GDT: 2021 NHL Entry Draft - Round 1: July 23 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN, SN NOW, TVA Sports) Part II

[Ghetty Green]

This is true...but for Byfield, he's going to be a force for certain and succeed. It's just too hard to know if that will be a 75+ point, #1 Center, or more of a 2nd line, 50+ point center.
But when you consider HE IS STILL 18, my mind bends. He does not even turn 19 until next month. There will be some misses and a few traded, but the cupboard is full.
I am glad they transitioned to Wrobo last year for this group and also loved the comment from Akil Thomas this past season, about being the best group of players (comraderie)
that he's ever been part of. There is talent in the ranks and while some of that talent may not be elite, the character is and that will propel some of them to be the Jarrett Stolls and
Willie Mitchell's for this oncoming group.

I see Akil being the next Stoll in terms of leadership - minus the molly

 

[Bandit]

Because if you think they're hall of famers, you expect them gone within the first few picks. The likeliness of having NHLers drop significantly even in the late first.

If your team (scouts and development coaches) see someone who can make the NHL, then you are excited when you can nab them outside the first.

I’m not saying everyone needs to be a hall of famer but every team has 6 top forwards. Where do they come from if only the first few picks are worthy? I just wish they’d be excited for a 25 goal scorer sometime, not just a PKer with some grit or whatever.

 

[King'sPawn]

I’m not saying everyone needs to be a hall of famer but every team has 6 top forwards. Where do they come from if only the first few picks are worthy? I just wish they’d be excited for a 25 goal scorer sometime, not just a PKer with some grit or whatever.

I understand. Was just providing context. They are excited that there's a prospect they really like, put in a lot of effort and years watching, etc.

This is a culmination of years of work. And they think they have identified an NHLer and can develop him into one.

 

[Bandit]

I understand. Was just providing context. They are excited that there's a prospect they really like, put in a lot of effort and years watching, etc.

This is a culmination of years of work. And they think they have identified an NHLer and can develop him into one.

Yeah I guess I’m just being cranky about years and years of watching this team barely be able to eek out 2 goals.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Yannetti called this his favorite draft in terms of them executing their plan.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I’m not saying everyone needs to be a hall of famer but every team has 6 top forwards. Where do they come from if only the first few picks are worthy? I just wish they’d be excited for a 25 goal scorer sometime, not just a PKer with some grit or whatever.

Are you just deliberately ignoring the top end of the prospect pool or what

Kaliyev, Fagemo, Turcotte, Byfield, even long shots like Simontaival, Chromiak...can keep going...

People are right to call you on being deliberately obtuse here.

 

[Bandit]

Are you just deliberately ignoring the top end of the prospect pool or what

Kaliyev, Fagemo, Turcotte, Byfield, even long shots like Simontaival, Chromiak...can keep going...

People are right to call you on being deliberately obtuse here.

I'm talking about the players they took in this draft. I was on vacation for a week so I may have forgot but is it a f***ing requirement that everyone positing here has a yeasty snatch? I'm just talking, not making predictions or making demands. I have no idea why everyone is acting like I just knocked up their sister other than the internet is a shitty place, this one in particular. And in case you forgot here's what Yannetti had to say about Kaliyev's draft:

Round 2 33rd overall Arthur Kaliyev

Not a word about what kind of player they're expecting from him, so when I say it would be nice for the Kings staff to draft a guy and speak about him like he will be an impact player in this league, I don't think it's that crazy of an ask. Pretty sure I'm not the only one sick of watching this team lose games 2-1 showing zero heart.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I'm talking about the players they took in this draft. I was on vacation for a week so I may have forgot but is it a f***ing requirement that everyone positing here has a yeasty snatch? I'm just talking, not making predictions or making demands. I have no idea why everyone is acting like I just knocked up their sister other than the internet is a shitty place, this one in particular. And in case you forgot here's what Yannetti had to say about Kaliyev's draft:

Round 2 33rd overall Arthur Kaliyev

Not a word about what kind of player they're expecting from him, so when I say it would be nice for the Kings staff to draft a guy and speak about him like he will be an impact player in this league, I don't think it's that crazy of an ask.

Yeah, it must be everyone else. If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day...

Your previous post literally said "I just wish they’d be excited for a 25 goal scorer sometime, not just a PKer with some grit or whatever," so maybe communicate better if you meant literally just this draft.

