Prospect Info: 2019 Draft Discussion: LA Kings pick 5th, 22nd overall

[RocketKing]

The Bruins have a bunch of dmen under 6’ and they’re not getting pushed around. Their weakest link has actually been their biggest defenseman.

5'11" and maybe 5'10" is one thing but this guy is 5'7".

5'7" is a much smaller player than the other 2 comparisons. Unless he has super strong physique and mindset to absorb the punishment Caufield will get his ass handed to him and especially in the Playoffs. If they pick him at 5OA, I guess I will understand because the guy can shoot the puck in the net but I have no illusions that his lack if size won't reduce his game because I think it will over the long haul.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Not really concerned with Coalfield's size. I would more worry about his hockey IQ and can he make plays at speed. Patrick Kane gets away with being small cause he has hockey savant like IQ and is 3 steps ahead of defenders in the thinking game IE incredibly shifty. That's what I would concern myself with when in comes to Caufield.

If Caufield is the type of player that doesn't create his own offense, I would pass. If you're going to be on the smaller side, you need to be able create your own offense, cause bigger defenders are going to push you out of the scoring areas in the NHL.

Amen.

having one Caufield on your team doesn't hurt you.

Drafting a whole team of waterbugs does. That was my qualm with the "draft only speed and skill" thing people had going on here for a bit, and it sounds like people are finally getting on board with DL's "you can't build like the flavor of the month" idea.

 

[kilowatt]

Amen.

having one Caufield on your team doesn't hurt you.

Drafting a whole team of waterbugs does. That was my qualm with the "draft only speed and skill" thing people had going on here for a bit, and it sounds like people are finally getting on board with DL's "you can't build like the flavor of the month" idea.

Yeah but we don’t even have one Caufield. I would love to see us take a risk on a guy like him.

...I just wish it wasn’t with the 5th overall pick. I miss the earlier mocks when he was falling to 21.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

 

[KingsHockey24]

Yeah but we don’t even have one Caufield. I would love to see us take a risk on a guy like him.

...I just wish it wasn’t with the 5th overall pick. I miss the earlier mocks when he was falling to 21.

I don't care where we draft someone, as long as they live up to there potential. Which in Caufields case is a 40 goal scorer.

 

[johnjm22]

Cammalleri was an excellent playoff performer.

 

[KINGS17]

The Bruins have a bunch of dmen under 6’ and they’re not getting pushed around. Their weakest link has actually been their biggest defenseman.

Boston's defensemen don't all have great size. None of them are under 185 lbs. though. I will still take a guy with slightly less mobility that is two inches taller and 20 lbs. heavier over the long haul in the playoffs.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The Bruins have a bunch of dmen under 6’ and they’re not getting pushed around. Their weakest link has actually been their biggest defenseman.

Boston's defensemen don't all have great size. None of them are under 185 lbs. though. I will still take a guy with slightly less mobility that is two inches taller and 20 lbs. heavier over the long haul in the playoffs.

Wait, what? It's not like it's a smurf d-core:

Chara, obv. 6'9
Brandon Carlo, 6'5
McAvoy 6'0
Clifton 5'11 190
Gryzelcyk is the smallest at 5'9 and he's hurt, so
Krug is 5'9 but plays with brass balls

not sure who's in for Gryz but Kevan Miller is 6'2 and John Moore 6'3

Edit: looks like it's Moore

 

[KINGS17]

Wait, what? It's not like it's a smurf d-core:

Chara, obv. 6'9
Brandon Carlo, 6'5
McAvoy 6'0
Clifton 5'11 190
Gryzelcyk is the smallest at 5'9 and he's hurt, so
Krug is 5'9 but plays with brass balls

not sure who's in for Gryz but Kevan Miller is 6'2 and John Moore 6'3

Edit: looks like it's Moore

I look at Clifton, Gryzelcyk, and Krug and these guys aren't that big, but I agree Krug is very physical for a defenseman his size.

 

[SFKingshomer]

Bobby Brink can snipe but his skating is a concern, mainly his top end speed.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I look at Clifton, Gryzelcyk, and Krug and these guys aren't that big, but I agree Krug is very physical for a defenseman his size.

Same with the Blues and with the Caps last year, all their d-men aren't just big, but they're mobile with a brain, and the guys that aren't huge at least compete hard with the same traits. Even the little guys are going hard. Clifton at least is basically Voynov's size and I was never worried about him.

 

[Steve Zissou]

Radio Interview - Cole Caufield with The Instigators
05-31 Cole Caufield with The Instigators - The Instigators - Omny.fm

Already met with LA Kings - sounded like he was meh about it.

Not as bad as the one with Phoenix - towards the end of the interview they broke out the laptop and pointed all of his flaws.

