LA Kings: Seven-round mock draft 1.0
By Ryan Sikes
In this seven-round mock draft, the LA Kings get a little bit of everything.
With the 2020 NHL Draft just over a week away, the LA Kings have 11 picks to use how they sit fit. Of course, all eyes will be on the first round, where the Kings’ organization has the second overall pick. Ever since the lottery revealed that LA would be picking second, the experts have gone back and forth between Quinton Byfield and Tim Stutzle for the selection.
With the consensus number one pick in Alexis Lafreniere expected to be taken by the New York Rangers, Rob Blake and the Kings’ front office will have to decide which guy they prefer. On paper, Stutzle fits a need more than Byfield, but true number one centers don’t come along very often. He’s big, fast, and extremely skilled. And he’s one of the youngest kids in this draft class.
For those reasons, along with his production rates in the OHL, I have the Kings taking Byfield to kick off Day 1 of the 2020 NHL Draft.
*used Fanspeak’s On The Clock NHL Mock Draft Simulator to make my picks.
1st Round, 2nd Overall: Quinton Byfield, C
The consensus number two pick in this draft, in my opinion, Byfield has been a beast for the Sudbury Wolves over the last two seasons, scoring a combined 61 goals with 82 assists in 109 games. He’s a leader on and off the ice and wore a letter for Sudbury at the end of the 2019-2020 campaign. Byfield has such good vision and great speed for his size.
He displays excellent stickhandling abilities and a decisive shot on net. The Kings would have one of the deepest groups up the middle with Kopitar, Vilardi, Turcotte, and now Byfield added to the mix.