR-2/20)
172	Jared McIsaac	Det	D	20	6-1/195	`18(36th)
173	Jamieson Rees	Car	C	19	5-10/175	`19(44th)
174	Ivan Morozov	VGK	C	20	6-1/180	`18(61st)
175	Rem Pitlick	Nsh	C	23	5-11/200	`16(76th)
176	Tyce Thompson	NJ	RW	21	6-0/170	`19(96th)
177	Michael McLeod	NJ	C	22	6-2/195	`16(12th)
178	Jaret Anderson-Dolan	LA	C	21	5-11/190	`17(41st)
179	Dustin Wolf	Cgy	G	19	6-0/165	`19(214th)
180	Antti Tuomisto	Det	D	19	6-4/190	`19(35th)
181	Brett Berard	NYR	LW	18	5-9/155	`20(134th)
182	Luke Evangelista	Nsh	RW	18	5-11/170	`20(42nd)
183	Joel Blomqvist	Pit	G	18	6-1/180	`20(52nd)
184	Joni Ikonen	Mtl	C	21	5-10/170	`17(58th)
185	Olivier Rodrigue	Edm	G	20	6-1/165	`18(62nd)
186	Lucas Elvenes	VGK	RW	21	6-0/175	`17(127th)
187	Anthony Angello	Pit	RW	24	6-5/205	`14(145th)
188	Tuukka Tieksola	Car	RW	19	5-10/160	`19(121st)
189	Declan Chisholm	Wpg	D	20	6-1/190	`18(150th)
190	Cole Koepke	TB	LW	22	6-1/195	`18(183rd)
191	Valtteri Puustinen	Pit	RW	21	5-9/185	`19(203rd)
192	Ty Smilanic	Fla	C	18	6-1/175	`20(74th)
193	Patrik Puistola	Car	LW	19	6-0/175	`19(73rd)
194	Justin Barron	Col	D	19	6-2/190	`20(25th)
195	Andrew Peeke	CBJ	D	22	6-3/210	`16(34th)
196	Michael Vukojevic	NJ	D	19	6-3/210	`19(82nd)
197	Alec Regula	Chi	D	20	6-3/200	T(Det-10/19)
198	Connor Corcoran	VGK	D	20	6-1/185	`18(154th)
199	Jeremy Swayman	Bos	G	22	6-1/190	`17(111th)
200	Pyotr Kochetkov	Car	G	21	6-1/175	`19(36th)
201	Mikey Anderson	LA	D	21	6-0/195	`17(103rd)
202	Carter Savoie	Edm	LW	18	5-9/190	`20(100th)
203	Samuel Walker	TB	C	21	5-11/160	`17(200th)
204	William Wallinder	Det	D	18	6-4/190	`20(32nd)
205	Jack Drury	Car	C	20	5-11/180	`18(42nd)
206	Emil Andrae	Phi	D	18	5-9/185	`20(54th)
207	Cal Petersen	LA	G	26	6-3/190	FA(7/17)
208	Jeremie Poirier	Cgy	D	18	6-0/200	`20(72nd)
209	Tarmo Reunanen	NYR	D	22	6-0/180	`16(98th)
210	Simon Holmstrom	NYI	RW	19	6-1/185	`19(23rd)
211	Aleksi Saarela	Fla	RW	23	5-11/200	T(Chi-10/19)
212	Anton Johannesson	Wpg	D	18	5-9/155	`20(133rd)
213	Lauri Pajuniemi	NYR	RW	21	6-0/185	`18(132nd)
214	Morgan Geekie	Car	C	22	6-2/180	`17(67th)
215	Shane Bowers	Col	C	21	6-2/190	T(Ott-11/17)
216	Sasha Chmelevski	SJ	C	21	5-11/190	`17(185th)
217	Ruslan Iskhakov	NYI	C	20	5-8/155	`18(43rd)
218	Cole Schwindt	Fla	RW	19	6-2/185	`19(81st)
219	Hugo Alnefelt	TB	G	19	6-3/195	`19(71st)
220	Nikita Okhotyuk	NJ	D	20	6-1/195	`19(61st)
221	Sampo Ranta	Col	LW	20	6-2/205	`18(78th)
222	Alexander Volkov	TB	LW	23	6-1/190	`17(48th)
223	Alexander True	SJ	C	23	6-5/205	FA(7/18)
224	John Leonard	SJ	C	22	5-11/190	`18(182nd)
225	Carl Grundstrom	LA	LW	23	6-0/195	T(Tor-1/19)
226	Dmitri Semykin	TB	D	20	6-3/200	`18(90th)
227	Cal Foote	TB	D	22	6-4/215	`17(14th)
228	Jean-Luc Foudy	Col	C	18	5-11/175	`20(75th)
229	Alex Barre-Boulet	TB	C	23	5-10/165	FA(3/18)
230	Tristen Robins	SJ	RW	19	5-10/175	`20(56th)
231	Max Gildon	Fla	D	21	6-3/190	`17(66th)
232	Nikita Alexandrov	StL	C	20	6-0/180	`19(62nd)
233	Michael Benning	Fla	D	18	5-9/180	`20(95th)
234	Justin Sourdif	Fla	RW	18	5-11/175	`20(87th)
235	Tanner Laczynski	Phi	C	23	6-1/200	`16(169th)
236	Eamon Powell	TB	D	18	5-11/165	`20(116th)
237	Kaedan Korczak	VGK	D	19	6-3/190	`19(41st)
238	Drew Commesso	Chi	G	18	6-1/180	`20(47th)
239	Nikolai Kovalenko	Col	RW	21	5-10/175	`18(171st)
240	Pius Suter	Chi	C	24	5-11/170	FA(7/20)
241	Wade Allison	Phi	RW	23	6-2/205	`16(52nd)
242	Bobby Brink	Phi	RW	19	5-10/165	`19(34th)
243	Lukas Cormier	VGK	D	18	5-10/180	`20(68th)
244	David Farrance	Nsh	D	21	5-11/190	`17(92nd)
245	Roby Jarventie	Ott	RW	18	6-2/185	`20(33rd)
246	Dmitri Voronkov	CBJ	LW	20	6-4/190	`19(114th)
247	German Rubtsov	Phi	C	22	6-2/190	`16(22nd)
248	Vitaly Abramov	Ott	RW	22	5-9/175	T(CBJ-2/19)
249	Alex Laferriere	LA	RW	19	6-0/175	`20(83rd)
250	Trey Fix-Wolansky	CBJ	RW	21	5-8/185	`18(204th)
251	Isaac Ratcliffe	Phi	LW	21	6-5/200	`17(35th)
252	Kale Clague	LA	D	22	6-0/180	`16(51st)
253	Landon Slaggert	Chi	LW	18	5-11/180	`20(79th)
254	Wyatt Kalynuk	Chi	D	23	6-1/180	FA(7/20)
255	Mikko Kokkonen	Tor	D	19	5-11/200	`19(84th)
256	Kevin Mandolese	Ott	G	20	6-4/180	`18(157th)
257	Daniil Tarasov	CBJ	G	21	6-5/185	`17(86th)
258	Evan Barratt	Chi	C	21	6-0/190	`17(90th)
259	Tyler Benson	Edm	LW	22	6-0/200	`16(32nd)
260	Yegor Korshkov	Tor	RW	24	6-4/215	`16(31st)
261	Hunter Skinner	NYR	D	19	6-2/175	`19(112th)
262	Riley Damiani	Dal	C	20	5-9/165	`18(137th)
263	Ryan McLeod	Edm	C	21	6-2/205	`18(40th)
264	Ilya Konovalov	Edm	G	22	6-0/195	`19(85th)
265	Will Cuylle	NYR	LW	18	6-3/205	`20(60th)
266	Evan Vierling	NYR	C	18	6-0/165	`20(127th)
267	Emil Heineman	Fla	LW	19	6-0/180	`20(43rd)
268	Zayde Wisdom	Phi	RW	18	5-10/195	`20(94th)
269	Hunter Jones	Min	G	20	6-4/195	`19(59th)
270	Ty Tullio	Edm	RW	18	5-10/165	`20(126th)
271	Jordan Spence	LA	D	19	5-10/165	`19(95th)
272	Dmitri Zavgorodny	Cgy	LW	20	5-9/175	`18(198th)
273	Alex Beaucage	Col	RW	19	6-1/195	`19(78th)
274	Matiss Kivlenieks	CBJ	G	24	6-2/190	FA(5/17)
275	Artyom Zub	Ott	D	25	6-2/200	FA(5/20)
276	Urho Vaakanainen	Bos	D	22	6-0/185	`17(18th)
277	Dmitri Samorukov	Edm	D	21	6-2/180	`17(84th)
278	Michal Teply	Chi	LW	19	6-3/185	`19(105th)
279	Colby Ambrosio	Col	C	18	5-8/170	`20(118th)
280	Mads Sogaard	Ott	G	20	6-7/195	`19(37th)
281	Jeremy Lauzon	Bos	D	23	6-3/205	`15(52nd)
282	Dennis Gilbert	Col	D	24	6-2/200	T(Chi-10/20)
283	Trent Frederic	Bos	C	22	6-4/215	`16(29th)
284	Lucas Carlsson	Chi	D	23	6-0/190	`16(110th)
285	Zack Macewen	Van	RW	24	6-3/205	FA(3/17)
286	Brandon Hagel	Chi	LW	22	6-1/175	FA(10/18)
287	Vasily Ponomarev	Car	C	18	5-10/180	`20(53rd)
288	Jakub Zboril	Bos	D	23	6-1/200	`15(13th)
289	Garrett Pilon	Wsh	RW	22	5-11/190	`16(87th)
290	Jeremy Bracco	Car	RW	23	5-9/180	FA(10/20)
291	Dylan Sikura	VGK	RW	25	6-0/170	T(Chi-9/20)
292	Kyle Capobianco	Ari	D	23	6-1/180	`15(63rd)
293	Sami Niku	Wpg	D	24	6-0/175	`15(198th)
294	John Farinacci	Ari	C	19	5-11/185	`19(76th)
295	Jackson Lacombe	Ana	D	19	6-1/170	`19(39th)
296	David Cotton	Car	LW	23	6-3/205	`15(169th)
297	Erik Portillo	Buf	G	20	6-6/210	`19(67th)
298	Jacob Truscott	Van	D	18	6-1/170	`20(144th)
299	Mikhail Berdin	Wpg	G	22	6-2/165	`16(157th)
300	Cam Hillis	Mtl	C	20	5-10/170	`18(66th)

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Los Angeles Kings Top 20 Prospects

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 23:04:31 +0000

McKeen's Top 20 Los Angeles Kings prospects for the 2020-21 season. You can read an organizational assessment prior to the draft in Ryan Wagman's article found here. Following the draft we provided a review on each teams performance based on our rankings found here.

Quinton Byfield, C (2^nd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

At the heart of the 2020 second overall pick’s game is playmaking. A pass first player, he possesses elite vision that can carve up opposing defenses. His size helps him to shield the puck as he pushes through the neutral zone, works the half wall and behind the net, the latter helped by his edges. This affords him time to pick apart coverage and anticipate passing lanes for his linemates. He can dominate possession for entire shifts in the OHL because defenders cannot separate him from the puck. His powerful stride also makes him a force in transition. He can push through traffic with exceptional balance, while retaining the ability to play East-West as well. Byfield supports his defenders in the offensive and neutral zones, cycling back to cover during pinches. He also works hard to apply back pressure, although could stand to use his size advantage more to help him become more effective. He can struggle defending in his own zone, although has shown recent improvement in this area. He also may not yet be finished maturing, both physically and mentally. It is within reason that he will eventually be seen as the top player from the 2020 draft. – BO

Alex Turcotte, C (5^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

If you spend a long time watching him play, you should note that Turcotte makes his teammates better in the sense that he doesn’t carry the offense by himself, or use his linemates as set pieces to bounce off of like he was a ball flying through in a pinball table. He gets his linemates involved and allows them to carry the load for sections. Even though he is a fine skater, with great edges, and a very skilled stickhandler with a ton of creativity in his game, he processes the game in a way that requires his linemates hold up their end of the bargain as well. In games where they don’t, he can look quiet and almost be a non-factor. The son of a former first round pick (Alfie Turcotte), he reads the game with exceptional maturity, forcing turnovers in the offensive end, finding weak spots in the opposition, and shutting them down in his own end as well. With decent linemates, Turcotte could develop into the consummate second line center. With the right linemates, he could hold his own on a first line as well. - RW

Gabriel Vilardi, C (11^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 2)

Vilardi’s professional hockey career has been full of exhilarating ups and debilitating downs. After missing significant time over four straight seasons due to a serious back injury, he put it all behind him in 2019-20, reaching the NHL and scoring a goal on his first career shot. A physical beast and one of the smartest players in his age group, he is a hard-worker who can and will wear his opponents down over the length of a shift with his size, puck-protection abilities, and the constant threat of a delicate, creative pass going against the grain. He dominates possession down low in the zone and against the boards and can use pure momentum and upper-body strength to glide to the net for a solo shooting chance. His skating has improved some, especially his first few strides getting up to speed, though he won’t ever be more than an average skater. Despite his injuries and time missed, he is high on confidence and loves to have the puck on his stick, where he flashes great hands in tight. He is a double-threat center who can be a high-impact forward at the highest level of the game. - TD

Arthur Kaliyev, LW (33^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 3)

Everything about Kaliyev’s shot is electric. He can score in a multitude of ways, and not just because of his release, but because of his scoring instincts and anticipation in the offensive zone. His playmaking ability and vision are also underrated. He is a well-rounded offensive player and as such, he has been able to post some fantastic numbers the last few years. On the other hand, we have his engagement level and commitment when the puck is not on his stick. There is additional concern about his average skating ability. There is concern that his floating tendencies may not make him as successful at the next level given the skating concerns. The key to his development may be both getting him to buy in physically and finding him the right linemates. Even deployed as a triggerman, Kaliyev has the goal scoring potential to shine if chemistry is developed with a playmaking center, ideally a competitive player who looks to engage physically and who can win those one on one battles through traffic. Kaliyev could make the Kings this year if he proves that he can compete consistently. While the bust potential remains high, the ceiling does, too. – BO

Tobias Bjornfot, D (22^nd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

After making the Kings opening day roster at age 18, the Kings acknowledged his near-term future with the team when they assigned him to AHL Ontario rather than sending him back to Europe. Trusted by coaches to play tough, physical minutes, the stocky Bjornfot shows great strength in his body and his stick and shuts down plays before they happen. A solid skater, his ability to move the puck out of harm’s way by himself will be critical against the faster skaters in the NHL, while his agility allows him to pinch at the line and close on checks without worrying about being lost on defense. His skill with the puck is highly regarded and he can be pretty creative with his passes at times. Mature and responsible, it took him no time to adapt to the smaller ice surface in North America as he commanded top-pair minutes with Ontario as a rookie pro. He can kill penalties with the best of them and has second-unit power-play experience, though the latter role is not likely in his future. He will be a solid two-way defenseman at the NHL level in short order. - TD

Rasmus Kupari, C (20^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 5)

