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

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Reading HockeyProspect's Black Book. Amazing buy.

They have Caufield ranked high but a lot of scouts ripped into him. A lot don't even consider him for the first round. The main criticism - when he's not scoring, he's not doing anything. Some feel that DeBrincat has more jam to his game at the same age. Another scout said he wasn't that great of an interview.
 
Ziggy Stardust said:


Not very fond of the first selection for the Kings being Dach, but I’m good with Harley falling to the Kings at 22.
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I listened to a podcast with Pronman and one thing he said is that he hates mock drafts because he changes literally changes his mind on the hour and hates to be nailed down. If you notice his draft, he throws out multiple names in the writeup which he did in the podcast too. I think he is a fantastic analyst but his drafts are almost him not wanting to commit because he flip flops all the time.

That said, Dach is a really, really good player who will be at a minimum #2 Center. I think I will just be more disappointed in the we didn't get Byram or Turcotte than being mad about Dach. I like the kid a lot and he will probably play earlier in some because he already has an NHL body.

It's like holding out for Emily Ratajkowski and settling for Olivia Culpo. Nobody will be crying.

If Newhook fell all the way to #17, I would package to trade up and get him. That would be a steal. I think he has Top 10 level talent.
 
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Dach is interesting because some mocks have him at #3 and others lower. He obviously has a lot of scouts who like him. He actually seems to be gaining more steam than Cozens. Probably because his scouting report has very few flaws if any. The main knock that seems consistent is that he doesn't shoot enough even though he has a really good shot and he could be a bit more physical.

McKeen's has him at #4 ranked but they also have him going to the Kings at #5 in their mock draft:

Dach at 6-4” and a hair under 200 pounds, is the most physically developed forward in this range of the draft. But it is much more than just his NHL ready frame. Dach is ranked this high on merit as well.
Dach is a general on the ice. He has the ability to slow the game down and take it over. He makes his linemates and his whole team better. He has remarkable vision for a teenager and can hold the puck in a possession as long as is necessary for someone to get open in a better position. Outside of the raw ability to maintain the puck, he is also exceptionally skilled. He weights his passes beautifully, to better help his linemates receive them in stride and thus maintaining speed on the attack.

He can attack the net through traffic, while drawing defenders to him, again helping his linemates get open. He regularly uses his great reach to help him beat defenders in one-on-one situations. He can also score in a great number of ways. He has a wicked shot with a quick release and pinpoint accuracy. His hands work well from in tight and even though he seems to prefer creating chances for others, can generate a good deal of power in his shots through the way he leans into his stick.

With his mass, he makes for a powerful net front presence, able to provide a moving screen on the netminder, or utilize his hand-eye coordination to deflect a shot past the padded man. He uses his size well in other areas, too, as he has a bit of a nasty streak to his game, although for the most part he uses his strength to protect more than to attack.

Rounding off his broad and rich skill set is the fact that Dach is a very good skater, without even accounting for his plus size. He is very agile, able to weave in and out of traffic with ease through his edge work. He has plus acceleration as well, with long strides that help him win puck races on the regular. In fairness to the next few players listed here, the gap between Dach at four and any of the following nine players is rather small. But at the present moment, we feel that Dach has a slightly higher likelihood of reaching his peak projection as a first line center.

More on him:

Summary: Kirby Dach is a versatile and complete player. He has excellent size coupled with great skills and a good head for the game. He can play either the wing or at center as he is responsible defensively. On the power play he runs things from the half wall creating chances with his excellent vision and deft passing skills. When he chooses to shoot the puck he is lethal and has a nice array of quick release shots that get on the goaltender quickly. He is a dynamic offensive player that can manage the puck and pace of the game like few forwards can. He is controlled and does not panic when under pressure and has all the tools to be a top line player at the pro level.

Skating: Dach shows impressive agility for a man of his size. He is able to weave in and out of traffic with relative ease. On top of that he has very good acceleration that enables him to bear down on defenders quickly. His long strides make him a threat in any foot race as he can get to his top speed and it is certainly above average. His edge work is very good which enables him to always be moving with his head up surveying the offensive zone. Grade: 55

Shot: Dach has a quick release and excellent accuracy. He can elevate the puck quickly and is dangerous from distance as he can lean his body into a shot to generate very good power. The only downside here is he is not naturally a shooter, and often in good shooting locations prefers to pass the puck. Despite that he still averages over three shots per game and is scoring on nearly 19% of his shots which shows he can be an elite finisher. Grade: 65

Skills: With a 6-3” frame, the plays that Dach can make are impressive. It starts with his vision and ability to see plays developing. He makes excellent transition passes in the neutral zone that teammates are able to take in stride. He uses his size to help control the puck and dictate the pace as few players can push him off the puck. He can make quick moves to attack the net with the puck and has the strength to keep control of the puck in traffic. His vision makes him the focal point of the Saskatoon power play. He can look off defenders, completes cross ice passes with regularity and is able to make a move one on one to get a strong shot off. On the rush he is lethal as he can hang onto the puck until the defender and goalie both commit before making a great saucer pass. One on one he moves the puck around with his great reach which changes angles to his advantage and enables him to beat guys regularly. Grade: 70

