After Gabriel Vilardi dropped to Los Angeles at #11, the Kings made six selections on the second day of the Draft. I've already examined Vilardi's game and the reasons
why he fell, so let's look at the rest of LA's newest prospects:
#41 Jaret Anderson-Dolan, 5'11", 191, WHL
An NHL scout who I spoke with described the Spokane Chiefs center/left winger as a "tireless worker." This is true both on and off the ice, as Anderson-Dolan was one of the better-conditioned athletes available in this Draft.
A clear leader, Anderson-Dolan was also selected captain of U-18 Team Canada at the U-18 World Juniors. While in Spokane, he inspired all his teammates to celebrate NHL initiative “Hockey is for Everyone” -- during warm-ups before a late February game, the Chiefs
all wrapped their sticks with rainbow-colored tape.
HockeyProspect.com saw Anderson-Dolan as a smart, two-way force, armed with a powerful shot and good playmaking ability. However, they're concerned about his skating:
His skating fundamentals are strong and he is effective at changing directions...
Despite his quick feet, he does not often cleanly beat defensemen wide and his top-end speed in stride does not generate great separation. His skating is strongest in tight areas when he changes directions quickly.
(HockeyProspect.com's 2017 NHL Draft Black Book
is out now!)
Future Considerations called Anderson-Dolan "that typical heart-and-soul, all hustle player who...can be relied upon in both zones."
I asked
Justin Froese of Future Considerations about Anderson-Dolan's skating:
Anderson-Dolan is a player that checks a lot of boxes for me and while skating may not be the bread and butter in his arsenal, it's certainly far from a weakness. He plays a quick north-south style that enables him a presence in all 3 zones but he also is good in tight quarters, using edge work and quick pivots to evade coverage. What he does need to work on is developing quickness to change gears and dictate the pace. While I don't see him as a Dylan Larkin or Connor McDavid at the end product, skating is a teachable skill and 217 prospects just taken, including Anderson-Dolan, will improve immensely before debuting as a pro.
Froese also weighed in on whether or not Anderson-Dolan's production was dependent on Edmonton Oilers first-round pick Kailer Yamamoto:
While Anderson-Dolan played alongside Yamamoto, it wasn't a one way street in terms of production. Anderson-Dolan certainly played the grimier of styles between the two, but in order to skate with a player like Kailer Yamamoto, skill and especially hockey sense is a must, and it's something Anderson-Dolan brings to the table. While you won't see him dazzle or consistently pull fans from their seats, he does play an effective game with the skill necessary to set up and finish plays with precision. He is able to elevate his game to the level of his linemates and competes for his opportunities. Yamamoto definitely has a higher offensive ceiling if all things align for him, and I see Anderson-Dolan rounding into a more of a Bo Horvat, stylistically and potentially production wise.
(Future Considerations' 2017 NHL Draft guide
is out now!)
#72 Matt Villalta, 6'2", 165, OHL
Not since the 2013 selection of Patrik Bartosak has Los Angeles had a truly intriguing goaltending prospect. Villalta hopes to change that.
HockeyProspect.com said the calm, butterfly netminder "competes well and has great athleticism in net."
He needs to add muscle -- an NHL scout told HockeyProspect.com, "Adding strength will help him going cross crease and in recovery for second saves."
Brock Otten from
OHL Prospects added, "Moving forward, rebound control and ability to fight through traffic are the two biggest areas that I've seen need improvement."
Considered a bit of a late bloomer, Villalta has genuine starting potential. Jonathan Quick is 31 and Jack Campbell is 25, so LA sorely needs Villalta to fill the void behind them in the goaltending pipeline.
#103 Mikey Anderson, 5'11", 197, USHL
HockeyProspect.com believed Anderson should have had a better season for a blueliner with his talent. Regardless, there are very promising elements to his game:
He isn't going to drive offense but can be relied upon to clear pucks and push the pace with quick, accurate reads.
Dusten Braaksma of HockeyProspect.com observed, "If he can learn to bring a little more grit to his game and improve his foot speed, he has a shot."
One NHL scout who I spoke with praised Anderson's "constant motor."
