Akil Thomas
The LA Kings have seemingly struck gold with their second-round picks lately. So the fact that they have three in next month’s draft makes me really excited, especially if they find another Akil Thomas, who was taken with the 51st overall pick in 2018.
In his draft year, Thomas scored 22 goals with 59 assists for 81 points in 68 games for the Niagra IceDogs of the OHL. He’s a terrific leader, donning letters the past three seasons, including team captain for Niagra last year. In January, he was acquired by the Peterborough Petes, where he continued his OHL dominance, scoring nine goals with 31 assists in only 22 games.
He scored the Golden Goal for Team Canada in the World Juniors and will start the year in Ontario for new head coach John Wroblewski. He’s so good with the puck in his hands, displaying terrific vision and a decisive shot.
Similar to Kaliyev, should he start piling up points, the 20-year-old will be promoted to the NHL. The question, though is where to play him. As a center, the Kings will have to get creative finding playing time for him, but there is the option to convert to the wing where more options might present themself.