Grading every LA Kings pick from the 2026 NHL Draft

Round 3, Pick 80: Blake Zielinski, C

I absolutely love this pick of the Des Moines USHL center, Blake Zielinski, in the third round of the draft for the Kings, 80th overall. Zielinski gives the Kings great value in the middle of the lineup in the middle rounds of the draft.

Zielinski joins a pretty solid group of draft picks from the Kings in this past couple of decades who come from Des Moines in the USHL, also including Trevor Lewis and Alex Laferriere. Fun fact, Laferriere also happens to be a third-round pick from Des Moines of the Kings in this past decade.

Grade: A

Round 3, Pick 89: Yego Rybkin, G

The Kings took one of the top goalie prospects in this class in the third round yesterday, selecting the towering 6-foot-7 Russian Yegor Rybkin 89th overall. Rybkin is an imposing presence in the crease, covering a lot of space post-to-post with his huge frame and athleticism.

Coming into the draft this weekend, the Kings already had a lot of depth and talent in the goalie prospect pool in the organization. Rybkin gives the Kings another high-upside goalie who could be a real gem find in a few years if he can develop his fundamentals and positioning in the crease.

Grade: A-

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