Kupari’s rookie North American pro season was derailed by a season-ending knee injury sustained at the WJC. Assuming full recovery, he will bring his insane speed and skill to the NHL in the near future. He is a blur on the ice and can blow by defenders on the outside, weave through to the inside, or use his technical footwork to pivot and accelerate away from them and draw himself space. A high-end puck-handler, he is a dynamic zone entry center who can deke past defenders with his quick hands, and he doesn’t lose any of that touch even when flying at top speed. Kupari has a mean streak, and his defensive contributions are centered by physical play and disrupting cycles. Despite the impressive skillset, he is still one of the more raw and unpolished high level prospects in hockey; on his best shift, he can break the game open with speed, size, and skill, while on his average shifts, he will either look invisible or try to force plays, leading to turnovers. He needs to play with more consistency from shift to shift and game to game and improve away from the puck. - TD

Tyler Madden, C (Trade: Feb. 17, 2020. Originally: 68^th overall, 2018 [Vancouver]. Previous ranking: 6)

The son of former NHLer John Madden, Tyler was drafted in the third round by Los Angeles. He played prep hockey in Connecticut and spent one season in the USHL before joining the Huskies, where he exhibited his abilities even as a freshman. He was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie team and also won a silver medal with the U.S. at the World Junior Championship. Madden led the Huskies in scoring in his sophomore season despite missing seven games. He has developed into an elite skater who glides well and can outstate defenders. At 5-11” and only 152 pounds, he is on the smaller side and needs to be a little more physical so he doesn’t get pushed off the puck so easily, which will require him to build his physique. He played on both the power play and the penalty kill, showing a vote of confidence in Madden’s defensive abilities, a trait he surely inherited from his Selke Award winning father. He has a slick shot and a quick stick and could ascend to the NHL to play in a middle six role sooner than later. - JS

Akil Thomas, C (51^st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 7)

Few NHL teams have the depth in their prospect pool that would push a player as talented as Thomas down their list this far, but the Kings’ system is pretty special. A talented playmaker, Thomas’ game has really matured the last two years. He took great steps forward last year in attacking traffic and playing through the middle of the ice, a previous weak spot. This has made him a more versatile player. He can work the half wall on the powerplay or the top of the box/diamond on the penalty kill. He works hard in all three zones. He can play down the middle or on the wing. He forces turnovers on the forecheck and works hard to win challenges along the wall. The hands are great. The vision with the puck is great. He skates well. The question is, is Thomas a dynamic enough player to be a consistent top six point producer at the NHL level? And, while well rounded, does he profile as the type of player a team would want on a bottom six line? There is certainly some risk that he could be a tweener, but his projection remains that of a well-rounded middle six forward who brings leadership and a great attitude to the ice. - BO

Samuel Fagemo, LW (50^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 8)

Fagemo is a strong goal scorer who scored more last season all leagues considered, especially with the junior national team where he scored 15 goals in 16 games with eight coming at the WJC where he was the top scorer. In SHL alone, his numbers did not go up, on the other hand, he scored seven goals in 11 games at the CHL so I would say that he took a step forward. Fagemo likes to shoot the puck and likes to shoot from the left circle or inside the slot. His wrist shot is lethal, and he shoots with a quick release. He also plays an intensive style but lacks elite skating and is not a particularly strong forechecker. His defensive mindset is not strong, but his offensive mindset is. He is good at finding open spaces and seems to always be ready to shoot the puck. He has top six forward potential, but I am still not certain if he can reach that. His shooting is his only elite tool and maybe that will be enough but since he cannot be used in any other role that might lead him to be a top goal scorer in Europe instead. – JH

Kasper Simontaival, RW (66^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Simontaival has long been a feature on Finland’s age-based national teams, often as an underager. He has also been a top scorer wherever he has played. His offensive weapons are all high end. His shot is close to the elite level and was among the best of the 2020 draft class. He can score with any of a one-timer slapper, wrist shot or backhand. Neither does Simontaival hesitate to look for linemates. He is especially sharp creating from behind the red line. His ability to read and process the game quickly helps him generate scoring chances. Although short, his frame is stocky and strong, and he will get dirty in the corners if need be. His effort off the puck is also commendable and he does his job defensively, and he shouldn’t have to be protected at the higher levels. The main drawback to his game is his skating. His first few steps are fine, but over the long haul his high-end speed will need to improve to allow him to play his game at the highest level. If he gets there, he has top six potential and could be a power play weapon of the highest echelon. – RW

Helge Grans, D (35^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Grans has the combination of size and mobility that tends to excel in the modern game. The right shot defender is not an explosive skater, which limits his puck moving consistency. His agility, on the other hand, is excellent, adding to his profile as a high end stay at home blueliner. This aids his excellent gap control, and he is very difficult to beat off the rush. He gets his stick in passing and shooting lanes and mitigates damage down low and near the crease. He also is strong on his skates and shows physical aggression, which will likely improve further as he matures physically. Offensively, Grans plays a simple, yet relatively effective game. At the SHL level he has shown impressive calmness, patience, and skill to make both easy and hard plays getting out of his own end. He can be prone to mistakes with the puck when plays break down and he attempts skill to skate the puck out of the zone. He also does not possess the shot or assertiveness to be a powerplay quarterback at the NHL level. His skill set is most likely suited to being a safe and composed second pairing defensive anchor. – BO

Martin Chromiak, RW (128^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

One of the steals of the 2020 draft, Chromiak struggled in the first half of his draft year playing in Slovakia, but developed instant chemistry playing with wonderkid Shane Wright (2022 eligible), and fellow 2020 eligible forward Zayde Wisdom after coming to Kingston at midseason. Chromiak takes some time to appreciate because he lacks flash. After multiple viewings, you begin to gain an appreciation for the different ways he impacts the game. His first step quickness is excellent, making him very effective away from the puck. He is equal parts playmaker and goal scorer. He has good vision operating near the half wall and makes quick decisions with the puck. He also possesses a heavy wrist shot and can one time passes working the half wall on the powerplay. His three zone IQ is strong, showing strong anticipation and effort in his own zone. His skating is strong, but he does not utilize this enough to lead the attack. He is a very well-rounded player who projects as a quality middle six winger. – BO

Jaret Anderson-Dolan, C (41^st overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 9)

While Anderson-Dolan is far from the most talented player in the Kings farm system, he is one of the safest bets to become a future NHL contributor. The 2017 second rounder is a penalty-kill maestro and one of the smartest offensive players the team presently has marinating in the AHL, and in a lesser pipeline, he would probably be a top-five prospect. Quick and competitive, Anderson-Dolan is a two-way center whose energy and maturity in all three zones act as a calming force for his AHL teammates. More of a shooter, he has worked on his puck-distribution skills and has made passing a legitimate weapon in his versatile toolkit. His vision and skill have long been there, but his decisiveness and speed in passing has improved considerably. He has a hard wrister with a deep release and a slapshot worthy of time on the Ontario power play. He does not have many flaws, but there are reasonable questions as to how he can contribute offensively in the NHL; there are some stretches during which he does not make any high-end plays. At the end of the day, I think he becomes a long-term third line centerman with heavy penalty kill time for the Kings. - TD

Mikey Anderson, D (103^rd overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 10)

Defense prospects are like pitching prospects in baseball; you can never have too many. Anderson is a penalty-kill horse and an intelligent, competitive defenseman who can play heavy even strength minutes and has been productive everywhere he has gone. Quickly graduating from the natural feeling-out process of the AHL by most rookies in the pro ranks, Anderson immediately became a top-four defenseman with the Reign and even played six games with L.A. in 2019-20. His smarts, serviceable speed, and surprising physicality in an under-six-foot package made him a complete prospect from day one. He isn’t flashy and won’t go end to end with the puck, but he sees the ice well, is a good outlet passer, and is very reliable defensively with his reads and gaps. His ceiling is limited by his lack of high-end two-way skill, but the scrappy lefty can be a minute-eating middle-pair blueliner who can act like a security blanket for a more offensively gifted partner. - TD

Cal Petersen, G (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Jul. 1, 2017. Originally: 129th overall, 2013 (Buffalo). Previous ranking: 11)

Effectively graduating from Reign starting goalie to Jonathan Quick’s backup after the trade that sent Jack Campbell to Toronto, Petersen, according to Kings general manager Rob Blake, will eventually be the team’s starter. The former Notre Dame standout who holds the record for most saves in an NCAA game (87) will be more than ready for the task. Originally a fifth-round pick of Buffalo’s in 2013, the Iowa native plays up a lack of size in his 6-1” frame with high-level speed and athleticism, which coupled with his strong focus and positional play in the crease, makes him as solid as a 6-4” counterpart. Backstopping an AHL Ontario team that has struggled over the past couple of seasons, Petersen never cracked emotionally and looked especially competitive for the Kings down the stretch. Still only 25 and signed for the next two seasons, his road to the NHL has been long and winding but he might be the perfect guy to step into the crease as the heir to Quick’s throne and lead an evolving, youthful L.A. roster into the next generation of Kings hockey. - TD

Carl Grundstrom, RW (Trade: Jan. 28, 2019. Originally: 57^th overall, 2016 [Toronto}. Previous ranking: 12)

Although Grundstrom may never be dynamic enough to be the true NHL goal-scorer he was drafted as in the second-round of the 2016 draft, the Swede is a hard worker who can contribute in a multitude of ways, and unlike others in this system, his potential does not rely primarily on point production. The former Toronto prospect traded to the Kings in the Jake Muzzin deal, Grundstrom skates well, flashes skill with the puck on his stick, and can rip a shot home anywhere from the blueline in. Even if his offense is lacking, he is a chip-and-chase and forechecking master and can kill penalties with his speed and hockey sense. Still just 22, he has time to work on the assertiveness of his shot and playmaking, and can still turn into a long-term checking-line forward who works along the dirty areas and operates on the first penalty kill unit in Los Angeles. – TD

Alex Laferriere, RW (83^rd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

One of the 2020 draft class’ most improved players from the beginning of the year to its premature conclusion, Laferriere was a consistent offensive driver for Des Moines for much of his draft year. What really marked his improvement was the complete makeover he made in his skating. Gone was the crow-hop kick off, which had him behind before he took his first stride. His wide-kneed form added to the inefficiency. By mid-season he was far smoother, able to get to his top gear much quicker and became a primary puck carrier instead of just a trigger man. Then again, the trigger was always the main draw. Despite carrying a slight frame, he has a big shot and can rip both wrist shots and slap shots past unprepared netminders. Another positive for the Harvard commit is his high IQ, represented on the ice through his heady, two-way play. He played in all situations, including the penalty kill. Laferriere will need substantial physical growth before turning pro, but there are a number of high-level tools on offer here. – RW

Kale Clague, D (51^st overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 13)

A mobile and intelligent offensive defenseman, Clague is the aggressive, puck-moving defense partner to someone like Bjornfot or Anderson on a future Kings blueline. A very good skater, he can move the puck from end to end solo with his deceptively high top-speed and decent acceleration, and he doesn’t slack off as a puck-mover either, as his stretch passes and power play work have impressed. He has the smarts and vision to pass effectively but prefers carrying the puck, where his ability to draw defenders to him before making a creative, albeit risky and dangerous pass to a teammate shines through. As with his rookie season, his main problems were his gaps and reads on defense, particularly at the blue line. He will need some more AHL seasoning before being a viable defensive option in the NHL, but a formidable puck-rusher alongside some of the strong and reliable defensive blueliners in the system would be helpful for the Kings’ future depth chart. - TD

Jordan Spence, D (95^thoverall, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

Spence is an easy player to like at first glance; his skating speed is among the best in all of junior hockey and he flies all over the ice. He is a very fluid player who handles the puck well, moves the puck well, and finishes plays strong in the offensive end. Spence earned the QMJHL’s top defenseman award this past season for his efforts, which is a huge step up for a blueliner who didn’t get drafted into the Q in his first year of eligibility. However, while Spence is a great skater, he is a bit of a sports car: great speed, difficult to harness. In the defensive end, he can get lost against bigger forwards as a smaller defender, and that can cause some issues. However, all of these can be corrected, and he has a great work ethic. The Kings have already signed him to his entry-level deal, and he has the boom or bust potential to be a strong offensive blueliner in the show. - MS

Mikey Eyssimont, C (142^ndoverall, 2016. Previous ranking: 15)

A St. Cloud State who alum twice led the Huskies in goal-scoring, including in his senior year, helping the team clinch a berth in the NCAA tournament, Eyssimont has brought some of that scoring prowess to the pro ranks, finishing second in overall scoring with the Reign in his second full pro year. Fairly speedy and very skilled with the puck, the Colorado native exhibits swift hands, deceptive moves with the puck, and vision to pass it accurately off in space. With an improving shot, he has maintained a presence on the Reign power play and in their top-six. Defensively, he can still get lost at times and needs to engage physically and use his strength more. He has strong depth scorer potential, but he lacks that explosive quickness needed from that role, plus he provides little to no value away from the puck. Any chance at an NHL future requires him to become a more useful player without possession and defensively. - TD

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – LOS ANGELES KINGS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 3

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 19:44:06 +0000

Los Angeles Kings

It was certainly fun while it lasted. They won Cups in 2012 and 2014 and made it to the Western Conference final in the year in-between. It seems so long ago now – and not in the way that February feels long ago, before COVID-19 sickened millions and paused the planet. The funny thing is though, then GM Dean Lombardi heavily rewarded the expanded core of that championship team with long-term deal after long-term deal. How many other teams can claim to still have so many of the same players from that long-ago (in professional sports terms) teams? Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Jonathan Quick, Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Trevor Lewis. Others were traded this season or last: Jake Muzzin, Kyle Clifford, Tanner Pearson, Tyler Toffoli, Alec Martinez.

All good things must come to an end and the Kings’ mini dynasty ended, too. They missed the postseason altogether in the year after their second Cup, and thrice more besides in the five seasons since. And so, the tear-down has picked up speed in the last two years.

Lewis’ contract expires this offseason, chipping away one more piece of the glory years. Even with all of that turnover, which extends to the team’s Cup-winning GM and head coach, the fearsome fivesome of Kopitar, Doughty, Quick, Carter, and Brown, all of whose contracts extend at least through the 2021-22 seasons, could very easily still be Kings once the team returns to contention.

The answer that can explain the last assertion is spelled out in detail below. Looking just at the numbers, fully nine of their top 15 spent all or most of last season playing in the AHL, just a small step from LA (literally. The city of Ontario, California, where the AHL affiliate plays, is approximately 35 miles from downtown LA). Seven of those nine actually spent some time in the NHL this year as well. All of them could easily earn full time NHL gigs next season, as could the two collegiate players listed below, Alex Turcotte and Tyler Madden, both of whom signed ELCs with the Kings after their college seasons were cut short.

Having so many rookies take over at once is rarely a recipe for success – at least right away. There will be painful games in Southern California. But there will also be growth. A Gabriel Vilardi, health permitting, might be able to step right into a middle six role down the middle on opening day. A Mikey Anderson might reprise his role as a bottom pairing blueliner. Cal Petersen should be the backup – perhaps even a 1A – to Jonathan Quick in net.

Of course, the Kings are probably best off, in the long run, not rushing the next generation into the present tense. Certainly, none of the prospects should be given spots on the NHL roster. But one way or another, they are coming. Soon.