Future Considerations considered him more a defensive defenseman:
A strong based skater who has a powerful push and steady mobility in each direction...
He is not really a offensively-minded blueliner...
He is a rock defensively, seldom playing rough and tumble, more so the sound positional game...
A common theme when talking about Anderson's game is his ability to read the game.
The Hockey News noted, "Minnesota-Duluth commit doesn't make mistakes. Thinks the game well."
(
The Hockey News excerpt from May 29, 2017 Draft Preview issue,
available now.)
#118 Markus Phillips, 5'11", 202, OHL
Considered a possible first-round pick at the beginning of the year, plucking Phillips in the fourth may prove to be a steal. Otten explained the probable cause for the Owen Sound defender's fall:
Came into the year as a potential first round candidate, but now looks more like a 2nd-3rd rounder. I think a lot of that has to do with his slow start to the year. I thought he struggled early on in the year with trying to do too much...(OHL Prospects)
However, Phillips enjoyed a much stronger second half of the season. Otten continued:
Defensively, I thought Phillips also really improved. He has fantastic mobility and as such is a terrific one on one defender who is very hard to get around.
The Hockey News spoke to a scout who also raved about Phillips's skating:
"His skating and sturdiness are very noticeable -- he doesn't get knocked off the puck often."
For Phillips, this was the common theme. While Future Considerations had their questions about him, they certainly weren't about his mobility:
He likely doesn't have elite offensive awareness and upside, but he's a great skater with a sound understanding of the game and brings a consistent two-way effort.
#134 Cole Hults, 6'0", 189, USHL
Hults was an off-the-radar selection, for sure. The defender was the only Kings draft pick this year who went unranked by NHL Central Scouting. As such, there isn't a lot of information out there about the Penn State commit.
An NHL scout offered this take on Hults, who's toiled for the USHL's Madison Capitols the last three seasons, "Played on a bad Madison team but was still really good." He's seen as a good puck mover, an all-around defender.
#138 Drake Rymsha, 5'11", 187, OHL
Otten thought highly of this re-entry prospect:
Rymsha is a guy I think NHL teams could look at as early as the 3rd round...
On top of goal scoring ability, Rymsha also brings speed and tenacity and is a very complete player. His faceoff percentage of 58.4 was also the 7th best in the entire OHL of players who took more than 800 faceoffs on the year.(OHL Prospects)
HockeyProspect.com tabbed him as a "physical, aggressive two-way" pivot. Ryan Yessie of HockeyProspect.com noted, "Drake is already one of the best defensive forwards in the league and posted 35 goals."
Future Considerations was more muted with their praise:
He still has some room to improve in his first step quickness...
While he might not be a guy who will lead the offensive charge, Rymsha is the guy who will help you win with heart and intensity...
***
A number of fans noticed that Rob Blake stayed within North America for all of his picks, but from what I understand, this was merely a coincidence. There was plenty of European talent that Los Angeles liked, but they just missed out on some of their favorites.
Remember that from 2013-15, LA's top pick in each Draft was European: Valentin Zykov, Adrian Kempe, and Erik Cernak. So I don't believe it means anything that they didn't draft anybody outside of North America this time.
***
Yesterday, the Kings extended Andy Andreoff for two years, $1.355 million. His cap hit will be $677,500.
If we're talking about a new-look Kings, such a signing is somewhat curious. Andreoff's zero goals in 36 games certainly played at least a small role in last season's team-wide scoring malaise. One way to eke out more goals is to upgrade the scoring talent on the bottom lines, so keeping Andreoff, Jordan Nolan, and Kyle Clifford -- solid grinders, all -- seems, literally, counterproductive.
There's no problem with Andreoff's cap hit, and he has showed flashes, especially in 2015-16, of being a quick, powerful forechecker. He's also versatile, being able to slide from center and wing. But I wonder, between Andreoff, Nolan, and Clifford, if there will be a move later this summer to lessen this glut of gritty fourth-line wingers.
How unhappy are the Kings with Nolan -- who was benched at the end of the season -- or was that just a Darryl Sutter thing? Perhaps, LA will seek takers for Clifford's contract, which runs three more years at $1.6 million per?
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