Greetings readers!
We are back from vacation on the blog, and ready to kick start into season preview mode! It's nearly September, with the World Cup, and the season openers for the various North American leagues commencing shortly. In fact, leagues in Europe have already started getting under way believe it or not. The NHL offseason seems long and difficult to endure, and sometimes it can be. Rest assured though, we are closing in on the 2016-17 season slowly but surely.
Before heading out for our week hiatus, we touched on the top 10 NHL READY prospects for the Kings. These were players who in the greater scheme of things were the closest to seeing NHL time. Most were members of the Ontario Reign last season, and some will be on the NHL roster this year.
Now, let's pepper in the young guys, the CHL players, the collegiate guys, and see where everyone stands as we put together a definitive top 20 prospects list. As stated previously, the Top 20 list was one of my favorite things to do on Hockey's Future, but overall you could get confined by the system of "Ratings". While there still is a balance between NHL readiness and overall talent, this top 20 list is going to be more based on a pure upside and talent ranking than our previous NHL ready list. There is, however, a good differentiation to make between the two groups. After watching a good majority of all of these players over the past year, hopefully this list can get everyone a bit more excited about what is in the Kings pipeline. On top of ranking, we'll give you an upside projection and a probability of hitting that projection (Not in a letter grade). These projections are certainly made with the Kings system and style in mind, and putting together a top 20 list is actually a bit more difficult than it seems. Factoring in realistic impact, top end projection, and the likelihood of said impact and projection really does make it hard to hammer in 20 players in a for sure spot on a list.
Some of these names will be familiar to you, some will not, and hopefully we can bridge that gap a little bit and get you a little more familiar with everyone in the system. There has been a lot of discussion over the past few seasons about the Kings pipeline, and despite lower and fewer picks they still manage to drum up some really useful talent. You can look over the draft trends of Dean Lombardi in this article to see just where the Kings have found that honey pot of players despite some limited selections.
Just like at HF we will perhaps re-approach this list at the halfway point of the season to check in with the pipeline.
(And yes, because of popular outcry on our NHL ready list, Forbort was included. Rejoice!)
So without delay, in reverse order, the 2016-17 Preseason Kings top 20 prospects, numbers 11-20! 1-10 will come on Monday of this coming week so stay tuned!
20. Zac Leslie, 22, D
The Kings mobile puck mover had a rough season. Injuries have become a major part of Leslie's career at 22 unfortunately, and he dealt with one at the end of his junior career on top of one during his rookie AHL campaign. Having no consistent feel in the lineup, Leslie essentially lost his job to Kurtis MacDermid, and was overshadowed in the position battle on the Ontario blueline by Nick Eber, Kevin Raine, and later on in the playoffs Paul LaDue. 2016-17 is a massive test for Leslie, as more defenseman are ready to move up to Ontario and he has a lot on the line in terms of an NHL future. He still shows flashes of astute puck moving and sharp reading of the game, but his physical play and decision making under pressure have to improve immensely.
Upside:Bottom-6 puck moving defenseman
Probability: Low
19. Alex Lintuniemi, 20, D
Lintuniemi, likewise, had a season a bit derailed by injury. However, he took his assignment to the ECHL and played fairly well for the Manchester Monarchs. With 18 points in 38 games he was one of their most productive puck movers when he was present on the roster. Despite kind of a lost year, Lintuniemi still has a very projectable all-around skill set and physical tool set that should put him in the conversation for the Ontario blueline this year.
Upside: Bottom-6 two-way defenseman
Probability: Medium
18. Alex Dergachyov, 19, C/W
Dergachyov is learning the hard way that the KHL is NOT a development league. It is a professional league that aims at putting together competitive teams, not feeder teams for the NHL. With that in mind, Alex played 33 games with SKA St. Petersburg last year, accumulating two goals and zero assists. He barely touched the ice most nights averaging just 6:52 TOI. In his first game of 2016-17 however, he played around 12 minutes which is a huge step in the right direction. He has also shifted over to wing rather than center on a more consistent basis, which only helps add to his versatility. While he has yet to really flash a lot of offensive upside, Dergachyov still has a nice physical package and skill set for a sound bottom six forward in the NHL.