 

[King'sPawn]

So the Kings at least interviewed Harley, Johnson, and Seider at the Combine. And met with Caufield separately.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

So the Kings at least interviewed Harley, Johnson, and Seider at the Combine. And met with Caufield separately.

So our 2nd pick is 'big defenseman.'

I don't hate it. If we draft high end forward with the first pick and a pretty nails 2nd pairing d-man with the 2nd that's cool. I'm probably overly high on Seider but Harley is low-key awesome.

 

[raswilliam]

I remember watching the 2008 draft combine and salivating over Zack Bogotian since he was crushing all the combine tests. NHL Draft Combine Results 2008

Hard to know what to make of the combine. Do you want a physical specimen that is overpowering his junior competition or do you want someone who is undeveloped that is still growing and has potential. This is why I am in favor of upping the draft age to 19. What do know though.

 

[KINGS17]

So the Kings at least interviewed Harley, Johnson, and Seider at the Combine. And met with Caufield separately.

So, they didn't meet with Cozens?

If things kind of go as planned with the teams picking in front of the Kings, Cozens would be my choice. Definitely a future 1C replacement for Kopitar in my mind.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I remember watching the 2008 draft combine and salivating over Zack Bogotian since he was crushing all the combine tests. NHL Draft Combine Results 2008

Hard to know what to make of the combine. Do you want a physical specimen that is overpowering his junior competition or do you want someone who is undeveloped that is still growing and has potential. This is why I am in favor of upping the draft age to 19. What do know though.

Neither.

it's nice to know a guy has work ethic at that age, just as it's nice to know a guy may be underdeveloped and has potential, but it's just one descriptor. Gimme the player, everything else is workable. Wasn't it McDavid that couldn't do a pullup?

Similar to when I hear skating is an issue. Some stuff is fixable to a degree. Skill/IQ, not so much.

you would never have known from the combine/pre draft fitness that Doughty would be the durable, top minute muncher, almost-never-hurt one while Bogosian would be the one who had his entire career derailed by injury.

 

[Rorschach]

That's pretty funny/sad that he had his moment kinda spoiled. They went to a digital setup in 2012 finally. In 2011, Nashville went off the board for Magnus Hellberg and whoever was operating the draft board must not have had that one ready. I think a few more picks got put on the board before Hellberg's.

I sat behind the NBCSN table in 2017, kinda had some picks spoiled for me. The teams enter in the picks at the table, so it gives the TV people time to queue up the highlight package and for the cameramen to find the kid in the crowd for the reaction shot. I had a jersey with separate Hischier/Patrick nameplates and before the pick, one of the cameramen turns around and tells me it's Hischier. As the draft went on, I had to look away from their set since I could see which highlights they were getting prepped.

On a side note, Upper Deck got those last few years' of name plates and cut them up into trading cards

 

[Rorschach]

You think that would not be awesome, RC ?

I agree with RC if that's his evaluation. JC with a bad shot = Trevor Lewis. That would be a good player to get with the 22nd pick but not the 5th pick. We would want JC with JC's shot with that pick.

 

[Brodeur]

I look at Clifton, Gryzelcyk, and Krug and these guys aren't that big, but I agree Krug is very physical for a defenseman his size.

When the Devils drafted Jon Merrill in 2010, I watched every Michigan game I could on the Big 10 Network. I saw several games against Michigan State and Krug always stood out. I debated picking him up in my keeper league but I made that cardinal mistake of thinking "...he's too small to make it in the NHL." And that's why I'm an armchair GM. [/coolstorybro]

 

[Frolov 6'3]

I agree with RC if that's his evaluation. JC with a bad shot = Trevor Lewis. That would be a good player to get with the 22nd pick but not the 5th pick. We would want JC with JC's shot with that pick.

Cozens does not have a bad shot at all. He shoots from everywhere. Its one of his best assets.

You cant be a similar player like Carter if you have a bad shot.

 

[AzKing]

So our 2nd pick is 'big defenseman.'

I don't hate it. If we draft high end forward with the first pick and a pretty nails 2nd pairing d-man with the 2nd that's cool. I'm probably overly high on Seider but Harley is low-key awesome.

That matches up with what I have been feeling if Byram is gone at #5. I think they will go with Cozens or Turcotte at #5 and then go with a Defenseman at #22 since there probably will be a better value there than some of the Forwards we keep seeing in mocks at that position.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

It's interesting to see how Cole Caufield ranked high on a lot of the strength based tests (bench press, vertical jump, pull-ups).

 

[yankeeking]

Apparently this kid is strong, has a release you can’t teach , IQ enough to get to open spots to use his release and is still growing, he is making it hard to pass on him and it suxs we aren’t deep enough to chance the 5th pick on him , luc was always slight but had that release and uncanny shot choice ,wonder if he was shorter if it would have changed his career ,except at the HOF dinner where he couldn’t see over taller guys on his night