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Los Angeles Kings Draft Recap

ByGary Hale|

The 2015 draft has come and gone. Among all the trades made over the 2015 NHL Draft weekend, the Kings made the biggest move on draft day by picking up Milan Lucic and giving up their 1st round pick to get him. Now, let’s recap what this year’s draft looked like for the Los Angeles Kings…

More From Rink Royalty – Los Angeles Kings Trade For Milan Lucic

2nd round, 43rd overall:  Erik Cernak, D

This 18 year old kid is one big boy. He’s 6’4″, 207 lbs and likes to throw his weight around. He’s currently with the HC Kosice in Slovakia. Scouting reports say he’s great in the defensive zone, has some power play potential, but needs to work a bit on his skating.

3rd round, 74th overall:  Alexander Dergachyov, C

Russian born, now 19 year old center with some size. He’s listed at 6’4″, 200 lbs. Based on scouting reports, I’d say he has a Kopitar like style minus some natural scoring ability, plus an edge and some grit. He’s got soft hands, is creative, and has good vision to see the ice and make plays. He’s currently in the Russian youth league MHL.

4th round, 99th overall:  Austin Wagner, LW

Wagner currently plays in the WHL with the Regina Pats. He’s not as big as the previous to guys, listed at 6’1″, 178 lbs. He appears to be a good two-way player that will do well in a 3rd or 4th line role. He’s an active player, has speed, but needs some work when it comes to getting shots and passes off his tape.

5th round, 134th overall:  Matt Schmalz, RW

This 19 year old has been playing in the OHL with the Sudbury Wolves. He’s HUGE – 6’6″, 209 lbs. He’s a battler, likes to use his size, and has some great leadership skills which showed over last season with Sudbury. Don’t look at his +/- rating last season…it’s scary, yet deceiving because Sudbury was a terrible team last year.

Are you seeing a theme yet with how big these kids are?

7th round, 187th overall:  Chaz Reddekopp, D

First off, Chaz? That’s a sweet name. He’s listed at 6’3″, 219 lbs. He currently plays with the Victoria Royals of the WHL. Based on some scouting descriptions, he may resemble the likes of Brayden McNabb. He likes to hit big and hit often. He’s not overly impressive related to pure skill, but is great in front of his own net, blocks shots, and cleans guys out. I dig it.

7th round, 194th overall:  Matthew Roy, D

The only college kid drafted by the Kings this year was Matthew Roy. He plays with Michigan Tech and had one of the highest +/- ratings for the team last year. Looks like he’ll be a solid two-way defenseman once he gets done studying.

So there you have it! In my humble opinion, nothing groundbreaking in this year’s draft for the Kings. More attention will, rightfully so, be put on the Lucic deal since the Kings gave up their 1st round pick. I think Lucic needs a fresh start so I have high hopes that he’ll do what he’s supposed to do with the Kings.

Next: Jordan Weal Ready For The NHL?

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