Upside: Versatile bottom-6 forward
Probability: Medium
17. Michael Eyssimont, 19, C
The Kings 2016 5th round selection had a more than respectable freshman campaign with St. Cloud State last season. He was 7th on the team in points, playing a role that saw him move from center to wing, and up and down the St. Cloud roster. With Kale Kossila, Joseph Benik, Patrick Russel, AND Jimmy Murray all graduating (Ironically three of them to the AHL Pacific), St. Cloud have lost four of their top five scorers. Eyssimont will need to play a huge role for the Huskies next year, and if his freshman season is any indication the Kings might be pleased with what they see. Pressure will be on though. He has a nice all-around intelligent game, suited perfectly for a Kings forward.
Upside: Two-way Middle-6 center
Probability: Medium
16. Jacob Moverare, 17, D
The Kings got a real nice player in the 4th round of 2016. While Moverare's skating ability is something that has already come up as a deficiency that needs to be worked on, many scouts also lauded him as one of the smartest and purest thinkers of the game in the 2016 draft. With tremendous hockey IQ, there is always promise in helping put together more physical and teachable skills. Moverare is also the youngest player in the Kings system, and will turn 18 on August 31st. He may ultimately lack high end upside, but with how well he thinks the game it is hard to imagine him not having an NHL future. His defensive zone game is also a noted strength.
Upside:Defensive leaning bottom-4 defenseman
Probability: Medium
15. Patrick Bjorkstrand, 24, W
The Kings invited the brother to highly touted prospect Olivier Bjorkstrand to development camp, and were so impressed the signed him to a one-year deal shortly thereafter. With eyes physically put on his game, the Kings must have felt his respectable KHL production with Medvescak Zagreb was no fluke of international hockey. He is a nice, low risk, skilled addition to a system that can sometimes lack that pure goal-scoring skill and creativity. He has good speed, offensive potential, and should see a good opportunity with Ontario. While he is not a huge player, the NHL is slowly moving away from the big bruising forward, and Bjorkstrand might be a nice grab out of the KHL with that in mind.
Upside: Offensive leaning Top-9 winger
Probability: Medium
14. Austin Wagner, 19, W
Wagner hit an extra gear last season with Regina, almost doubling up on his 2014-15 campaign where he had 39 points. With a career high set in goals (28), assists (34), and points (62) the 19-year old comes into 2016-17 with extra pressure. Even with the extra bump in production, Wagner has always had a pretty solid all-around game, good NHL sze (6'2), and is perhaps one of the best skaters in the Kings system. Even if his offense does not translate, Wagner looks like a good fit on the bottom six given his speed and responsibility.
Upside: Bottom-6 winger
Probability: High
13. Justin Auger, 22, W
Auger has slowly but steadily progressed year after year in his career. It is finally feeling like he is putting every aspect of his game together, both offensively, defensively, physically, and perhaps even on a more leadership oriented basis. He is much closer to the NHL than many fans think, and last season's 17-goal campaign was a big boost needed. At this point, it is perfectly realistic to believe that Auger is perhaps a Dwight King 2.0 on the future King bottom lines.
Upside: Bottom-6 winger
Probability: High
12. Kurtis MacDermid, 22, D
The surprise of last season perhaps in all of the Kings pipeline. As a free agent signing, he came in, took the job over three defenseman ahead of him in the depth chart (Ebert, Leslie, Lintuniemi) and managed to be a stabilizing, physical force on the Ontario top 4 all season. Paired up with Vincent LoVerde, the Reign had two excellent defensive tandems almost all season which was key to their success. When he wasn't intimidating opponents through the neutral zone and along the boards in his own zone, he showed flashes of some decent puck moving ability and intelligent reading of the game. There will never be much offensive upside to him, but MacDermid has done enough to prove he may be very capable of playing a Matt Greene style role with the Kings in the future.
Upside: Defensive minded bottom pair defenseman
Probability: High
11. Spencer Watson, 20, W
The 5'10" firecracker had a tremendous season that saw him log 40+ goals and assists for Kingston in the OHL. It was also enough to get him an invite to Team Canada's world junior championship squad (Although he was not selected). Be that as it may, Watson was outstanding for the Frontenacs, leading the team in goals and assists. While he had some excellent players alongside him on the roster like Michael Dal Colle, Lawson Crouse and Roland McKeown, Watson himself was a pivotal offensive player for them. Does he continue to be as volatile a scorer in the AHL next season? Who knows. But he has certainly shown a high end offensive potential that might be a nice find for a 7th round. Unfortunately we have heard that same story before with players like Weal, Kozun, and Linden Vey, and his defensive game leaves a little to be desired. Watson will have to prove he can play a 200-foot game AND player bigger than his 5'10" frame.
Upside: Offensive leaning top-6 winger
Probability: Medium
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