Where we may see some forced decisions by the current LA brain trust of GM Rob Blake, Director of Player Personnel Nelson Emerson, and Director Amateur Scouting Mark Yannetti is how to balance that next generation. Not only are the top three prospects, and eight of the top 10 all forwards, but with the second overall pick in the upcoming draft (the rich getting richer) I would posit that there is a 90%+ chance that the Kings add another high-end forward in one of Quinton Byfield or Tim Stutzle. Where will the next generation of defensemen come from? Outside of Tobias Bjornfot, it is hard to see another future top four defender in the system. Perhaps they will use free agency to fill out the blueline around Doughty. Perhaps the recent successes (relatively speaking) of Matt Roy and Sean Walker, both previously unheralded as prospects, has the organization thinking that lightning can strike in the same place again. Whatever they choose to do, their forward group could soon have them on a trajectory resembling the recent-day Edmonton Oilers. Hollywood Hockey is going to be fun again.

ONTARIO, CA - DECEMBER 02: Ontario Reign Forward Gabe Vilardi (42) skates with the puck during an AHL regular season game between the Ontario Reign and Tucson Roadrunners on December 2, 2018 at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. (Photo by Joshua Lavallee/Icon Sportswire)

Alex Turcotte, C (5^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

While he was overshadowed by Jack Hughes on the 2019 UNSTDP class, there was still little doubt that Turcotte would find his way into the top 10 of the 2019 draft, especially after he ended his year with a star turn at the WU18 tournament.

He will never have Hughes’ pizzaz, and the jaw-dropping playmaking of fellow former national program teammate Trevor Zegras is also not his game, but Turcotte has enough skill in his game to live up to his draft billing. If you spend a long time watching him play, you should note that Turcotte makes his teammates better in the sense that he doesn’t carry the offense by himself, or use his linemates as set pieces to bounce off of like he was in a pinball table. He gets his linemates involved and allows them to carry the load for sections.

Even though he is a fine skater, with great edges, and a very skilled stickhandler with a ton of creativity in his game, he processes the game in a way that requires his linemates hold up their end of the bargain as well. In games where they don’t, he can look quiet and almost be a non-factor.

The son of a former first round pick (Alfie Turcotte), he reads the game with exceptional maturity, forcing turnovers in the offensive end, finding weak spots in the opposition, and shutting them down in his own end as well. With decent linemates, Turcotte could develop into the consummate second line center. With the right linemates, he could hold his own on a first line as well. - RW

Gabriel Vilardi, C (11^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 4)

Vilardi’s professional hockey career has been full of exhilarating ups and debilitating downs. The Kingston, Ontario native suffered through back injuries that, at one time, seemed like it could put his hockey life in jeopardy and end his promising career with the Kings before it started. He appeared in just four games with Ontario late into the 2018-19 season after missing half of his final OHL campaign with the lingering back issues, but put it all behind him in 2019-20, including a goal on his first career shot in the NHL.

He played marvelously in the AHL as well, earning top-line center minutes on an Ontario Reign team he helped position for a potential late-season run at the playoffs before the league’s cancellation. A physical beast and one of the smartest players in his age group, Vilardi is a hard-worker who can and will wear his opponents down over the length of a shift with his size, puck-protection abilities, and the constant threat of a delicate, creative pass going against the grain.

He dominates possession down low in the zone and against the boards and can use pure momentum and upper-body strength to glide to the net for a solo shooting chance. His skating has improved some, especially his first few strides getting up to speed, though he won’t ever be more than an average skater.

Despite his injuries and time missed, he is high on confidence and loves to have the puck on his stick, where he shows flashes of great hands in tight. A double-threat center who can be a high-impact forward at the highest level of the game, Vilardi is a long-term piece of the Kings future and will settle into a top-six center role for years to come. - TD

Arthur Kaliyev, LW (33^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 5)

At this point, most NHL prospect enthusiasts are familiar with Kaliyev, a goal scoring winger with Hamilton of the OHL. Everything about his shot is electric. He can score in a multitude of ways, and not just because of his release, but because of his scoring instincts and anticipation in the offensive zone.

Kaliyev’s playmaking ability and vision are also underrated parts of his game. He is a well-rounded offensive player and as such, he has been able to post some fantastic numbers the last few years. So why did he fall in the draft and why is he such a polarizing prospect in the scouting community?

Two reasons. The first is his engagement level and commitment when the puck is not on his stick. And the second is his average skating ability. There is some concern that his floating tendencies may not make him as successful at the next level given his lack of dynamic skating ability. However, when the puck is on his stick, Kaliyev is electric.

Ultimately, the key to his development may not just be getting him to buy in physically, but also finding the right linemates for him. Even if he ends up being best suited as a triggerman, Kaliyev has the goal scoring potential to really shine if chemistry is developed with the right playmaking center. This center should be a competitive player who looks to engage physically and who can win those one on one battles through traffic. Turcotte or Vilardi certainly could fit that description.

What happens next with Kaliyev remains to be seen. He could make the Kings next year if he proves to them that he can compete consistently enough. He could return to the OHL for another season. While the bust potential remains high, the ceiling does too as it could be just as easy to see Kaliyev develop into a 40-goal scorer in the NHL. – BO

Tobias Bjornfot, D (22^nd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 2)

At just 18 years old, Bjornfot surely did not expect to contend for an NHL roster spot on opening night, but the Los Angeles Kings brass was far too impressed by the young Swede and he suited up alongside franchise cornerstone and former Norris Trophy winner Drew Doughty in the team’s season opener. Doughty called the 22nd overall pick in 2019’s draft “amazing,” and the Kings acknowledged his near-term future with the team when they assigned him to AHL Ontario rather than sending him back to Europe.

Trusted by coaches to play tough, physical minutes, the stocky Bjornfot shows great strength in his body and his stick and shuts down plays before they happen. A solid skater, his ability to move the puck out of harm’s way by himself will be critical against the faster skaters in the NHL, and his agility allows him to pinch at the line and close on checks without worrying about being lost on defense. His skill with the puck is highly regarded and he can be pretty creative with his passes at times.

Mature and responsible, it took him no time to adapt to the smaller ice surface in North America as he commanded top-pair minutes with AHL Ontario as a rookie pro. He can kill penalties with the best of them and has second-unit power-play experience, though I don’t expect him to be a power-play option in the NHL. He will be a solid two-way defenseman at the NHL level, and based on his maturity and how high Kings management feels about the lefty, in short order. - TD

Rasmus Kupari, C (20^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 3)

Kupari’s rookie pro season in North American was trending upward before a season-ending knee injury sustained while playing for Team Finland at the World Juniors. Barring any career-defining setbacks in his recovery, the 20-year-old can bring his insane speed and skill to the NHL in the future.

At a lanky 6-1” and 188lbs, the 2018 first-rounder is a blur on the ice and can blow by defenders on the outside, weave through to the inside, or use his technical footwork to pivot and accelerate away from them and draw himself space. A high-end puck-handler, he is a dynamic zone entry center who can deke past defenders with his quick hands, and he doesn’t lose any of that touch even when he is flying at top speed.

Large and mean, his defensive contributions consist almost entirely of physical play and disrupting cycles. While he is an incredibly skilled player, Kupari is in fact one of the most raw and unpolished prospects in hockey; on his best shift, he can break the game open with speed, size, and skill, and on his average shifts, he will either look invisible or force an ill-advised pass or chip play that leads to a turnover.

He needs to learn how to play with more consistency from shift to shift and game to game, as well as becoming better off the puck to contribute even when he can’t do so offensively. Given his versatility and his toolset, he can be a top-six scoring forward at the highest level, so long as he has his flaws coached out of him. - TD

Tyler Madden, C (Trade: Feb. 17, 2020. Originally: 68^th overall, 2018 [Vancouver]. 2019 Rank: 9 [Vancouver])

He has developed into an elite skater who glides well and can outstate defenders. At 5-11” and only 152 pounds, he is on the smaller side and needs to be a little more physical so he doesn’t get pushed off the puck so easily, which will require him to build his physique.

He played on both the power play and the penalty kill, showing a vote of confidence in Madden’s defensive abilities, a trait he surely inherited from his Selke Award winning father. He has a slick shot and a quick stick and could ascend to the NHL to play in a middle six role sooner than later. - JS

Akil Thomas, C (51^st overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 6)

This year, he took great steps forward in attacking traffic and playing through the middle of the ice, a previous weak spot. This has made him a more versatile player. He can work the half wall on the powerplay or the top of the box/diamond on the penalty kill. He works hard in all three zones. He can play down the middle or on the wing. He forces turnovers on the forecheck and works hard to win challenges along the wall.

The hands are great. The vision with the puck is great. He skates well. The question is, is Thomas a dynamic enough player to be a consistent top six-point producer at the NHL level? And, while well rounded, does he profile as the type of player a team would want on a bottom six line? There is certainly some risk that he could be a tweener, but his projection remains that of a well-rounded middle six forward who brings leadership and a great attitude to the ice. - BO

Samuel Fagemo, LW (50^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 7)

Fagemo likes to shoot the puck and likes to shoot from the left circle or inside the slot. His wrist shot is lethal, and he shoots with a quick release. He also plays an intensive style but lacks elite skating and is not a particularly strong forechecker.

His defensive mindset is not strong, but his offensive mindset is. He is good at finding open spaces and seems to always be ready to shoot the puck. He has top six forward potential, but I am still not certain if he can reach that. His shooting is his only elite tool and maybe that will be enough; but since he cannot be used in any other role that might lead him to be a top goal scorer in Europe instead. - JH

Jaret Anderson-Dolan, C (41^st overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 10)

Quick and competitive, Anderson-Dolan is a two-way center whose energy and maturity in all three zones act as a calming force for his AHL teammates. More of a shooter, he has worked on his puck-distribution skills and has made passing a legitimate weapon in his versatile toolkit. His vision and skill have long been there, but his decisiveness and speed in passing has improved considerably.

He has a hard wrister with a deep release and a slapshot worthy of time on the Ontario power play. He does not have many flaws, but there are reasonable questions as to how he can contribute offensively in the NHL; there are some stretches during which he does not make any high-end plays. At the end of the day, I think he becomes a long-term third line centerman with heavy penalty kill time for the Kings. - TD

Mikey Anderson, D (103^rd overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 14)

Quickly graduating from the natural feeling-out process of the AHL by most rookies in the pro ranks, Anderson immediately became a top-four defenseman with the Reign and even played six games with L.A. in 2019-20. His smarts, serviceable speed, and surprising physicality in an under-six-foot package made him a complete prospect from day one.

He isn’t flashy and won’t go end to end with the puck, but he sees the ice well, is a good outlet passer, and is very reliable defensively with his reads and gaps. His ceiling is limited by his lack of high-end two-way skill, but the scrappy lefty can be a minute-eating middle-pair blueliner who can act like a security blanket for a more offensively gifted partner. - TD

Cal Petersen, G (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Jul. 1, 2017. Originally: 129th overall, 2013 (Buffalo). 2019 Rank: 11)

The former Notre Dame standout who holds the record for most saves in an NCAA game (87) will be more than ready for the task. Originally a fifth-round pick of Buffalo’s in 2013, the Iowa native plays up a lack of size in his 6-1” frame with high-level speed and athleticism, which coupled with his strong focus and positional play in the crease, makes him as solid as a 6-4” counterpart. Backstopping an AHL Ontario team that has struggled over the past couple of seasons, Petersen never cracked emotionally and looked especially competitive for the Kings down the stretch.

Still only 25 and signed for the next two seasons, his road to the NHL has been long and winding but he might be the perfect guy to step into the crease as the heir to Quick’s throne and lead an evolving, youthful L.A. roster into the next generation of Kings hockey. - TD

Carl Grundstrom, RW (Trade: Jan. 28, 2019. Originally: 57^th overall, 2016 [Toronto}. 2019 Rank: 8)

The former Toronto prospect traded to the Kings in the Jake Muzzin deal, Grundstrom skates well, flashes skill with the puck on his stick, and can rip a shot home anywhere from the blueline in. Even if his offense is lacking, he is a chip-and-chase and forechecking master and can kill penalties with his speed and hockey sense.

Still just 22, he has time to work on the assertiveness of his shot and playmaking, and can still turn into a long-term checking-line forward who works along the dirty areas and operates on the first penalty kill unit in Los Angeles. - TD

Kale Clague, D (51^st overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 9)

He has the smarts and vision to pass effectively but prefers carrying the puck, where his ability to draw defenders to him before making a creative, albeit risky and dangerous pass to a teammate shine through. As with his rookie season, his main problems were his gaps and reads on defense, particularly at the blue line.

He will need some more AHL seasoning before being a viable defensive option in the NHL, but a formidable puck-rusher alongside some of the strong and reliable defensive blueliners in the system would be helpful for the Kings’ future depth chart. - TD

Jordan Spence, D (95^thoverall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Spence earned the QMJHL’s top defenseman award this past season for his efforts, which is a huge step up for a blueliner who didn’t get drafted into the Q in his first year of eligibility. However, while Spence is a great skater, he is a bit of a sports car: great speed, difficult to harness. In the defensive end, he can get lost against bigger forwards as a smaller defender, and that can cause some issues.

However, all of these can be corrected, and he has a great work ethic. The Kings have already signed him to his entry-level deal, and he has the boom or bust potential to be a strong offensive blueliner in the show. - MS

Mikey Eyssimont, C (142^ndoverall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 13)

Fairly speedy and very skilled with the puck, the Colorado native exhibits swift hands, deceptive moves with the puck, and vision to pass it accurately off in space. With an improving shot, he has maintained a presence on the Reign power play and in their top-six. Defensively, he can still get lost at times and needs to engage physically and use his strength more.

He has strong depth scorer potential, but he lacks that explosive quickness needed from that role, plus he provides little to no value away from the puck. Any chance at an NHL future requires him to become a more useful player without possession and defensively. - TD

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT – TOP 250 PROSPECTS

McKeens Hockey; Article by Ryan Wagman — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 11:50:55 +0000

I write these words less than 24 hours after the Dallas Stars took game one of the Stanley Cup Finals against the heavily favored Tampa Bay Lightning. Unlike most seasons wherein the end of the Stanley Cup marks the beginning of off-season player movement, this year teams have taken an early start to the transactional Ferris wheel as many expect the upcoming offseason (from the awarding of the Cup, through to the draft in the first week of October to the start of the 2020-21 season perhaps as soon as early December, pending COVID trends in North America) to be especially turbulent.

We have seen a few trades of NHL pieces, one deal which impacted this guidebook, as Toronto sent Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh and Swedish winger Filip Hallander was among those coming back to Toronto. Hallander was our selection for the second-best prospect in the Penguins system and now holds that title for the Maple Leafs. That trade knocked the Penguins down a few slots on our organizational rankings and allowed Toronto to go the other way accordingly.

Of course, with the draft roughly 17 days away, and with it a complete re-shuffling of the organizational rankings, this is just a snapshot in time of how every team’s system shakes up. We will re-run this list, incorporating the drafted players, in our pre-season fantasy guide, where we will expand the lists up to 20.

What you are about to dive into is a comprehensive list of all prospect eligible players on all 31 teams. To hold prospect eligibility, a player needs to 25 or younger, as of September 15, 2020. All skaters need to have played less than 60 career games, with no more than 35 of those games coming in a single season (or 25 for this past shortened season). For goalies, the age criteria remain the same, but the games played benchmark drops to 30 career games and 20 in a given season (or 15 last year). Any cutoff that does not hew exactly to the Calder Trophy award criteria is, by nature, arbitrary, but we aim to be inclusive for all players who have not yet cemented NHL jobs and/or have not had a prolonged chance to prove himself capable – or incapable.