Besides that, in just this draft, how many times and from how many different people do you need to hear that Pinelli is a first-round top six style talent to be happy?

So if you're not being deliberately obtuse, you're pleading ignorance because you've been gone for a week? Then you might just have to take our word for it instead of being such a crusty turd today. Jesus man.

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

Yannetti called this his favorite draft in terms of them executing their plan.

Sure sounds like they wanted Clarke or Eklund, and with Eklund going 7, they couldn't trade back and guarantee getting Clarke

 

[tny760]

is it a f***ing requirement that everyone positing here has a yeasty snatch?

 

[Steve Zissou]

 

[deaderhead28]

I was on vacation for a week so I may have forgot but is it a f***ing requirement that everyone positing here has a yeasty snatch?

 

[kilowatt]

Yannetti called this his favorite draft in terms of them executing their plan.

One important note here is that Yannetti called Pinelli a top six winger, so that kind of answers the "another center?" question for me. He also goes on to suggest that having Kopitar, Byfield, and Helenius down the middle would be a real pain to play against (6'4, 6'5, and 6'6, respectively), so infer what you will about Turcotte, Vilardi, Kupari, and some of the other centermen.

 

[kilowatt]

I’m not trying to pessimistic here but why do we always seems to hear about how excited our staff is that a guy we picked MIGHT become a 3rd liner?

You should listen to what he had to say about Clarke. The gist was that LA has really never had a defenseman like Clarke during his tenure, and that while Doughty's the most complete defenseman he's ever had, Clarke's talent in creating offense is off the charts. It was pretty exciting to hear him talk that way about Brandt!

 

[Bandit]

Yeah, it must be everyone else. If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day...

Your previous post literally said "I just wish they’d be excited for a 25 goal scorer sometime, not just a PKer with some grit or whatever," so maybe communicate better if you meant literally just this draft.

Besides that, in just this draft, how many times and from how many different people do you need to hear that Pinelli is a first-round top six style talent to be happy?

So if you're not being deliberately obtuse, you're pleading ignorance because you've been gone for a week? Then you might just have to take our word for it instead of being such a crusty turd today. Jesus man.

Moderator on a site full of assholes calls me an asshole. Checks out.

I’m reading what people who scout these kids are saying about our picks. “Below average”, “3rd liner”…. If that makes me a “crusty turd” then I guess I would have been better off illiterate.

At least Kingspawn and a few others have been able to talk about the actual players. I’m grateful for that.

 

[DryIslandBartender]

Not sure what to make of this draft outside of Clarke, seeing a lot of people compare him to Cale Makar. Which would line up with the quotes from Kings staff saying that we never had a prospect like Clarke.

I really enjoyed seeing Makar take over games and use his shiftiness to control entries into the other teams. Considering Makar just signed a big extension, and how rare he is. I am surprised Clarke didn’t go higher than 8.


As for the rest of the draft, I would have to read more on them. Pinelli seems promising and high IQ.

 

[Reclamation Project]

Corey Pronman Draft Rankings -

Los Angeles Kings: B+

The Kings only ended up with four picks in this draft because of various moves, but I think they made them count. Brandt Clarke is a great prospect. Kirill Kirsanov and Francesco Pinelli both have a lot of ability. And I could see Samuel Helenius plugging into the tail-end part of a lineup. Kirsanov slid due to conditioning and signability concerns, but I had him highly rated. I could see L.A. getting two or three quality NHL players from this group.

 

[Bandit]

Definitely excited to see what Clarke can do, wonder how long it will take him to make it to the show. Once he removes his hands from his face of course.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Moderator on a site full of assholes calls me an asshole. Checks out.

I’m reading what people who scout these kids are saying about our picks. “Below average”, “3rd liner”…. If that makes me a “crusty turd” then I guess I would have been better off illiterate.

At least Kingspawn and a few others have been able to talk about the actual players. I’m grateful for that.

Honestly man I really just don't know what else to say to you since you're not responding to sugar or spice, you're literally just being a dick for the sake of being a dick. I'm calling it like I see it. You know I appreciate you and generally you and I agree more than most other posters which is why i was hoping you'd hear it from me and consider that maybe you're just being pessimistic but you're not so hey, led you to water, if you don't want to drink, whatever.

