Ranking the 5 best draft picks by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2000s
The Los Angeles Kings would win two Stanley Cups during the 2010s but the foundation for those incredible runs were made the decade prior in the NHL Draft. The Kings would make some great picks of players that were pivotal parts of their deep playoff runs.
These are the five best draft picks that the Los Angeles Kings made in those first 10 drafts of the 21st century.
Rnaking the 5 best draft picks by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2000s
5. Trevor Lewis (1st round, 2006)
The first player on this list is Trevor Lewis, who was selected 17th overall in the 2006 NHL Draft. He would reach the NHL in the 2008-09 season but play only six games and it would be two seasons later, he became a full-time player.
Lewis would play 12 seasons before leaving in free agency after the 2019-20 season and played one season with the Winnipeg Jets and two with the Calgary Flame before returning to the Kings last season.
The overall stats aren't that impressive with 179 points in 756 games but he has a key moment in Los Angeles Kings franchise history. He would have two goals in the series-clinching win over the New Jersey Devils to secure the franchise's first Stanley Cup.
4. Drew Doughty (1st round, 2008)
Drew Doughty is set to play in his 17th season with the Los Angeles Kings after they selected him second overall in the 2008 NHL Draft. He made an immediate impact as he would play 81 games as a 19-year-old and was named to the All-Rookie team.
Doughty has been a consistent presence on the defense through both Stanley Cup runs and even at this point in his career. Aside from the two Stanley Cup titles, Doughty would also win the Norris Award in 2016. He has had back-to-back seasons with 50 or more points and just set a career-high in goals with 15.
3. Anze Kopitar (1st round, 2005)
In 2005, the Los Angeles Kings selected Anze Kopitar with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft. He quickly reached the NHL and played 72 games in 2006-07 and has gone on to play in 1,373 games over 18 seasons.
Similar to Doughty, he was a key part of the Kings' two Stanley Cup runs with 20 points and 26 points in 2011-12 and 2013-14 respectively. He has had at least 50 points in each of the past 10 seasons and has had 70 or more in eight of his 18 seasons. Kopitar has also been the Kings' captain over the past eight seasons.
This past season, Kopitar secured the franchise record in assists with 792 as he passed Marcel Dionne and will look to be the first player in franchise history with 800 assists.
2. Dustin Brown (1st round, 2003)
The Los Angeles Kings selected Dustin Brown in the first round of the 2003 NHL Draft with the 13th overall pick. He would play an incredible 18 seasons with the Kings and spend his entire NHL career with the team that drafted him.
He would become an elite defenseman during his time with the Kings and was the team's key leader during their Stanley Cup runs. He was captain for the Kings from 2008-09 through 2015-16 when Kopitar took over.
Brown would retire after the 2021-22 season and the Kings recognized what he brought to the franchise by retiring his jersey number last season.
1. Jonathan Quick (3rd round, 2005)
It was pretty tough to pick who would be number one on this list between Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick. However, I decided to go with Quick because this is the rankings for the best draft picks during the 2000s. There is no denying both deserve this spot but Quick is the only player on this list who wasn't drafted in the first round and wasn't necessarily expected to have the career he did.
Quick played 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Kings and has 370 wins in 743 games, both franchise records. He had a career save percentage of .911% and a goals against average of 2.46.
However, what really set Quick apart was his performance in the playoffs, particularly during the Stanley Cup run. He appeared in 92 games, 46 of which were in the Stanley Cup runs, and a career save percentage of .921% and a goals against average of 2.31. He would also have five shutouts in those two playoffs, and 10 overall his entire playoff career.
Jonathan Quick has been the Los Angeles Kings best goalie in franchise history and he is likely to hold onto that title for a very long time.
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