We rank 15 per team, as depth is as important as the high end. Our goal is to identify players who could – if they have an advocate for them within the team’s braintrust – play a role in the NHL. These players were identified through our thorough vetting of each prospect across the globe, assigning scores, or grades, to five areas for skaters (skating, shot, puck skills, smarts, physicality) and six for netminders (athleticism/speed/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, positioning/technique, rebound control, and puck handling). Depending on the position, the grades are run through an algorithm to come up with an overall future projection (OFP).

The OFP, if the scout is being honest, measures the future role we anticipate the prospect being able to hold. A 50 score is the lower threshold to be a regular 4^th line forward, or bottom pairing defender. Grades over 56 are potential top line/pairing skaters. The grades in between, obviously project to the middle of the lineup.

As we are reminded every year, development is not linear. Some players take unexpected sudden leaps forward (see Marino, John), and others stagnate (see Ho-Sang, Josh), and many do exactly what we expect of them when they are given the chance. As much as I trust the analysts in our team, I can also tell you that this exercise is always humbling. There will be at least one player who we rate highly who bombs. There will be at least one player who did not feature on his team’s top 15 who becomes an NHL regular next year. We accept those errors in judgment and promise you, our faithful subscriber, that we will learn from them and refine our work for next year, as we learn just as NHL teams learn.

Until then, please enjoy this snapshot view of the future of the beautiful, frozen game. Putting this together has provided at least some sense of normalcy during this crazy summer.

NHL	RNK	PLAYER	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	Acquired
Ana	1	Trevor Zegras	C	19	6-0/170	Boston University (HE)	`19(9th)
Min	2	Kirill Kaprizov	LW	23	5-10/200	CSKA (KHL)	`15(135th)
Col	3	Bowen Byram	D	19	6-0/195	Vancouver (WHL)	`19(4th)
Buf	4	Dylan Cozens	C	19	6-3/185	Lethbridge (WHL)	`19(7th)
Fla	5	Spencer Knight	G	19	6-3/195	Boston College (HE)	`19(13th)
VGK	6	Peyton Krebs	C	19	5-11/180	Winnipeg (WHL)	`19(17th)
Ari	7	Victor Soderstrom	D	19	5-11/180	Brynas (Swe)	`19(11th)
Mtl	8	Cole Caufield	RW	19	5-7/165	Wisconsin (B1G)	`19(15th)
Van	9	Vasili Podkolzin	RW	19	6-1/190	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`19(10th)
Edm	10	Philip Broberg	D	19	6-3/200	Skelleftea AIK (Swe)	`19(8th)
Tor	11	Nick Robertson	LW	19	5-9/160	Peterborough (OHL)	`19(53rd)
Col	12	Alex Newhook	C	19	5-10/195	Boston College (HE)	`19(16th)
Det	13	Moritz Seider	D	19	6-3/185	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`19(6th)
Fla	14	Grigori Denisenko	LW	20	5-11/185	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`18(15th)
Min	15	Matthew Boldy	LW	19	6-1/190	Boston College (HE)	`19(12th)
NJ	16	Ty Smith	D	20	5-10/180	Spokane (WHL)	`18(17th)
LA	17	Alex Turcotte	C	19	5-11/185	Wisconsin (B1G)	`19(5th)
Nsh	18	Philip Tomasino	C	19	5-11/180	Nia-Osh (OHL)	`19(24th)
Pit	19	Samuel Poulin	LW	19	6-1/205	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	`19(21st)
Wsh	20	Connor McMichael	C	19	5-11/175	London (OHL)	`19(25th)
LA	21	Gabriel Vilardi	RW	21	6-3/200	Ontario (AHL)	`17(11th)
NYR	22	Igor Shesterkin	G	24	6-1/190	Hartford (AHL)	`14(118th)
Dal	23	Thomas Harley	D	19	6-3/190	Mississauga (OHL)	`19(18th)
Ari	24	Barrett Hayton	C	20	6-1/190	Arizona (NHL)	`18(5th)
NYR	25	Nils Lundkvist	D	20	5-11/180	Lulea (Swe)	`18(28th)
LA	26	Arthur Kaliyev	RW	19	6-2/190	Hamilton (OHL)	`19(33rd)
Cgy	27	Juuso Valimaki	D	21	6-2/205	DNP - Injured	`17(16th)
Det	28	Jared McIsaac	D	20	6-1/195	Hal-Mon (QMJHL)	`18(36th)
NYR	29	Vitali Kravtsov	RW	20	6-3/185	Hartford (AHL)	`18(9th)
Edm	30	Evan Bouchard	D	20	6-2/195	Bakersfield (AHL)	`18(10th)
NYR	31	K'Andre Miller	D	20	6-3/205	Wisconsin (B1G)	`18(22nd)
Edm	32	Raphael Lavoie	RW	19	6-4/195	Hal-Chi (QMJHL)	`19(38th)
NYI	33	Ilya Sorokin	G	25	6-2/180	CSKA (KHL)	`14(78th)
Det	34	Albert Johansson	D	19	5-11/165	Farjestads (Swe)	`19(60th)
Ari	35	Matias Maccelli	LW	19	5-11/170	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`19(98th)
Van	36	Nils Hoglander	RW	19	5-9/185	Rogle (Swe)	`19(40th)
Ari	37	Jan Jenik	RW	20	6-1/180	Hamilton (OHL)	`18(65th)
Phi	38	Cam York	D	19	5-11/175	Michigan (B1G)	`19(14th)
Phi	39	Morgan Frost	C	21	5-11/180	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	`17(27th)
Ana	40	Lukas Dostal	G	20	6-1/170	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`18(85th)
LA	41	Tobias Bjornfot	D	19	6-0/200	Ontario (AHL)	`19(22nd)
SJ	42	Ryan Merkley	D	20	5-11/170	London (OHL)	`18(21st)
NYI	43	Kieffer Bellows	LW	22	6-0/200	Bridgeport (AHL)	`16(19th)
NYI	44	Oliver Wahlstrom	RW	20	6-1/205	Bridgeport (AHL)	`18(11th)
LA	45	Rasmus Kupari	C	20	6-1/185	Ontario (AHL)	`18(20th)
CBJ	46	Liam Foudy	C	20	6-0/175	London (OHL)	`18(18th)
LA	47	Tyler Madden	C	20	5-10/155	Northeastern (HE)	T(Van-2/20)
Mtl	48	Alexander Romanov	D	20	5-11/185	CSKA (KHL)	`18(38th)
NYI	49	Bode Wilde	D	20	6-2/195	Bridgeport (AHL)	`18(41st)
Ott	50	Jacob Bernard-Docker	D	20	6-0/180	North Dakota (NCHC)	`18(26th)
Cgy	51	Jakob Pelletier	LW	19	5-9/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`19(26th)
LA	52	Akil Thomas	C	20	5-11/170	Nia-Pbo (OHL)	`18(51st)
Wpg	53	Dylan Samberg	D	21	6-3/190	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`17(43rd)
Chi	54	Ian Mitchell	D	21	5-11/175	Denver (NCHC)	`17(57th)
Ott	55	Josh Norris	C	21	6-1/195	Belleville (AHL)	T(SJ-9/18)
NYR	56	Matthew Robertson	D	19	6-3/200	Edmonton (WHL)	`19(49th)
VGK	57	Pavel Dorofeyev	LW	19	6-1/170	Magnitogorsk (KHL)	`19(79th)
Dal	58	Jake Oettinger	G	21	6-4/210	Texas (AHL)	`17(26th)
Ott	59	Drake Batherson	RW	22	6-1/190	Belleville (AHL)	`17(121st)
LA	60	Samuel Fagemo	RW	20	6-0/195	Frolunda (Swe)	`19(50th)
Col	61	Justus Annunen	G	20	6-4/215	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	`18(64th)
Bos	62	John Beecher	C	19	6-3/210	Michigan (B1G)	`19(30th)
Phi	63	Egor Zamula	D	20	6-4/175	Calgary (WHL)	FA(9/18)
NYR	64	Zac Jones	D	19	5-10/175	Massachusetts (HE)	`19(68th)
CBJ	65	Kirill Marchenko	LW	20	6-3/190	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`18(49th)
VGK	66	Jack Dugan	RW	22	6-2/185	Providence (HE)	`17(142nd)
StL	67	Scott Perunovich	D	22	5-10/175	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`18(45th)
Bos	68	Jack Studnicka	C	21	6-1/170	Providence (AHL)	`17(53rd)
Dal	69	Ty Dellandrea	C	20	6-0/185	Flint (OHL)	`18(13th)
Min	70	Calen Addison	D	20	5-10/180	Lethbridge (WHL)	T(Pit-2/20)
NYR	71	Julien Gauthier	RW	22	6-4/225	Charlotte (AHL)	T(Car-2/20)
Van	72	Olli Juolevi	D	22	6-3/200	Utica (AHL)	`16(5th)
NJ	73	Nolan Foote	LW	19	6-3/190	Kelowna (WHL)	T(TB-2/20)
NJ	74	Janne Kuokkanen	LW	22	6-1/190	Cha-Bng (AHL)	T(Car-2/20)
Ott	75	Alex Formenton	LW	21	6-2/165	Belleville (AHL)	`17(47th)
Det	76	Robert Mastrosimone	LW	19	5-10/160	Boston University (HE)	`19(54th)
NYR	77	Morgan Barron	C	21	6-2/200	Cornell (ECAC)	`17(174th)
Mtl	78	Jesse Ylonen	RW	20	6-1/185	Pelicans (Fin)	`18(35th)
Car	79	Dominik Bokk	RW	20	6-1/180	Rogle (Swe)	T(StL-9/19)
Nsh	80	Egor Afanasyev	RW	19	6-3/205	Windsor (OHL)	`19(45th)
Ana	81	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	C	20	6-1/195	Hal-Mon (QMJHL)	`18(54th)
Min	82	Alexander Khovanov	C	20	5-11/195	Moncton (QMJHL)	`18(86th)
Det	83	Joe Veleno	C	20	6-1/195	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`18(30th)
NJ	84	Kevin Bahl	D	20	6-6/230	Ottawa (OHL)	T(Ari-12/19)
Car	85	Ryan Suzuki	C	19	6-0/180	Bar-Sag (OHL)	`19(28th)
Van	86	Jett Woo	D	20	6-0/205	Calgary (WHL)	`18(37th)
Mtl	87	Mattias Norlinder	D	20	5-11/180	MODO (Swe 2)	`19(64th)
Min	88	Adam Beckman	LW	19	6-1/170	Spokane (WHL)	`19(75th)
Bos	89	Jeremy Swayman	G	21	6-1/190	Maine (HE)	`17(111th)
Wpg	90	Kristian Vesalainen	LW	21	6-3/205	Manitoba (AHL)	`17(24th)
Tor	91	Filip Hallander	LW	20	6-1/185	Lulea (Swe)	T(Pit-8/20)
Fla	92	Owen Tippett	RW	21	6-1/200	Springfield (AHL)	`17(10th)
Car	93	Jake Bean	D	22	6-1/175	Charlotte (AHL)	`16(13th)
Ott	94	Shane Pinto	C	19	6-2/190	North Dakota (NCHC)	`19(32nd)
Col	95	Martin Kaut	RW	20	6-1/175	Colorado (AHL)	`18(16th)
Van	96	Jack Rathbone	D	21	5-10/175	Harvard (ECAC)	`17(95th)
Tor	97	Nick Abruzzese	C	21	5-9/160	Harvard (ECAC)	`19(124th)
Bos	98	Urho Vaakanainen	D	21	6-0/185	Providence (AHL)	`17(18th)
Wsh	99	Alexander Alexeyev	D	20	6-3/200	Hershey (AHL)	`18(31st)
NYI	100	Simon Holmstrom	RW	19	6-1/185	Bridgeport (AHL)	`19(23rd)
LA	101	Jaret Anderson-Dolan	C	21	5-11/190	Ontario (AHL)	`17(41st)
Car	102	Joey Keane	D	21	6-0/185	Hfd-Cha (AHL)	T(NYR-2/20)
Wsh	103	Martin Fehervary	D	20	6-1/190	Hershey (AHL)	`18(46th)
StL	104	Tyler Tucker	D	20	6-1/205	Bar-Fnt (OHL)	`18(200th)
SJ	105	Yegor Spiridonov	C	19	6-2/195	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)	`19(108th)
NJ	106	Joey Anderson	RW	22	6-0/195	Binghamton (AHL)	`16(73rd)
Col	107	Conor Timmins	D	21	6-1/185	Colorado (AHL)	`17(32nd)
StL	108	Klim Kostin	C	21	6-3/195	San Antonio (AHL)	`17(31st)
Mtl	109	Cayden Primeau	G	21	6-3/180	Laval (AHL)	`17(199th)
SJ	110	Jonathan Dahlen	LW	22	5-11/185	Timra IK (Swe 2)	T(Van-2/19)
NJ	111	Reilly Walsh	D	21	5-11/180	Harvard (ECAC)	`17(81st)
Buf	112	Oskari Laaksonen	D	21	6-2/165	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`17(89th)
NJ	113	Arseni Gritsyuk	RW	19	5-10/170	Omskie Yastreby (MHL)	`19(129th)
Wsh	114	Aliaksei Protas	C	19	6-5/205	Prince Albert (WHL)	`19(91st)
Cgy	115	Dustin Wolf	G	19	6-0/165	Everett (WHL)	`19(214th)
StL	116	Joel Hofer	G	20	6-3/160	Portland (WHL)	`18(107th)
VGK	117	Ivan Morozov	C	20	6-1/180	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`18(61st)
Mtl	118	Jake Evans	C	24	6-0/185	Laval (AHL)	`14(207th)
Nsh	119	Eeli Tolvanen	RW	21	5-10/175	Milwaukee (AHL)	`17(30th)
Wpg	120	Ville Heinola	D	19	5-11/180	Lukko Rauma (Fin)	`19(20th)
VGK	121	Lucas Elvenes	RW	21	6-0/175	Chicago (AHL)	`17(127th)
TB	122	Cole Koepke	LW	22	6-1/195	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`18(183rd)
Ana	123	Isac Lundestrom	C	20	6-0/185	San Diego (AHL)	`18(23rd)
NYR	124	Tarmo Reunanen	D	22	6-0/180	Lukko Rauma (Fin)	`16(98th)
Mtl	125	Jordan Harris	D	20	5-11/180	Northeastern (HE)	`18(71st)
Ana	126	Brayden Tracey	LW	19	6-0/175	MJ-Vic (WHL)	`19(29th)
Phi	127	Tanner Laczynski	C	23	6-1/200	Ohio State (B1G)	`16(169th)
Chi	128	Alec Regula	D	20	6-3/200	London (OHL)	T(Det-10/19)
Buf	129	Mattias Samuelsson	D	20	6-3/215	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`18(32nd)
Car	130	Jamieson Rees	C	19	5-10/175	Sarnia (OHL)	`19(44th)
Edm	131	Olivier Rodrigue	G	20	6-1/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`18(62nd)
Fla	132	Serron Noel	RW	20	6-5/205	Osh-Kit (OHL)	`18(34th)
Det	133	Antti Tuomisto	D	19	6-4/190	Assat Pori (Fin Jr)	`19(35th)
Dal	134	Jason Robertson	LW	21	6-2/195	Texas (AHL)	`17(39th)
Mtl	135	Joni Ikonen	C	21	5-10/170	DNP - Injured	`17(58th)
Nsh	136	Rem Pitlick	C	23	5-11/200	Milwaukee (AHL)	`16(76th)
Ott	137	Logan Brown	C	22	6-6/220	Belleville (AHL)	`16(11th)
TB	138	Samuel Walker	C	21	5-11/160	Minnesota (B1G)	`17(200th)
Phi	139	Wade Allison	RW	22	6-2/205	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`16(52nd)
Wpg	140	Declan Chisholm	D	20	6-1/190	Peterborough (OHL)	`18(150th)
NJ	141	Tyce Thompson	RW	21	6-1/180	Providence (HE)	`19(96th)
VGK	142	Connor Corcoran	D	20	6-1/185	Windsor (OHL)	`18(154th)
Ana	143	Jackson Lacombe	D	19	6-1/170	Minnesota (B1G)	`19(39th)
NYR	144	Lauri Pajuniemi	RW	21	6-0/185	TPS Turku (Fin)	`18(132nd)
Car	145	Tuukka Tieksola	RW	19	5-10/160	Karpat Oulu (Fin Jr)	`19(121st)
CBJ	146	Andrew Peeke	D	22	6-3/210	Cleveland (AHL)	`16(34th)
Ana	147	Axel Andersson	D	20	6-0/180	Moncton (QMJHL)	T(Bos-2/20)
Car	148	Patrik Puistola	LW	19	6-0/175	Tap-Juk-Koo (Fin)	`19(73rd)
NJ	149	Michael McLeod	C	22	6-2/195	Binghamton (AHL)	`16(12th)
Car	150	Pyotr Kochetkov	G	21	6-1/175	SKA-VIT (KHL)	`19(36th)
NJ	151	Michael Vukojevic	D	19	6-3/210	Kitchener (OHL)	`19(82nd)
NYI	152	Ruslan Iskhakov	C	20	5-8/155	UConn (HE)	`18(43rd)
Wpg	153	Sami Niku	D	23	6-0/175	Manitoba (AHL)	`15(198th)
TB	154	Hugo Alnefelt	G	19	6-3/195	HV 71 (Swe)	`19(71st)
NJ	155	Nikita Okhotyuk	D	19	6-1/195	Ottawa (OHL)	`19(61st)
NYR	156	Hunter Skinner	D	19	6-2/175	London (OHL)	`19(112th)
LA	157	Mikey Anderson	D	21	6-0/195	Ontario (AHL)	`17(103rd)
Col	158	Shane Bowers	C	21	6-2/190	Colorado (AHL)	T(Ott-11/17)
NYI	159	Joshua Ho-Sang	RW	24	6-0/175	Bri-SA (AHL)	`14(28th)
LA	160	Cal Petersen	G	25	6-3/190	Ontario (AHL)	FA(7/17)
Col	161	Sampo Ranta	LW	20	6-2/205	Minnesota (B1G)	`18(78th)
Wpg	162	Mikhail Berdin	G	22	6-2/165	Manitoba (AHL)	`16(157th)
Bos	163	Jeremy Lauzon	D	23	6-3/205	Providence (AHL)	`15(52nd)
Nsh	164	David Farrance	D	21	5-11/190	Boston University (HE)	`17(92nd)
Van	165	Will Lockwood	RW	22	5-11/175	Michigan (B1G)	`16(64th)
NYI	166	Sebastian Aho	D	24	5-10/175	Bridgeport (AHL)	`17(139th)
Wpg	167	Logan Stanley	D	22	6-7/225	Manitoba (AHL)	`16(18th)
Buf	168	Ryan Johnson	D	19	6-0/175	Minnesota (B1G)	`19(31st)
Van	169	Michael DiPietro	G	21	6-0/195	Utica (AHL)	`17(64th)
VGK	170	Kaedan Korczak	D	19	6-3/190	Kelowna (WHL)	`19(41st)
Car	171	Jack Drury	C	20	5-11/180	Harvard (ECAC)	`18(42nd)
StL	172	Nikita Alexandrov	C	19	6-0/180	Charlottetown (QMJHL)	`19(62nd)
Col	173	Nikolai Kovalenko	RW	20	5-10/175	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`18(171st)
Nsh	174	Juuso Parssinen	C	19	6-2/205	TPS Turku (Fin)	`19(210th)
Chi	175	Pius Suter	C	24	5-11/170	ZSC Lions (NLA)	FA(7/20)
Fla	176	Aleksi Saarela	RW	23	5-11/200	Rfd-Spr (AHL)	T(Chi-10/19)
Bos	177	Trent Frederic	C	22	6-4/215	Providence (AHL)	`16(29th)
CBJ	178	Dmitri Voronkov	LW	20	6-4/190	Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)	`19(114th)
Ott	179	Lassi Thomson	D	19	6-0/190	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`19(19th)
Car	180	Morgan Geekie	C	22	6-2/180	Charlotte (AHL)	`17(67th)
CBJ	181	Trey Fix-Wolansky	RW	21	5-8/185	Cleveland (AHL)	`18(204th)
Ott	182	Vitaly Abramov	RW	22	5-9/175	Belleville (AHL)	T(CBJ-2/19)
TB	183	Alexander Volkov	LW	23	6-1/190	Syracuse (AHL)	`17(48th)
Tor	184	Mikko Kokkonen	D	19	5-11/200	Jukurit (Fin)	`19(84th)
Ott	185	Kevin Mandolese	G	20	6-4/180	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	`18(157th)
CBJ	186	Daniil Tarasov	G	21	6-5/185	Assat Pori (Fin)	`17(86th)
LA	187	Carl Grundstrom	LW	22	6-0/195	Ontario (AHL)	T(Tor-1/19)
LA	188	Kale Clague	D	22	6-0/180	Ontario (AHL)	`16(51st)
Ott	189	Artyom Zub	D	24	6-2/200	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	FA(5/20)
Edm	190	Tyler Benson	LW	22	6-0/200	Bakersfield (AHL)	`16(32nd)
Det	191	Jonatan Berggren	RW	20	5-10/185	Skelleftea AIK (Swe)	`18(33rd)
Tor	192	Yegor Korshkov	RW	24	6-4/215	Toronto (AHL)	`16(31st)
Dal	193	Riley Damiani	C	20	5-9/165	Kitchener (OHL)	`18(137th)
VGK	194	Zach Whitecloud	D	23	6-2/210	Chicago (AHL)	FA(3/18)
Buf	195	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	G	21	6-4/195	Cincinnati (ECHL)	`17(54th)
Car	196	David Cotton	LW	23	6-3/205	Boston College (HE)	`15(169th)
Chi	197	Wyatt Kalynuk	D	23	6-1/180	Wisconsin (B1G)	FA(7/20)
Min	198	Hunter Jones	G	19	6-4/195	Peterborough (OHL)	`19(59th)
LA	199	Jordan Spence	D	19	5-10/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`19(95th)
Cgy	200	Dmitri Zavgorodny	LW	20	5-9/175	Rimouski (QMJHL)	`18(198th)
Col	201	Alex Beaucage	RW	19	6-1/195	Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)	`19(78th)
TB	202	Dmitri Semykin	D	20	6-3/200	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	`18(90th)
CBJ	203	Matiss Kivlenieks	G	24	6-2/190	Cleveland (AHL)	FA(5/17)
StL	204	Ville Husso	G	25	6-3/205	San Antonio (AHL)	`14(94th)
Phi	205	Bobby Brink	RW	19	5-10/165	Denver (NCHC)	`19(34th)
NYI	206	Otto Koivula	C	22	6-4/220	Bridgeport (AHL)	`16(120th)
Car	207	Eetu Makiniemi	G	21	6-2/180	KOOVEE (Fin 2)	`17(104th)
NYI	208	Anatoli Golyshev	RW	25	5-8/180	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL)	`16(95th)
Chi	209	Evan Barratt	C	21	6-0/190	Penn State (B1G)	`17(90th)
Buf	210	Erik Portillo	G	20	6-6/210	Dubuque (USHL)	`19(67th)
Fla	211	Cole Schwindt	RW	19	6-2/185	Mississauga (OHL)	`19(81st)
Chi	212	Michal Teply	LW	19	6-3/185	Winnipeg (WHL)	`19(105th)
Ott	213	Mads Sogaard	G	19	6-7/195	Medicine Hat (WHL)	`19(37th)
Buf	214	Jonas Johansson	G	24	6-4/205	Rochester (AHL)	`14(61st)
TB	215	Cal Foote	D	21	6-4/215	Syracuse (AHL)	`17(14th)
StL	216	Niko Mikkola	D	24	6-5/200	San Antonio (AHL)	`15(127th)
NYI	217	Robin Salo	D	21	6-1/190	SaiPa (Fin)	`17(46th)
Bos	218	Jakub Zboril	D	23	6-1/200	Providence (AHL)	`15(13th)
Buf	219	Will Borgen	D	23	6-2/200	Rochester (AHL)	`15(92nd)
Pit	220	Pierre-Olivier Joseph	D	21	6-2/170	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	`17(23rd)
SJ	221	Sasha Chmelevski	C	21	5-11/190	San Jose (AHL)	`17(185th)
Ari	222	Kyle Capobianco	D	23	6-1/180	Tucson (AHL)	`15(63rd)
Det	223	Keith Petruzzelli	G	21	6-5/180	Quinnipiac (ECAC)	`17(88th)
Wsh	224	Garrett Pilon	RW	22	5-11/190	Hershey (AHL)	`16(87th)
NJ	225	Nikola Pasic	RW	19	5-10/185	Karlskoga (Swe 2)	`19(189th)
TB	226	Alex Barre-Boulet	C	23	5-10/165	Syracuse (AHL)	FA(3/18)
Edm	227	Ryan McLeod	C	20	6-2/205	Bakersfield (AHL)	`18(40th)
NYI	228	Samuel Bolduc	D	19	6-3/210	BLB-She (QMJHL)	`19(57th)
Ott	229	Joey Daccord	G	24	6-2/195	Belleville (AHL)	`15(199th)
StL	230	Hugh McGing	C	22	5-9/180	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`18(138th)
Edm	231	Cooper Marody	C	23	6-0/180	Bakersfield (AHL)	T(Phi-3/18)
Tor	232	Jeremy Bracco	RW	23	5-9/180	Toronto (AHL)	`15(61st)
Phi	233	German Rubtsov	C	22	6-2/190	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	`16(22nd)
Wsh	234	Brian Pinho	C	25	6-1/195	Hershey (AHL)	`13(174th)
Col	235	Logan O'Connor	RW	24	6-0/170	Colorado (AHL)	FA(7/18)
Buf	236	Casey Fitzgerald	D	23	5-11/190	Rochester (AHL)	`16(86th)
NJ	237	Daniil Misyul	D	19	6-3/180	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`19(70th)
Ari	238	John Farinacci	C	19	5-11/185	Harvard (ECAC)	`19(76th)
Edm	239	Aapeli Rasanen	C	22	6-0/195	Boston College (HE)	`16(153rd)
Pit	240	Anthony Angello	RW	24	6-5/205	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	`14(145th)
Mtl	241	Cam Hillis	C	20	5-10/170	Guelph (OHL)	`18(66th)
Cgy	242	Mathias Emilio Pettersen	RW	20	5-9/170	Denver (NCHC)	`18(167th)
SJ	243	Alexander True	C	23	6-5/205	San Jose (AHL)	FA(7/18)
NYI	244	Reece Newkirk	C	19	5-11/175	Portland (WHL)	`19(147th)
Dal	245	Dawson Barteaux	D	20	6-0/180	RD-Wpg (WHL)	`18(168th)
Bos	246	Jack Ahcan	D	23	5-8/185	St. Cloud State (NCHC)	FA(3/20)
Det	247	Seth Barton	D	21	6-2/175	Mass-Lowell (HE)	`18(81st)
Fla	248	Max Gildon	D	21	6-3/190	New Hampshire (HE)	`17(66th)
Ari	249	Aku Raty	RW	19	6-0/175	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	`19(151st)
Wpg	250	David Gustafsson	C	20	6-1/195	Winnipeg (NHL)	`18(60th)