And just like everything else...there is PLENTY of player talk to go around, you just don't want to hear any of it.

Let's make it simple

Clarke--has been compared to Mike Green/Erik Karlsson. Dynamic offensive talent from the backend, many had him ranked in their top 3, some at 1.
Pinelli--top end offensive talent, should have been a first rounder, showed some SERIOUS ability early in this year, some people are questioning him going to the hard areas.
Helenius--I know this is the focus of your ire--but a big grumpy player with good bloodlines that has a high floor is a great buy at his spot.
Kirsanov--some called him the best defensive D in the draft, already playing studly against men, several saying like with Faber/Bjornfot may be some untapped offensive upside since the IQ is there.

I really, really just do not see what there is to complain about. Blake et. al. went for quality over quantity, a smart move at this juncture, with so many prospects and contract slots. And Yanetti is more excited about this draft than any of their previous. I just think focusing your ire on a singular pick when all the buzz from inside the org, outside the org, on these boards, and evaluated from around the league from prospect analysts both mainstream and hipster is exceedingly positive is wild.

 

[Reclamation Project]

Ah shit, Erik Karlsson? I thought we drafted a defenseman!

 

[KingsFan7824]

Corey Pronman Draft Rankings -

Los Angeles Kings: B+

The Kings only ended up with four picks in this draft because of various moves, but I think they made them count. Brandt Clarke is a great prospect. Kirill Kirsanov and Francesco Pinelli both have a lot of ability. And I could see Samuel Helenius plugging into the tail-end part of a lineup. Kirsanov slid due to conditioning and signability concerns, but I had him highly rated. I could see L.A. getting two or three quality NHL players from this group.

If they hit at a 50-75% clip, that's exceptional. Clarke has to not only be one of them, but one of the drivers of the bus, but not quite sure I get the B+ in this context(not that these grades really matter). Is it because they ended up with only 4 picks?

 

[deaderhead28]

If they hit at a 50-75% clip, that's exceptional. Clarke has to not only be one of them, but one of the drivers of the bus, but not quite sure I get the B+ in this context(not that these grades really matter). Is it because they ended up with only 4 picks?

Many experts were critical of many teams drafting.Kings did really well.

 

[kilowatt]

Wheeler gave his grades for round 1 and then rounds 2–7. Here are the tiers:

Winners: Teams I believe won out over their competition with sleuth, home-run-level selections relative to where they picked.
Overtime winners: Teams I believe did well with where they were slotted, even if they might not have picked the exact player(s) I would have.
Overtime losers: Teams I believe could have done better but might, in time, be happy with their pick(s) regardless.
Losers: Teams I believe will regret taking the player(s) they chose.

Here's his thoughts on LA for round 1:

4. Los Angeles Kings
Pick: 8. Brandt Clarke
My ranking: No. 3 (change: -5)

Clarke was always the best-case scenario for the Kings. Not only was he the best-player available on my board, but in a Kings pool that is unmatched league-wide at forward and loaded on defence, the only thing that was missing was a dynamic, playmaking D prospect, the two things that Clarke is. Clarke is an incredible talent who breaks ankles laterally, roves like a fourth forward, wants to take over the game, and plays a very vocal, I’m-in-charge style out there. His wonky skating mechanics and underdeveloped frame and athleticism raise some question marks, but neither his skills/skating coach nor his strength coach are concerned about them and there are OHL people who think he’s the best player in this age group.​

And here's his thoughts on LA for rounds 2–7:

3. Los Angeles Kings
Day 1 rank: No. 4 (winner)

The Kings have the best prospect pool in hockey and they just keep adding to it. Part of that comes from just how many selections they’ve made in recent years. But they don’t build what they’ve built without also making good on a lot of those picks and the Francesco Pinelli selection at 42 feels like another feather in their cap. They’ve got an embarrassment of riches up front in their pool, which will make his path to his second-line upside a little more challenging than elsewhere, but he was one of my top-ranked players (24th overall) and I love their continued insistence on slippery, two-way possession types.

The above also made their selection of Samuel Helenius an intriguing one because despite being 6-foot-6, he actually has some uncharacteristic ‘small’ skill for a player that size. I had him ranked 74th, so 59th was probably a little too early. But that was more or less the tier he belonged in. It’s going to be hard for him to be productive and play in an offensive role at the next level. That’s just the reality for forwards that big. There aren’t many who are more than depth pieces. But he’s got enough skill to become that and his attention to detail and leadership are both revered.