Smarts: There is an impressive ability to slow the game down. He can hold the puck an extra second with his frame to enable his teammates to get by defenders into space. Dach can see open ice and put pucks into it allowing teammates to attack with speed. In close and along the wall he makes excellent reads as he draws defenders to him creating lanes and opportunities. Defensively, he blocks lanes and cross seam passes and is very effective and making sure he gets the puck out of the zone due to his excellent anticipation. Grade: 70

Physicality: Dach has excellent size and uses it very effectively particularly when controlling the puck along the outside, using his reach to get to loose pucks and his wing span to help defend passes. He has the physical tools to be dominant but does not play a hugely physical game (more JVR than Eric Staal). I have seen teams finish every check on him, which over a game reduced his overall effectiveness, but he uses his frame and body to his advantage. Grade: 55
Overall Future Projection (OFP): 64.5
 
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AzKing said:
I listened to a podcast with Pronman and one thing he said is that he hates mock drafts because he changes literally changes his mind on the hour and hates to be nailed down. If you notice his draft, he throws out multiple names in the writeup which he did in the podcast too. I think he is a fantastic analyst but his drafts are almost him not wanting to commit because he flip flops all the time.

That said, Dach is a really, really good player who will be at a minimum #2 Center. I think I will just be more disappointed in the we didn't get Byram or Turcotte than being mad about Dach. I like the kid a lot and he will probably play earlier in some because he already has an NHL body.

It's like holding out for Emily Ratajkowski and settling for Olivia Culpo. Nobody will be crying.

If Newhook fell all the way to #17, I would package to trade up and get him. That would be a steal. I think he has Top 10 level talent.
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I can agree with this POV however the thing for me is I think there will be a really good D still available at 22, so I would rather go C with the #5 even if Byram is still on the board. I wold not be upset if LA draft Byram but my preference will be C. By some luck if Byram is still on the board maybe LA could trade down to get another asset and still get Zegras or Dach.
 
Button is certainly all over the place with his rankings. Interesting to note that both him and this list have Cozens dropping, despite suggestions that he’ll be a top six pick.

 
Ziggy Stardust said:


What stands out to me about Zegras is that he’s the one who is distributing the puck on a line with Jack Hughes.

It’s also evident that he’s a very smart player, and he actually busts his ass to retrieve the puck. He’s not a soft, one dimensional player with questionable work ethic who constantly needs to be motivated to perform, y’know, opposite of most Kings forwards.
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I've gotta be honest, the more I watch the highlights, the less I like Zegras. I wouldn't call him 'soft', and he certainly skates hard...not sure if it's a function of the competition but the guy actively skates away from the slot in the vast majority of those highlights and the only times he cuts through is when he can skate by untouched. You'll also notice--my biggest pet peeve with him--is he'll make a pass then peel/fade away from the play, i.e. no give and gos busting hard to the net, no further support for his teammate, one pass and done. We don't need another half-wall allstar.

The thing that actually impresses me most about Zegras is the same thing that impresses me about EK and that's the 'non highlight' plays, Doughty has the same thing sometimes, just the vision to make a phenomenal headman pass through a maze of players and sticks that no one can see but the player. the 'average' play is a high-level, high skill play that opens up others.

I just have doubts that the highlight plays will transfer to the next level and that big defensemen are going to scare him off like Regehr on Kucherov. I dunno, it's a gut feeling, maybe it's just gas, but he weirds me out.
 
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Raccoon Jesus said:
I've gotta be honest, the more I watch the highlights, the less I like Zegras. I wouldn't call him 'soft', and he certainly skates hard...not sure if it's a function of the competition but the guy actively skates away from the slot in the vast majority of those highlights and the only times he cuts through is when he can skate by untouched. You'll also notice--my biggest pet peeve with him--is he'll make a pass then peel/fade away from the play, i.e. no give and gos busting hard to the net, no further support for his teammate, one pass and done. We don't need another half-wall allstar.

The thing that actually impresses me most about Zegras is the same thing that impresses me about EK and that's the 'non highlight' plays, Doughty has the same thing sometimes, just the vision to make a phenomenal headman pass through a maze of players and sticks that no one can see but the player. the 'average' play is a high-level, high skill play that opens up others.

I just have doubts that the highlight plays will transfer to the next level and that big defensemen are going to scare him off like Regehr on Kucherov. I dunno, it's a gut feeling, maybe it's just gas, but he weirds me out.
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He actually did acknowledge some of those questions about him being able to pull off some of these passes against tougher competition, and his numbers against college opponents showed that he can still produce against slightly more experienced amateurs. That said, he just turned 18 and he stood out as the guy who was the setup man on a line with Jack Hughes. I could see Zegras being a Brayden Point/Mat Barzal type of playmaker.
 
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I'd be happy with any one of Turcotte/Bryram/Zegras/Cozens at 5.

What intrigues me about Zegras is that he seems to have that game sense and anticipation factor that you can't really teach.
 
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