AHL Pacific Division Report, October – Developing prospects

Tom Dorsa — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 13:10:03 +0000

October is a month of formation for minor league hockey teams. In the first month of a long regular season, you start to see the players -- most often a mix of wily veterans and first- or second-year pros -- align and adapt to one another’s unique playing styles.

For some clubs, players, and coaches, that transition can be seamless, but for some it’s a disastrous early-season experiment. Such is the beauty of the American Hockey League, wherein young prospects are given chances to succeed not only in spite of, but because of, their early-season mistakes.

As mentioned above, development is a work in progress. Some young players can adjust with relative ease, while the unlucky struggle to acclimatize themselves to the speed, skill, and physicality of the hockey world’s second-best professional sanctioning body.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at the teams and notable prospects in the AHL’s Pacific Division. The teams on the West Coast, desert, and Rocky Mountains have all made strides and adjustments in the early portion of the campaign, and this article will take you through some of the news and notes from each of the Pacific Division’s seven member teams.

Stockton Heat (Calgary Flames)

Record: 7-1-1-1, 16 points, .800 points percentage

The Heat are absolutely on fire (pun intended) to start the 2019-20 AHL campaign. Exploding offensively, the youthful club has scored the most goals in the Western Conference (39) thus far and had four players averaging a point per game.

The job Cail MacLean has done with a team missing the two-way contributions of top-ranked prospect Jusso Valimaki cannot be overstated. Since moving from Glen Falls, New York to Stockton as part of the AHL’s California expansion four years ago, the Heat have never won a playoff series.

Their chances to do so look better than ever before in this season’s early parts. Unfortunately for the fans in San Joaquin county, looming concerns over an arena lease have clouded the much-deserved celebration of the club’s early success.

Calgary Flames Dillon Dube

Dillon Dube, 3rd in McKeen’s Yearbook preseason rankings of Flames farm system (7GP-1G-6A-7P): Though it was a disappointment for the 21-year-old to not crack the Flames’ opening night roster after a decent NHL showing last season, he was arguably the Heat’s best player in October. A playmaker and forechecker extraordinaire heading into the season, he is starting to display heightened awareness and patience on offense as well as an increased defensive presence and responsibility. With exceptional penalty kill work, the former Team Canada World Junior captain is one of the first guys going up to Calgary if needed and can easily find a way to contribute to the big-league team.

Eetu Tuulola, 14th (8-4-1-5): Skating was the biggest concern surrounding the first-year winger from Finland, and while his acceleration and balance can still lag at times, his straight-line speed looks solid. Adding some quickness to his massive 6-3”, 220lbs frame makes the 21-year-old Tuulola a scary player, as his body control, shooting ability, and versatile usefulness on the power play have already impressed scouts around the game.

Glenn Gawdin, 18th (8-2-6-8): Gawdin, a second-year pro, has long had an incredible offensive game, but like Tuulola, his skating had held him back from becoming a go-to option for offense in the pro ranks. His acceleration looks a little better, and he has displayed more energy out on the ice than in his 2018-19 rookie season. His point-per-game pace to this point is a direct reflection of that assertiveness, but I still see Gawdin as more of a two-way bottom-six center with some offensive potential. His smarts and discipline have always been his biggest draw to me, and his skating is too big of a concern for him to pan out as a top-six offensive option.

Tucson Roadrunners (Arizona Coyotes)

Record:8-3-0-0, 16 points, .727% points percentage

After injuries decimated their young club late into the 2018-19 season, the Roadrunners appear to be reaching the potential they missed out on due to ailments last campaign. Head coach Jay Varady’s club was briefly in first place in the Pacific Division in October.