The hits kept coming for the Kings in the third round with their selection of Kirill Kirsanov 84th-overall. At that point, Kirsanov was my fourth-ranked player (50th). He’s not the kind of player who is going to finish off a lot of plays inside the offensive zone, or even break teams down to create the finishing play for someone else. But he’s a smooth skater who beats pressure laterally through neutral ice, leads a lot of transition sequences with a quick few steps into an outlet pass, and defends with a polish that is rare for a player his age. There’s two-way value there.

Considering they only had three picks, it’s another year of winning at the draft for the Kings for me.​

We were in his tier one for both days of the draft, the only team to do so.

 

[King'sPawn]

Wheeler gave his grades for round 1 and then rounds 2–7. Here are the tiers:

Winners: Teams I believe won out over their competition with sleuth, home-run-level selections relative to where they picked.
Overtime winners: Teams I believe did well with where they were slotted, even if they might not have picked the exact player(s) I would have.
Overtime losers: Teams I believe could have done better but might, in time, be happy with their pick(s) regardless.
Losers: Teams I believe will regret taking the player(s) they chose.

Here's his thoughts on LA for round 1:

4. Los Angeles Kings
Pick: 8. Brandt Clarke
My ranking: No. 3 (change: -5)

Clarke was always the best-case scenario for the Kings. Not only was he the best-player available on my board, but in a Kings pool that is unmatched league-wide at forward and loaded on defence, the only thing that was missing was a dynamic, playmaking D prospect, the two things that Clarke is. Clarke is an incredible talent who breaks ankles laterally, roves like a fourth forward, wants to take over the game, and plays a very vocal, I’m-in-charge style out there. His wonky skating mechanics and underdeveloped frame and athleticism raise some question marks, but neither his skills/skating coach nor his strength coach are concerned about them and there are OHL people who think he’s the best player in this age group.​

And here's his thoughts on LA for rounds 2–7:

3. Los Angeles Kings
Day 1 rank: No. 4 (winner)

The Kings have the best prospect pool in hockey and they just keep adding to it. Part of that comes from just how many selections they’ve made in recent years. But they don’t build what they’ve built without also making good on a lot of those picks and the Francesco Pinelli selection at 42 feels like another feather in their cap. They’ve got an embarrassment of riches up front in their pool, which will make his path to his second-line upside a little more challenging than elsewhere, but he was one of my top-ranked players (24th overall) and I love their continued insistence on slippery, two-way possession types.

The above also made their selection of Samuel Helenius an intriguing one because despite being 6-foot-6, he actually has some uncharacteristic ‘small’ skill for a player that size. I had him ranked 74th, so 59th was probably a little too early. But that was more or less the tier he belonged in. It’s going to be hard for him to be productive and play in an offensive role at the next level. That’s just the reality for forwards that big. There aren’t many who are more than depth pieces. But he’s got enough skill to become that and his attention to detail and leadership are both revered.

The hits kept coming for the Kings in the third round with their selection of Kirill Kirsanov 84th-overall. At that point, Kirsanov was my fourth-ranked player (50th). He’s not the kind of player who is going to finish off a lot of plays inside the offensive zone, or even break teams down to create the finishing play for someone else. But he’s a smooth skater who beats pressure laterally through neutral ice, leads a lot of transition sequences with a quick few steps into an outlet pass, and defends with a polish that is rare for a player his age. There’s two-way value there.

Considering they only had three picks, it’s another year of winning at the draft for the Kings for me.​

We were in his tier one for both days of the draft, the only team to do so.

I like Wheeler's work more than Pronman, and it has nothing to do with more favorable overall response to LA. He's simply more consistent and thoughtful with his ratings and rankings, and puts more effort into providing explanations and justifications.

 

[Oof]

Our second round picks just seem like polar opposites to me and I find that hilarious for some reason. Pinelli sounds like a high-skill forward that has a much higher ceiling than his draft position suggests, and Helenius seems like a player that's never going to dominate in the league but with his size and defensive style he's nearly a lock to be a bottom six center, and I am pleased to have both of them in the pool. I'm a fan of this draft, definitely went for quality over quantity and looked to trade up for specific players instead of just waiting for whatever falls