LA Kings: A few prospects slipped in The Athletic’s updated rankings
By Ryan Sikes
The Athletic released its updated prospect rankings, post-NHL draft. The LA Kings have four representatives but some slipped.
Now a week removed from the NHL Draft, The Athletic put together their updated prospect list for the 2020-2021 season. And the LA Kings are well represented, having four members of the prospect pool in their top-50 prospects, including second overall pick Quinton Byfield. Here’s where they have each player.
2. Quinton Byfield
The author, Scott Wheeler, indicates that while Byfield doesn’t have the polish or NHL-readiness that a player this high on the list should have, he is excellent in faceoffs and fantastic reads away from the puck. As noted, leading up to the draft, the combination of Byfield’s size and speed is hard to find in true number one centers.
Wheeler notes that Byfield’s defensive work will need fine-tuning, which he (Byfield) stressed he is aware of on the latest Kings of the Podcast episode. I have one question: what happens if the OHL season is postponed beyond the tentative NHL start date of January 1? Does Byfield jump to Ontario or play overseas next year?
15. Alex Turcotte
Turcotte fell to number 15 on this list, which doesn’t come as a surprise, given the guys ahead of him on the list are mostly 2020 draft picks. He was previously at number seven last season, but Wheeler notes the drop in ranking also had to do with Turcotte’s injury and underperforming on a lackluster Wisconsin Badgers team.
He indicates that Turcotte hasn’t been getting in front of the net as much as he’d like to see but still projects him as a future second-line center. Turcotte will play in Ontario this year and is currently training with Eisbären Berlin until NHL training camp commences.
17. Arthur Kaliyev
Similar to Turcotte, Kaliyev fell to number 17 from 8 in the previous rankings. The item that stood out to me the most about Wheeler’s analysis indicated that Kaliyev is perhaps the best one-shot player outside of the NHL. Byfield had similar compliments for Kaliyev on the KOTP Q18 episode.
And what a remarkable pro comparison Wheeler gives to Kaliyev-Patrik Laine, who the Kings reportedly had some level of interest in before free agency began. The 19-year-old will be terrific on the power play at the NHL level, but like Byfield…what happens if the OHL season is postponed?
20. Gabe Vilardi
So really, the Kings have four players within the top-20. That’s incredible. Vilardi’s previous ranking was 11 on this list, and he’s expected to be the 2C on the Kings’ roster this season. He got off to a fast start at the end of last season, tallying 7 points in 10 games. Wheeler indicates that Vilardi isn’t the prototypical center. Instead, he navigates carefully around the ice and isn’t physically overpowering.
Next. Second line is critical to team scoring more goals. dark
It’ll be interesting to see if he gets demoted, for lack of a better phrase, to 3C when Turcotte is ready. Either way, the Kings’ have the deepest up-the-middle prospects in the NHL, which is exactly how you want to rebuild an organization.