While the club has been top heavy in terms of point-scoring, they have been carried mightily by a pair of young netminders, Adin Hill and Ivan Provsetov, who have combined to allow just 25 goals, the fewest in the AHL’s Western Conference.

After missing the playoffs last year, we expected the team to come back with a vengeance and contend for the top spot in the seven-team division, which they won in 2017-18. Their first 11 games, a solid 16 percent of their season schedule, confirms those beliefs.

Lane Pederson, Unranked in McKeen’s Yearbook preseason rankings of Coyotes farm system (11-9-5-14): Although the former WHLer is not the most intriguing prospect in the game, or the most well-known, Pederson has inarguably been the best skater on the Roadrunners roster this season. Third in the league in both goals and points, his offensive contributions are no coincidence if you remember his efforts in Coyotes training camp, through which he almost broke the NHL roster. His skating has improved from his WHL days, and while his passing game/vision are still to be developed, his shot is a force. He is reliable defensively and kills penalties for Tucson. He went undrafted, but if there was a second or third-round pick attached to his name, hype would be building fast for the potential middle-six center.

Ivan Prosvetov, 6th (3-1-0-0, 1.98 GAA, .944 Sv% in four starts): We knew that Prosvetov was a beast in the goal and would eventually turn into a high-end pro, but it’s somewhat surprising to see how quickly he has transformed into a mature, disciplined netminder. He was a hot head in the OHL, once receiving a five-game suspension for batting a puck into spectators during a stoppage of play. It looks like he has harnessed that competitive fire, boosting his package of 6-5” length and athletic ability with an energized demeanor on the ice. At 20 years old, younger than the large majority of AHL netminders, he is a step ahead of the competition.

Kyle Capobianco, 4th (3-0-2-2): Capobianco looks like, and is to a degree, an NHL player. He made the Coyotes’ opening night roster and has appeared in nine big-league contests so far, after his 2018-19 campaign came to a disastrous end due to a season-ending leg injury in February. So this prospect blurb acts like more of a check-up on a prospect than an actual scouting piece, in this case: he’s fine. He does not look a step slow due to his injury, his playmaking and skating are still capable of contributing in all three zones, and his potential as a power-play quarterback is still there. He will be a full-time NHLer in short order.

Ontario Reign (Los Angeles Kings)

Record: 6-2-2-0, 14 points, .700% points percentage

Last season, Ontario finished seventh out of seven Pacific Division teams, had a .441 points percentage, and recorded a -61 goal differential. Their struggles were a direct reflection of a Kings farm system that had become depleted due to their NHL parent club’s sustained success and desire for more.

The Kings of that era valued size and defensive strength over anything else, and now, as the game of hockey has progressed, so has the L.A. system. The revamped Reign roster is beginning to see the effects of the newly-implemented Rob Blake system, and have used that speed and skill to ascend back to the top of the division table.

Of course, a healthy chunk of the credit for the Reign’s turnaround has to go to head coach Mike Stothers, as well as many of their young players. If October is any indicator, the Reign could be playing postseason hockey again this season.

Los Angeles Kings Goalie Cal Petersen e)

Cal Petersen, 11th in McKeen’s Yearbook preseason rankings of Kings farm system (6-2-2-0, 2.55 GAA, .929 Sv% in ten starts): Since his pro debut in 2017-18, Petersen has been one of the AHL’s top goaltenders. Last season was grim, as his GAA floated over four due mostly to a horrid club in front of him, but he looks to have bounced back big time. The 25-year-old plays a wild, entertaining style of highly-athletic goaltending, and rarely cracks mentally. His hulking physical size and ability to read plays as they develop helps him compensate for a lack of decisive tool-selection and overall refinement. His contract goes from a two-way deal this year to one-way the next year and beyond, meaning he is essentially auditioning for an NHL job this season.

Carl Grundstrom, 8th (4-5-2-7): Along with a 2019 first round pick (used on Tobias Bjornfot), Grundstrom was the return from Toronto in the Jake Muzzin trade, and the young forward has added some instant value to the Kings system. In dominating the AHL in the early parts of the season, he has earned some appearances with L.A. and can only get better from here. He is a hard-working player who competes in all three zones, never slows down out there, and can flash a surprising goal-scoring touch. A hard forechecker to escape, that effort translates to the other end of the ice, where he has become an impactful penalty killer. He can be prone to mistakes, but Grundstrom’s relentless motor and two-way reliability give him a solid ceiling of a middle-six winger with some offensive upside that has not even been tapped into.

Matt Luff, 20th (9-3-4-7): The undrafted 22-year-old was one of Ontario’s best players (and a bright spot in his short Kings stint) last season, and he looks to have carried that promise and excellence into 2019-20. One thing that helps accumulate NHL-worthy stats is just how much the winger loves to shoot, leading the club with 34 shots through nine AHL games so far, in addition to being third on the team in shots (153) despite just 33 games with the AHL team has year. Luff has good reason to be a volume shooter, with a heavy, spinning wrist shot that has menacing velocity and tremendous accuracy, but his toughness and puck skills are also elements to watch out of the depth forward.

Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)

Record: 5-5-1-0, 11 points, .500% points percentage

While Edmonton’s two superstar talents, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisiatl, have ripped the NHL to shreds in the early going of the 2019-20 season, some of the club’s top prospects are continuing the trend in the AHL.

Oilers’ CEO Bob Nicholson’s laid-out plan of allowing prospects to “over-ripen” seems to be the organization’s modus operandi, and the Condors are reaping the benefits of having more experienced, longer-tenured players on the roster this season.

For head coach Jay Woodcroft, it’s mostly the same players that dominated during their historic 2018-19 run that have been at the forefront of their 2019-20 operations. You can’t bank on Bakersfield having the same 17-game winning streak as the division champs did last season, but they will compete to bring playoff hockey to Kern County, California for the second time after relocating from Oklahoma City in 2015.

Tyler Benson, 4th in McKeen’s yearbook preseason rankings of Oilers farm system (11-2-7-9): His maturity, hockey IQ, and vision make it easy to forget, but Benson is only 21 years old and has just one full pro season under his belt. After pacing the Condors in points last season, his heads-up rushing action and high-end playmaking skills have put him out front early this year. A speedy skater with beautiful acceleration and swift pivots, his ability to draw space to himself and pass the puck off is reminiscent of the NHL’s preeminent puck-movers. His only flaw is his shot, which lacks speed and accuracy. His early-career development was plagued by injuries, but with full health, he looks downright scary good and could soon be a top-six facilitator for the Oilers.

Kailer Yamamoto, 6th (11-4-3-7): Sent down to Bakersfield as part of a rehab schedule for his wrist injury from last season, Yamamato has had a pretty decent start to his AHL season. The former first-round pick has been so-so on offense, and you would like to see him use his slippery skating, speedy hands, and creativity to drive offense more. But his penalty kill and overall defensive game have been exceptional, and it is impressive to see the way he has rounded out his game. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 21-year-old get a recall to Edmonton soon, especially as the Oilers’ bottom six is starved for skill.

Evan Bouchard, 2nd (11-3-4-7): The reigning Max Kaminsky trophy winner as the Ontario Hockey League’s best blueliner, Bouchard has been playing up to that billing since joining the AHL ranks at the start of the season. With his creativity, vision, and booming shot, the 10th overall pick in 2018 has excelled with Bakersfield thus far. Two of the defenseman’s three goals have come on the man-advantage, which speaks to his effectiveness on the power play. His skating is not as big of an issue as it was in his draft season, but can still improve.

San Jose Barracuda (San Jose Sharks)

Record:4-4-0-1, 9 points, .500% points percentage

San Jose has so few certified “veteran” players on the roster that it is genuinely impressive that they have posted a .500 record so far this season. Kudos to Roy Sommer, the club’s head coach, but also, the team’s European scouting group for plucking legitimate talent from some obscure areas.

Swedish winger Joel Kellman, German forward Lean Bergmann, and Danish forwards Alexander True and Joachim Blichfeld are the club’s top-four scorers through nine games. All four of the Barracuda stars were either undrafted signees or seventh-round draft selections.

Their top goaltender, Josef Korenar, was also an undrafted signee who has emerged as one of the AHL’s top goalies at just 21. Hopefully the team can be carried by these otherwise-unheard of players to the club’s fifth consecutive postseason appearance since relocating from Worcester, Massachusetts.

Sasha Chmelevski, 2nd in McKeen’s yearbook preseason rankings of Sharks farm system (6-0-1-1): Both things can be true: Chmelevski has had a hard time adjusting to the pro ranks, and he has been battling injuries since the beginning of the season, having missed the last few Barracuda games with a lower-body ailment. So, you have to take his early-season results with a grain of salt. He has flashed some of that quick, precise passing and smart decision making early on in his pro career, especially on the San Jose power play, where he is playing first-unit minutes. His injuries have hampered his skating some, and you would like to see him use his heavy, accurate wrist shot more. He almost made the Sharks roster out of training camp, which means there is something special about the 21-year-old, but we just have to wait and see a fully healthy version of him.

Joachim Blichfeld, 7th (8-3-3-6): Whereas Chmelevski has had a troublesome professional hockey adjustment process, Blichfeld has been excellent since puck drop on opening night. While his offensive numbers don’t equal that of his godly WHL totals a year ago (68-53-61-114), he has been exceptional at what he does best; drive play with speed and creativity, fire the puck at will, and get into dirty areas without the puck. He has been a pest in front of the goal and seeks out crease-front rebounds at every chance. A power-play staple, the right-hander has played a variety of roles on the man-advantage. However, the Danish winger can be prone to frequent turnovers, and needs to amp up his three-zone awareness to prevent getting the puck stick-checked away.

Josef Korenar, 10th (3-2-1-2, 1.82, .932): An AHL All-Star last season, the 21-year-old Czech has only stepped his game up from there. Most importantly, the former undrafted signee has provided the Sharks with one thing they arguably didn’t have: a denoted goaltender of the future. His tool selection can still be a little spotty, and he plays an inconsistent positional game (when to come out and challenge, when to guard posts, etc), but his raw package is that of a future NHL stud. Korenar displays otherworldly smarts, vision, and anticipation while playing a calm and composed style in the crease. He is highly athletic and can scramble to make saves, and his rebound control has improved since last season.

Colorado Eagles (Colorado Avalanche)

Record: 4-5-0-0, 8 points, .444% points percentage

Whereas some teams have benefited from an influx of their organization’s brightest young stars, the Eagles have stagnated with a bunch of veteran guys with low ceilings. I don’t believe their slow start to the season is a coincidence; they just don’t really have that pure, youthful skill to mesh with the aged, seasoned pros on the club.

It is not like Colorado has no high-end prospects on the roster, as the club sports names like Shane Bowers, Conor Timmins, or Martin Kaut, but moreso that these young players are having trouble finding a rhythm or just coming into their own as prospects.

Luckily, they are through just nine games of the Pacific Division’s 68-game schedule. Head coach Greg Cronin and the club have time on their side and a group of experienced players who know what it takes to make it through the tough and tiresome winter months. With that, the goal is to bring playoff hockey to Loveland, CO, in just their second year in the AHL.

Conor Timmins, 6th in McKeen’s yearbook preseason rankings of Avalanche farm system (7-1-2-3): We all knew Timmins could play, but how quickly he has jumped back into action and found a way to contribute after missing the entirety of the 2018-19 season is nothing short of amazing. The right-shot defenseman who made the Avs roster out of camp has not missed a beat, and has emerged as the versatile, three-zone defender he was picked as in the second-round of the 2017 draft. His physical strength makes him capable of outmuscling anyone in a puck battle, and his vision to get the puck out of the zone — via his solid outlet pass or his skating — makes him a threat joining the rush. He has the potential to be a top-four minute-munching defender at the highest level of the game.

Nick Henry, 11th (9-1-2-3): An assist machine in his final year with WHL Lethbridge, Henry’s main asset — playmaking and transitional play — has translated well in his first full professional season. Although he is not racking up points at an insane pace, the 20-year-old has been instrumental in driving play for the Eagles’ fourth line. His skating is not great, but good enough to get through the neutral zone, where his vision and high hockey IQ can take over a rush. He is solid defensively, with decent strength for an undersized winger, and his energy and tenacity on the forecheck has been noticeable. His main issue is his hesitance to shoot, mainly defaulting to passing; he will need to improve upon his shot assertiveness to succeed long-term in the pros.

Logan O’Connor, 12th (9-1-2-3): The former University of Denver captain continued his emergence as a top-notch prospect in the Avs system in October. Boosted onto the top line for the Eagles (mostly playing with veterans T.J. Tynan and Erik Condra), O’Connor’s well-rounded, mature game has provided plus value for Colorado thus far. He has the acceleration and top speed of an NHL top-six winger, along with the hockey IQ and smarts to make an impact in all three zones. He can play any role, at any forward position, against any competition, and that kind of versatility is what makes him a surefire future NHLer.

San Diego Gulls (Anaheim Ducks)

Record: 2-6-0-0, 4 points, .250% points percentage

The diagnosis for their slow start is a simple one: the Gulls have suffered from a transitioning, transformative roster in Anaheim depleting the AHL club, which made the Western Conference Finals last season.

Head coach Kevin Dineen has his work cut out for him with a roster that has lost his stars from last campaign, such as former first-round picks Sam Steel and Max Jones as well as Team U.S.A. World Junior hero Troy Terry, all of whom are on the Ducks’ active roster.

There still shine some bright lights amid a dark and frightening tunnel however, as a Ducks farm system with a decent amount of talent steps on the ice in San Diego.

Isac Lundestrom, 4th in the McKeen’s yearbook preseason rankings of Ducks farm system (6-2-1-3): After starting the season eating healthy scratches with the Ducks, the 2018 first-rounder returned to the AHL and has fared well centering the Gulls’ third line, scoring his first career AHL goal just a few games ago. His ability as a puck carrier has received a well-deserved spotlight on the power play, and his versatility and maturity (it’s easy to forget that he is just 19-years-old) has received abundant penalty kill time thus far. The youthful Swede is such a multi-faceted player and thinks the game at such a high level that he will not need much more improving to do before being a solid, consistent NHL player. He just needs to improve upon his offensive assertiveness, most importantly how underused his wrist shot is.

Joshua Mahura, 9th (6-0-0-0): Mahura was recently recalled to the NHL roster (where he promptly recorded three assists in his season debut), and it was a well-deserved promotion. The scoresheet won’t prove it to you, but he had quietly been one of the Gulls’ better players in the young season. Playing on both special teams, the defender exhibited his high-end two-way versatility and desire to play up at most times. He is a highly dangerous option to start or join a rush at any opportunity, and that same mentality is paying off in the NHL, with his 3.9 CF% Rel. It’s early, and both the Ducks and Gulls are undergoing a lot of changes, but perhaps he has already played his last regular season AHL game.

Los Angeles Kings 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 11:42:29 +0000

Before Rob Blake took over as the General Manager of the Kings, the Deam Lombradi/Darryl Lombardi era Kings were known primarily for two things: defensive hockey played by big men, and winning Stanley Cups despite lacking in abundant skill. But by the time that Blake was put in charge, after he had been in place as an assistant GM for four seasons, the writing for that style of hockey was on the wall. Big and lumbering were out and speed and skill were in.

