The trade on Friday night looked tremendous, but they needed to keep that value by making a solid pick in Round 2. Unfortunately, it feels like they reached with the selection of left wing Vojtech Cihar, and he was a player they could have gotten later in the draft.
The scouting report on The Hockey Writers describes a forward who is good at a lot and is well-rounded, but doesn't feel like a difference maker. The ceiling for Cihar is probably on the third line but will probably have one of the longer development paths of any of the picks.
He certainly has the skill set to get to the NHL, and the grade isn't so much a reflection of the player but rather the decision-making of the LA Kings to draft Cihar where they did.
Kristan Epperson might be one of my favorite picks the Los Angeles Kings made in the entire NHL Draft. He is a re-entry prospect and has certainly made the most of the past year with the Saginaw Spirit. The left wing would have 80 points in the OHL while adding another four in five playoff games for the Spirit.
One of the reasons that this pick will end up being one of the best of this entire draft class is that Epperson fills a major need among the forwards. The scouting report on Elite Prospects describes a player who is a "forechecking machine" and has "relentless energy".
The Kings can use that at the NHL level, and while Epperson is set to play for the University of Denver next season, hopefully, the path to the NHL isn't much longer after that.