The Kings had a few players able to cross over from style to style, such as Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar, and of course the stylistic changes would not have had a huge impact on netminder Jonathan Quick, but most of the roster would need a refresh. That was partly due to the carry-over players lacking the elements that were beginning to define the game more and more, but it was also partially due to the inevitable toll that age and long Springs have. The game had moved on and the Kings would have to catch up.

Looking at the 20 players listed below, as well as a number of those who were strongly considered but ultimately did not make the final cut, we can see how complete the turnover has been at the organizational level. Start with the fact that a full 14 of the 20 named below were drafted or signed after Blake was named the GM. Of the remaining six, only one, Russian forward Nikolai Prokhorkin, predates Blake’s executive career in Los Angeles.

Part of the turnover was due not only to a simple changing of the guard, but that the Kings, in a down portion of the success cycle, stopped trading away picks (they had six and four respectively in the two drafts prior to Blake’s being named GM) and last year went in with extras, making nine picks in seven rounds, including two first rounders.

Another aspect to the turnaround has been that the Kings are emphasizing speed and skill in their draft picks. That is not to say that the team has avoided bigger players (not even considering goalies). For every 6-5” Andre Lee (2019, 7^th round), there is a 5-7” Aidan Dudas (4^th round, 2018). For every 6-2” Arthur Kaliyev (2^nd round, 2019), or Gabriel VIlardi (1^st round, 2017) there are an abundance of 5-11” dynamos, such as Jaret-Anderson Dolan (2^nd round, 2017), Akil Thomas (2^nd round, 2018) or this year’s draft prize, Alex Turcotte (1^st round, 2019). Whereas they would formerly augment their system with big players like 6-5” Kurtis MacDermid or 6-3” Matt Luff, they know bring in 5-10” Sheldon Rempal and 5-7” Blake Lizotte.

The tear down is now more or less complete in LA, but the buildup is only getting started. Blake and company have been taking a slow route so far, not rushing prospects. In fact, of the first two Blake draft classes, only one player, Anderson-Dolan, has even played a single game in the NHL, and even he only appeared in five contests. (Gabriel Vilardi made have doubled that count, were it not for a devastating back injury that curtailed his 2018-19 season). The Kings now have a pipeline full of players in Blake’s preferred mold. The next step is to put them on the ice at the NHL level and see who sticks and how it comes together.

-Ryan Wagman

Los Angeles Kings Left Wing Carl Grundstrom (38) (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire)

1 Alex Turcotte, C (5^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Despite missing a big chunk of the first half with a lower body injury, there was no doubt that Turcotte would be a top pick in this past June’s draft. The type of center whose success is partially attributed to near elite hockey IQ, he senses lanes of opportunity better, and more quickly than just about anyone in his age group. His puck skills are also at a very high level. He has a very sharp wrist shot with a lightning quick release and his hands are among the softest outside of the NHL, able to create havoc from in tight. Turcotte is a fantastically dynamic player when he rushes the net and, in fact, carries that dynamism with him for all assignments. He is a puck hound, constantly forcing turnovers and driving possession and scoring chance creation. He needs to beef up to help him increase his durability, but has first line center upside and should be ready as soon as 2020-21. - RW

2 Tobias Bjornfot, D (22^nd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Bjornfot has been looking great in the pre-season, both at the WJSS and in SHL pre-season games. He is expected to earn a full-time spot with one of the top SHL teams this year. He is an active, smart defenseman who can play both progressive as well as conservative when needed. His puck skills are strong and he rarely makes a bad play. His passing skills are also strong. He is physically strong for his age and moves well. He can push plays with his skating and be a dangerous fourth attacker. He can also shut down plays with strength and skating abilities. There aren’t any real flaws in his game. Bjornfot has a high probability top four potential and maybe even top pairing if his development curve will continue to be strong. The concern that could keep him from the top pair is that his offensive numbers probably won’t be that high. - JH

3 Rasmus Kupari, C (20^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 2) Kupari had a terrific season with Karpat in the Liiga and looks more than ready to leave Finland for North America. His greatest asset is, without doubt, his skating. Highly agile on his skates, he can make tight turns and cuts and he possesses strong edge control. He stops and starts well and has excellent top-end speed. He can maneuver with the puck in tight spaces and has a lot of puck skill as well. He improved his decision making last season, showing that his hockey sense is no longer as much of an issue as it used to be. He can be creative offensively and find his linemates with pinpoint passing. Kupari is defensively reliable and he uses his speed to close on opponents quickly. H has the potential to play on the Kings’ top two lines within a few years. - MB

4 Gabriel Vilardi, C (11^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 1) Vilardi played only four games for Ontario last year because of a lingering back injury that appears to be threatening his promising career. Still not cleared to return to the ice, he is currently in limbo. If you ignore the injury concerns, he is still a very promising prospect. He possesses a great size and skill package down the middle and is a terrific playmaker who thinks the game at a high level and really can dominate possession down low. He is just so strong and difficult to separate from the puck. On the other hand, his skating, especially his first few strides, really needed to improve and one would have to assume that this back injury has only decreased his skating ability further. Unfortunately, at this point, Vilardi’s career seems to be in serious jeopardy, giving Kings’ fans Scott Barney flashbacks. - BO

5 Arthur Kaliyev, LW (33^rd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) One of the most polarizing prospects from the 2019 NHL Draft class, Kaliyev ended up sliding to the second round where the Kings selected him. Yes, there are some concerns over both his pace of play and his eagerness to involve himself physically and without the puck. That said, he is nearly the complete package on the offensive side of the puck. He possesses both a booming slapshot and a quick release wrist shot, which he can use while cutting in or driving wide. He operates best as a triggerman in the slot, but he can create his own chances. He is also an underrated playmaker whose poise and patience with the puck has improved greatly through his time in the OHL. There are warts, but there is also massive potential for Kaliyev to develop into a consistent 30 goal scorer in a top six role for the LA Kings. - BO

6 Akil Thomas, C (51^st overall, 2018. Last Year: 4) Recently named captain of the Niagara IceDogs for the upcoming 2019-20 season, Thomas is an elite playmaker. He uses both great hands and quick feet to exploit gaps in defenses, drawing defenders in before making a great pass to an open teammate for an easy goal. His vision is excellent. He is also a capable defensive player who shows hustle in all three zones. Where Thomas still struggles is in trying to play through traffic and driving the middle of the ice. He needs to get stronger on the puck and become more assertive to take his game to that next level. he profiles as a top six forward, likely as a winger and not a center where he currently plays, and he should be able to make an impact within a couple of years. - BO

7 Samuel Fagemo, LW (50^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Fagemo turned many heads last season when he went from being snubbed at the 2018 NHL draft to one of the best junior forwards in the SHL. He is an attacking forward with a knack for goal scoring. He is good at finding open space for himself, and has a strong wrist shot which is dangerous from various distances. The knock on him earlier was a lack of speed in combination of him creating his chances at junior level with speed as a weapon. His feet have gotten quicker and he will probably get an even bigger role this season in the SHL and the Swedish WJC team. His hockey sense and defensive game will be red flags, though. Fagemo tends to try do too much by himself, rather than to play the team game. That element has improved and he processes the offensive game quickly and is often available for a pass. - JH

8 Carl Grundstrom, RW (57^th overall, 2016 [Toronto]. Last Year: 4 [Toronto]) Grundstrom is a hard-working, physical player. He gets in deep and gets the job done which often results in good production offensively as he never takes a shift off. The downside to a straight-lines player like this is the fact that his skillset is not the best, which can impact him in different situations. For instance, with the Toronto Marlies last season, he was an impact penalty killer always getting the puck deep and forechecking hard, but on power play his lack of technical finesse stood out and would lead to turnovers once the play slowed down and more pressure was applied. He will need to learn to play better under pressure and be more patient, not everything being done at top speed. Grundstrom will start the season with the LA Kings as a bottom six forward and will most likely stay a bottom six forward considering his classic dump and chase forechecking style and his hard work. - SC

9 Kale Clague, D (51^st overall, 2016. Last Year: 3) An intelligent, mobile defenseman, Clague had an up-and-down first full year in the Kings’ pro system. He finished in the top-10 in rookie defensive scoring in the AHL, using his immense skill, deceptive skating, and high-end vision to make an impact in transition and in the offensive zone. What plagued him most as a prospect tearing up the WHL over the last few years was his inconsistent defensive zone play, which is just what made his debut season with AHL Ontario a challenging one. Pushed into a top-pair role, the left-hander struggled to acclimate himself with the speed of the pro game, and had a number of difficult nights on defense. He had improved on his defensive game a little before a broken foot ended his season in March, but not to the point of being an NHLer. Expect him to return to an AHL top-pair role this year, though his overall ceiling speaks top-four potential. - TD

10 Jaret Anderson-Dolan, C (165^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 5) Anderson-Dolan had a tough season last year battling injuries, but managed to finish the season strong. After impressing at camp, he started the season playing five games for the Kings in which he managed a single assist. He was returned to Spokane where he was expected to dominate and put up some huge numbers. In only his second game back though, he suffered a broken wrist, putting him out for close to two months, affecting his play and status for Canada at the World Juniors. He managed to play through the tournament, but didn't have the impact that he would have otherwise. He finished the season by putting up 20 goals and 43 points in 32 games for the Chiefs, and 15 in 13 games in the playoffs, demonstrating that his multi-tool impact was still there. Anderson-Dolan will make another push for the Kings this year, and has a legit shot, although playing in the AHL is probably more realistic. - KO

11 Cal Petersen, G (129^th overall, 2013 [Buffalo]. Last Year: 6) It is hard to blame him entirely for a poor season, but Petersen’s stats tailed off big time from 2017-18 to last season, posting a 13-22-1 record with a GAA over four in the AHL. Ontario was horrid, winning fewer games (25) than any other team in the league, and all things considered, the 24-year-old netminder actually held up well. His athleticism, raw movement, and wild style was on display, and his mental side was tested but he did not crack often. His use of his hulking size and ability to read plays looked improved, even on a bad team. Petersen has fared well since signing with Los Angeles, but has been surpassed on the depth chart by the resurgent Jack Campbell. He will need to make a major splash soon to be considered for a long-term NHL tenure with LA, but he has the tools to be a lower-tier starter or high-end reserve goalie. - TD

12 Nikolai Prokhorkin, LW (121^st overall, 2012. Last Year: 17) After a career year in SKA, Prokhorkin decided to move to North America as he signed a one-year deal in California. A member of the Gold Medal winning team in 2018, he was trusted with top-line minutes in St. Petersburg and he delivered with 41 points in 41 regular-season games, posting career highs for both goals and assists. He is now much more mature compared with his first attempt in North America back in 2012 and shouldn’t have many problems in fitting into the Kings’ lineup considering his skills and skating abilities. He has a very good shot with a fast release, sees the ice well and doesn’t shy away from contact even if he is not a physical player. Considering the Kings’ last season, bringing Prokhorkin into the fold may have been a very good move for the franchise to rebound back after a bad 2018-19. - ASR

13 Mikey Eyssimont, C (142^ndoverall, 2016. Last Year: 7) Though his first full pro year did not go as anyone planned, Eyssimont showed just why he could pan out to be a potential fifth-round steal of a draft pick in the near future. The 20 points (10G, 10A) he scored in 63 games looks unimpressive, but he showed out well in a depth role with AHL Ontario, controlling possession with his blazing speed, sick hands, and developing wrist shot. His acceleration and balance are high-end, but his stick-handling is his biggest strength, as the 22-year-old exhibits incredible rhythm and deceptive stick language with the puck on his blade. His defensive game is not as mature as one would like it to be, especially for someone with three years of NCAA experience, but it is slowly coming along. He has solid energy line/depth scorer potential and could reach that ceiling soon. - TD

14 Mikey Anderson, D (103^rd overall, 2017. Last Year: 11) After a phenomenally decorated amateur career, including two NCAA championships with Minnesota-Duluth and accompanied by two runs with the American WJC squad, Anderson is joining older brother Joey as a professional. He is a consummate two way blueliner, equally comfortable pinching deep in the offensive zone as he is boxing out opposing forwards in front of his own goalie. He is not a blazer, but has good feet and will win his share of races for iced pucks. He lacks first power play unit upside offensively, but he protects the puck well at the offensive blueline and is skilled at passing the puck in deep to a teammate in a better position to create a scoring chance. His own zone smarts give him a chance to be a viable penalty kill option. He could use one to two seasons in the AHL to round off his game, but his upside is as a solid #4/5 defender at the highest level. - RW

15 Sean Durzi, D (52^nd overall, 2018 [Toronto]. Last Year: 9 [Toronto]) At the heart of Durzi’s game is his elite mobility. One of the key returns from the Jake Muzzin trade, he is a major asset offensively because of how well he can start the breakout. He is tough to pin down in his own end and can really create time and space with his feet. He is also a terrific powerplay QB who has great vision at the point and who is very adept at using that mobility to attack and open up lanes. Defensively, Durzi’s game will need to improve. He battled a shoulder injury this past year, but will need to get stronger to handle pro sized forwards down low and near the crease. He will have to learn to be more assertive if he wants to receive consistent 5 on 5 ice time. While he may be a few years away, Durzi could develop into a Torey Krug kind of player for the Kings. - BO

16 Aidan Dudas, C (113^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 8) A heart and soul offensive player, Dudas is an aggressive North/South attacker who also possesses a great release that gives him a lot of potential as a goal scorer. His skating has improved since being drafted, especially his top gear. His production was not terrific this past season, but he should be a breakout candidate this year given his skill set. Dudas profiles as a middle six scoring winger who will need to continue to improve his skating – especially considering his diminutive stature - improve his strength on the puck, and become more consistent playing through the middle of the ice in order to reach his potential. - BO

17 Markus Phillips, D (118^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 10) Even though his offensive game never truly developed the way that many had anticipated it would, Phillips is still a valuable prospect who could develop into a steady, third pairing NHL defender. He won an OHL championship with Guelph last year, playing a key role in helping to shut down the opposition’s best. He doesn’t have great reach with his stocky build, but he possesses great four way mobility and terrific defensive instincts that rarely sees him beat one on one or caught out of position. Phillips is also solid with the puck and is skilled enough to evade the forecheck and start the breakout, even if he is not aggressive in attacking the offensive zone. The upside is not high, but he looks like a safe bet to play an NHL role sometime down the road. -BO

18 Sheldon Rempal, LW/RW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Mar. 30, 2018. Last Year: 12) With a lack of size or shooting skill, Rempal’s game has become one of the most refined and well-engineered in the Kings’ system. He knows what works for him, and he has all but mastered his own player-specific gameplay style; speed, tenacity, and scintillating hands being the front-end traits of that game. The undrafted forward out of Clarkson University had a solid first pro year, totaling 15 goals and 25 assists in 59 games in the AHL, though he was held scoreless in seven NHL contests. He is a dynamic playmaker with great vision, and a slippery skater who has impressive balance and body strength. His defensive inconsistencies will need major improvements, while his inability to carry his own line so far in pro hockey has hindered his development as well. Otherwise, he was a bright spot on a dim Reign club and might have a shot at the Kings bottom six out of training camp this season. - TD

19 Matt Roy, D (194^th overall, 2015. Last Year: Not ranked) A right-shot defenseman with a quiet but effective game, Roy is panning out as a steal of an overaged seventh-round pick in 2015. His 2018-19 season with AHL Ontario was great, displaying a high hockey IQ, narrow gaps, and a level of toughness against the boards not seen elsewhere on the Reign blueline, earning a recall to Los Angeles where he more than held his own in 25 NHL games. While not the most mobile or agile of skaters, Roy more than makes up for it in smarts and physicality, which has made him into a solid shutdown depth defenseman. He could contend for a spot on an open Kings blueline this season. - TD

20 Matt Luff, C (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Sep. 23, 2016. Last Year: Not ranked) With the Kings in a downward spiral last season, Luff was one of several depth forwards given an opportunity to succeed in the NHL, and he earned it. The shot-heavy winger was one of Ontario’s best last season (36-11-20-31) and added eight NHL goals with L.A. despite minimal ice time. Possessing a weighty wrist shot with a quick release and a lot of spin, Luff is a bit of a volume shooter for a depth, energy line forward. The right-hander has some untapped puck skills and decent speed, as well as formidable rink senses that make him a serviceable defensive player. He is tough with the puck, but he will need to grow further into his 6-3” frame to truly be an impactful offensive player, as he can and will be bumped off balance pretty easily. Expect him to spend some time with Los Angeles again next season. - TD

MCKEEN’S 2019-20 YEARBOOK: Top 25 Rookies

Ryan Wagman — Sun, 08 Sep 2019 19:01:27 +0000

Projected Top 25 NHL rookies for the 2019-20 season. The top ten are ranked and the final 15 are listed alphabetically.

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar (8) (Photo by Russell Lansford/Icon Sportswire)

Cale Makar, D, Col

As a freshman, Makar was very good for UMass and excellent for Team Canada at the WJC, making the tournament All Star team. As a sophomore, he more than doubled his offensive output, winning the Hobey Baker Award on his way to taking the Minutemen to their first ever Frozen Four. He joined Colorado for the postseason and played a key role in getting the Avalanche to the second round. He could be on the first pairing by Canadian Thanksgiving.

Quinn Hughes, D, Van

Like Makar, Hughes got his toenails wet in the NHL at the conclusion of an excellent sophomore season in the NCAA, in his case with Michigan. He may be more protected this year in the NHL but will have every opportunity to play big offensive minutes and quarterback the Vancouver power play.

Kaapo Kakko, RW, NYR

In the big picture, we prefer the player ranked next, but Kakko is readier right now to impact the Rangers’ fortunes. He has already excelled against men in the Liiga and in the World Championships, scoring six times on the way to a Gold Medal in the latter. He will be competing with Vitali Kravtsov for a top six job right away.

Jack Hughes, C, NJ

One of the most offensively dynamic players ever to play for the USNTDP, Hughes also played in the World Championships, but in a more muted role than Kakko. Older brother Quinn is more likely to play a critical NHL role this year, with Jack slated for third line duties in New Jersey, but Jack is also a superstar in the making.

Sam Steel, C, Ana

We thought Steel would earn an NHL job last year, but Anaheim let him spend most of his first season as a pro in the AHL, where he excelled in both the regular season and the playoffs. He also held his own in limited NHL duty, with 11 points in 22 games. The Ducks are ready to turn to the youth now, and Steel is first in line.

Joel Farabee, LW, Phi

There is a tangible risk that Farabee spends the season, or the bulk of it, in the AHL, but there is also the greater likelihood that his high-end hockey sense, well-rounded skill set and non-stop motor convince the Flyers’ brass that he makes them a better team right now and that playing in the NHL even before he has reached full physical maturity will not harm him long term.

Erik Brannstrom, D, Ott

A WJC All Star for the Silver Medal winning Sweden side, Brannstrom also excelled as a teenaged blueliner with Chicago in the AHL, before being shipped to Ottawa as the prime return in the Mark Stone trade. He will have experienced competition to make the NHL roster out of camp, but the Senators have only one blueliner (Chabot) who is clearly better right now.

Martin Necas, C/RW, Car

Like Brannstrom above, Necas excelled in the AHL as a teenager both before and after a strong WJC performance for his homeland. The winger was also a rock in the AHL playoffs and was one of Charlotte’s leading performers in their run to a Calder Cup. Necas has a good shot to play top six minutes for the Hurricanes from day one and has the tools to stick in the role.

Elvis Merzlikins, G, Clb

Twice named the Goalie of the Year (Jacques Plante Trophy) in Switzerland, Elvis is finally coming to Columbus. His primary competition for the Blue Jackets’ starting job is Joonas Korpisalo, so there is a good chance he finishes much higher in the Calder voting once the season is over. He has more professional experience than anyone here and the tools to succeed are in his pocket as well.

Adam Fox, D, NYR

Traded twice in the last year, Fox steadily was a top offensive blueliner in the college ranks. Drafted by Calgary before moving to Carolina in the Dougie Hamilton trade, he was traded to the Rangers for two early-ish picks. His quarterbacking skills are NHL ready, but he has to prove that the rest of his game will hold up. There is a third pairing spot with his name on it.

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes (86) (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

The Next 15 Candidates are Listed Alphabetically

Drake Batherson, C/RW, Ott

After impressing mightily as a rookie pro last year, including a strong 20 game stint in the NHL, former WJC hero Batherson has a good chance to spend the full season with the torn down Senators. Not the most physically gifted, he is a pure play driver with potentially high-end offensive instincts.

Mackenzie Blackwood, G, NJ

After struggling for two seasons as a pro, Blackwood turned the corner in his third go-round, holding his own for a volatile Binghamton squad and then showing well in New Jersey while Corey Schneider was out. Goalies sometimes take longer, but he has shown all of the tools since his days as a workhorse for OHL Barrie. Playing time will again be dependent on Schneider’s health.

Evan Bouchard, D, Edm

Excelling again with the London Knights is not news for Bouchard. A point per game postseason performance for AHL Bakersfield was. His pace may keep him from reaching the ceilings expected from the blueliners ranked in the top 10, but the rest of his game grades out very well and will give him a long NHL career, likely starting this year.

Maxime Comtois, LW, Ana

Comtois was stunning in an early season job in the NHL, before an injury allowed the team to reevaluate what would be best for his future and returned him to the QMJHL where he scored 31 times in 25 games. He has an NHL frame, and should be in line to compete for a bottom six role out of camp, and better equipped to keep it this time.

Thatcher Demko, G, Van

The Canucks have moved slow with Demko, giving him most of three seasons in the AHL as they cycled through numerous guys in the NHL. He may have received a longer look with the Canucks last year were it not for injury. Jacob Markstrom is ahead of him on the NHL depth chart, but that shouldn’t be for too long.

Noah Dobson, D, NYI

Unlike the defensemen listed in the top ten, Dobson has a traditionally big frame. He is also not a pure, new-age blazing fast puck mover. But he is a future defensive lynchpin. After two consecutive Memorial Cup titles with different teams, he is ready for the NHL. His challenge for now is forcing the Islanders’ hands, as there are seven NHL vets in front of him on the depth chart.

Dante Fabbro, D, Nsh

Like Cale Makar, Fabbro moved to the NHL at the conclusion of his collegiate year and the former first rounder had a regular shift in the postseason as well. Fabbro’s game is less exciting than Makar’s, but his all-around skills and hockey sense made it easier for David Poile and company to trade P.K. Subban to New Jersey and clear room on the roster for the talented rookie.

Cody Glass, C, Vgk

The last remaining member of the Vegas Golden Knight’s inaugural first round of drafting, Glass was several levels too good for the WHL last year and jumped with both feet into the AHL at the end of his junior eligibility, helping take the Chicago Wolves to the Calder Cup final. His frame has filled out since the draft and he has enough hockey sense to play in any role.

Carl Grundstrom, LW/RW, LA

After a strong 15 game cameo late in the year with the Kings, after moving over from Toronto as part of the return for Jake Muzzin, Grundstrom is expected to make the NHL roster out of training camp this year. He plays a heavy, but clean, game and will help prolong offensive zone time for LA, even if he is not going to be a primary play driver.

Denis Gurianov, RW/LA, Dal

Former first rounder Gurianov was looking for all intents and purposes like a bust after two middling years in the AHL. He upped everything by two or three notches last year, becoming an offensive force at times, although his NHL time (21 games) was less impressive. He should have another prolonged chance to prove he is ready for the big time.

Taro Hirose, LW, Det

Most of the players on this list were high-end draft picks. Hirose is the only one who was never drafted. Three years as one of the top offensive threats in the NCAA have a way of changing things. Quicker than he is fast, he plays a dynamic offensive-oriented game. The seven points in his first 10 NHL games is unlikely to be sustainable, but his tools are NHL ready.

Victor Olofsson, LW, Buf

After four years of steadily improving play in the SHL, Olofsson fit right in as an AHL rookie, with nearly a point per game with Rochester. His brief stint with Buffalo also left a positive taste in the mouth, putting him in line to fight for a bottom six role this year as long as he demonstrates that he can play inside the dots consistently.

Ryan Poehling, C, Mtl

Poehling was already accomplished as a two-way player when Montreal used a first-round pick on him, but over the last two seasons, his offensive game has taken positive steps as well, suggestive of a higher upside than was once imagined. He won’t score three goals every game as he did in his NHL debut, but he can contribute in a middle six role and his defensive play is strong enough to keep him on the roster even if he doesn’t produce.

Alexandre Texier, C/LW, Clb

A great skater, there was risk involved when Columbus used a second-round pick on the Frenchman, particularly as he was playing in the French league. He has spent the past two seasons playing in the Liiga, and his offensive game flourished last year, culminating with him playing for the Blue Jackets in their postseason run, scoring twice. After so many free agents left the team, the path is clear for him to spend the full season in the NHL.

Eeli Tolvanen, LW/RW, Nsh

Consider this a bet on the tools. After a fantastic teenage season in the KHL, Tolvanen came back to North America and was only OK in a season spent mostly in the AHL. He was not as consistently assertive as he is at his best. There is a pathway to a bottom six role in the NHL to start for the Finnish sniper, but it will not be handed to him. He will have to work.

Carl Grundstrom – McKeen's Hockey

MCKEEN’S 2025-26 NHL YEARBOOK – SAN JOSE SHARKS – Team Preview/Player Profiles/Predictions

FORWARDS

DEFENCE

GOAL

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – LOS ANGELES KINGS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Forwards

Anze Kopitar - RW

Adrian Kempe - RW

Quinton Byfield - LW

Pierre-Luc Dubois - C

Kevin Fiala - LW

Arthur Kaliyev - RW

Phillip Danault - C

Viktor Arvidsson - RW

Trevor Moore - LW

Defense

Drew Doughty - D

Mikey Anderson - D

Vladislav Gavrikov - D

Matt Roy - D

Goaltending

Cam Talbot - G

Pheonix Copley - G

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – LOS ANGELES KINGS – NHL Player Profiles

FORWARDS

DEFENSE

GOALTENDING

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Top 300 Prospect Rankings

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Los Angeles Kings Top 20 Prospects

Quinton Byfield, C (2nd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Alex Turcotte, C (5th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Gabriel Vilardi, C (11th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 2)

Arthur Kaliyev, LW (33rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 3)

Tobias Bjornfot, D (22nd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Rasmus Kupari, C (20th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 5)

Tyler Madden, C (Trade: Feb. 17, 2020. Originally: 68th overall, 2018 [Vancouver]. Previous ranking: 6)

Akil Thomas, C (51st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 7)

Samuel Fagemo, LW (50th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 8)

Kasper Simontaival, RW (66th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Helge Grans, D (35th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Martin Chromiak, RW (128th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Jaret Anderson-Dolan, C (41st overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 9)

Mikey Anderson, D (103rd overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 10)

Cal Petersen, G (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Jul. 1, 2017. Originally: 129th overall, 2013 (Buffalo). Previous ranking: 11)

Carl Grundstrom, RW (Trade: Jan. 28, 2019. Originally: 57th overall, 2016 [Toronto}. Previous ranking: 12)

Alex Laferriere, RW (83rd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Kale Clague, D (51st overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 13)

Jordan Spence, D (95th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – LOS ANGELES KINGS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 3

Los Angeles Kings

Alex Turcotte, C (5th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

Gabriel Vilardi, C (11th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 4)

Arthur Kaliyev, LW (33rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 5)

Tobias Bjornfot, D (22nd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 2)

Rasmus Kupari, C (20th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 3)

Tyler Madden, C (Trade: Feb. 17, 2020. Originally: 68th overall, 2018 [Vancouver]. 2019 Rank: 9 [Vancouver])

Akil Thomas, C (51st overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 6)

Samuel Fagemo, LW (50th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 7)

Jaret Anderson-Dolan, C (41st overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 10)

Mikey Anderson, D (103rd overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 14)

Cal Petersen, G (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Jul. 1, 2017. Originally: 129th overall, 2013 (Buffalo). 2019 Rank: 11)

Carl Grundstrom, RW (Trade: Jan. 28, 2019. Originally: 57th overall, 2016 [Toronto}. 2019 Rank: 8)

Kale Clague, D (51st overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 9)

Jordan Spence, D (95th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Mikey Eyssimont, C (142nd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 13)

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT – TOP 250 PROSPECTS

AHL Pacific Division Report, October – Developing prospects

Los Angeles Kings 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

MCKEEN’S 2019-20 YEARBOOK: Top 25 Rookies

Cale Makar, D, Col

Quinn Hughes, D, Van

Kaapo Kakko, RW, NYR

Jack Hughes, C, NJ

Sam Steel, C, Ana

Joel Farabee, LW, Phi

Erik Brannstrom, D, Ott

Martin Necas, C/RW, Car

Elvis Merzlikins, G, Clb

Adam Fox, D, NYR

Quinton Byfield, C (2^nd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Alex Turcotte, C (5^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Gabriel Vilardi, C (11^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 2)

Arthur Kaliyev, LW (33^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 3)

Tobias Bjornfot, D (22^nd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Rasmus Kupari, C (20^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 5)

Tyler Madden, C (Trade: Feb. 17, 2020. Originally: 68^th overall, 2018 [Vancouver]. Previous ranking: 6)

Akil Thomas, C (51^st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 7)

Samuel Fagemo, LW (50^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 8)

Kasper Simontaival, RW (66^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Helge Grans, D (35^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Martin Chromiak, RW (128^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Jaret Anderson-Dolan, C (41^st overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 9)

Mikey Anderson, D (103^rd overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 10)

Carl Grundstrom, RW (Trade: Jan. 28, 2019. Originally: 57^th overall, 2016 [Toronto}. Previous ranking: 12)

Alex Laferriere, RW (83^rd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Kale Clague, D (51^st overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 13)

Jordan Spence, D (95^thoverall, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

Alex Turcotte, C (5^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 1)

Gabriel Vilardi, C (11^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 4)

Arthur Kaliyev, LW (33^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 5)

Tobias Bjornfot, D (22^nd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 2)

Rasmus Kupari, C (20^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 3)

Tyler Madden, C (Trade: Feb. 17, 2020. Originally: 68^th overall, 2018 [Vancouver]. 2019 Rank: 9 [Vancouver])

Akil Thomas, C (51^st overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 6)

Samuel Fagemo, LW (50^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 7)

Jaret Anderson-Dolan, C (41^st overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 10)

Mikey Anderson, D (103^rd overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 14)

Carl Grundstrom, RW (Trade: Jan. 28, 2019. Originally: 57^th overall, 2016 [Toronto}. 2019 Rank: 8)

Kale Clague, D (51^st overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 9)

Jordan Spence, D (95^thoverall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Mikey Eyssimont, C (142^ndoverall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 13)