Prospect Info: 22nd Overall Tobias Bjornfot, Defence

[Statto]

Cyclones-

Yeah...they pulled it off and it was awesome. Full credit to them for playing it the way they did and being right. Makes sense to not believe these guys were in the midst of pulling a coup, however, when this is the same scouting staff that has provided some real stinky drafts this decade.

I feel that nobody really has a problem in hindsight and nobody felt/feels that Bjornfot is a piece of trash prospect, even when he was selected. I think a lot of it also has to do with what most thought as the BPA being a certain type of prospect that the Kings haven't drafted in ages while Bjornfot appears to fit right in to previous picks.

Cyclones post was far better than mine on the subject.

However your point on it being the same scouting staff is an important one. It’s the same staff, but under a different GM giving different direction.

There is this quote from Yannetti on LAKI “ Fagemo is more ‘compete’ than ‘culture,’ but those two boxes are really linked to us. While he’s ‘culture’ in a secondary way, he’s ‘compete’ and he’s pace-based and speed-based, which for me is the better compete. You get the puck back quick. I’m starting to go into the ‘compete’ side where ‘pursuit, pressure’ rather than ‘hard-nosed,’ ‘physical.’ When Mike [Futa] and I did [the draft], Mike’s more ‘physical-compete’ and I’m more ‘speed-compete’ when we were together and we’d balance each other out. Now, there’s no one to keep me in check, so we can do it our way. I’m just kidding.”

He says he was kidding, but I think he was only half kidding. I say that because I read a separate quote, that I cannot find, about how DL wanted the physical compete whereas Blake wants the pace based compete. So it shows that the scouts previously were working to a different blueprint and that’s why we have a whole bunch of generic guys now. Our scouts have done what was asked of them pretty well, however you could easily argue that we just didn’t use them effectively. I don’t know about anyone else but I get the impression that our scouting team prefer Blakes approach to things and that they seem to feel more trusted/empowered.

 

[BigKing]

Cyclones post was far better than mine on the subject.

However your point on it being the same scouting staff is an important one. It’s the same staff, but under a different GM giving different direction.

There is this quote from Yannetti on LAKI “ Fagemo is more ‘compete’ than ‘culture,’ but those two boxes are really linked to us. While he’s ‘culture’ in a secondary way, he’s ‘compete’ and he’s pace-based and speed-based, which for me is the better compete. You get the puck back quick. I’m starting to go into the ‘compete’ side where ‘pursuit, pressure’ rather than ‘hard-nosed,’ ‘physical.’ When Mike [Futa] and I did [the draft], Mike’s more ‘physical-compete’ and I’m more ‘speed-compete’ when we were together and we’d balance each other out. Now, there’s no one to keep me in check, so we can do it our way. I’m just kidding.”

He says he was kidding, but I think he was only half kidding. I say that because I read a separate quote, that I cannot find, about how DL wanted the physical compete whereas Blake wants the pace based compete. So it shows that the scouts previously were working to a different blueprint and that’s why we have a whole bunch of generic guys now. Our scouts have done what was asked of them pretty well, however you could easily argue that we just didn’t use them effectively. I don’t know about anyone else but I get the impression that our scouting team prefer Blakes approach to things and that they seem to feel more trusted/empowered.

Seems he is implying that Futa wanted things a certain way but now he is not there.

It's a new game where a guy that crushes people and has skill like a Tom Wilson are rare, or even the Tkachuk brothers. That is still valued but there just isn't a lot of those type of players as before since the game has changed.

I get what you are saying about a different philosophy because
Blake himself has mentioned that in the past. That being said, Vilardi, Turcotte and Bjornfot are typical DL picks as far as playing style goes and I do believe Blake is dipping in to the DL playbook with the emphasis on character. These are still the same guys but there is a change in philosophy: where I'm seeing more of a difference is in taking a guy like Kupari over NA skaters and also trading up to take another Euro in Fagemo.

 

[Choralone]

Seems he is implying that Futa wanted things a certain way but now he is not there.

It's a new game where a guy that crushes people and has skill like a Tom Wilson are rare, or even the Tkachuk brothers. That is still valued but there just isn't a lot of those type of players as before since the game has changed.

I get what you are saying about a different philosophy because
Blake himself has mentioned that in the past. That being said, Vilardi, Turcotte and Bjornfot are typical DL picks as far as playing style goes and I do believe Blake is dipping in to the DL playbook with the emphasis on character. These are still the same guys but there is a change in philosophy: where I'm seeing more of a difference is in taking a guy like Kupari over NA skaters and also trading up to take another Euro in Fagemo.

It also appears there's an emphasis on speed - not necessarily full-on burners, but staying away from slugs and finding players who can think the game and play at speed with crisp passes, quick shots, etc.

 

[BigKing]

It also appears there's an emphasis on speed - not necessarily full-on burners, but staying away from slugs and finding players who can think the game and play at speed with crisp passes, quick shots, etc.

Definitely. Pretty sure Blake said as much early on in his tenure.

Vilardi doesn't fit that mold but he dropped to them and they couldn't resist.

That being said, Lombardi drafted the fastest player in the system and, possibly, the entire league in Wagner. Looking back at that 2015 draft, they might not have done too bad for not having a 1st round pick in the event Wagner and Roy become full-time NHL players since Cernak looks to be solid.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Those guys i highlighted can all play LW and on that LD side we have Tier 1 Anderson, Tier 2 Clague and Tier 3 Phillips.. everyone else is not comparable. Bjornfot is on that Tier 1, potential top 4 with Mikey.. and thats all we have going for us unless Brickley takes a huge step forward..

So no, we are nowhere near being stacked.. and again, taking the BPA (Bjornfot) was the right call

Okay, so if you're being extremely generous, and pretend that moving players out of position is a good move, and that moving frigging Rempal and Lizotte to LW solves the problem, and that only LD has a dropoff in talent (if Clague is tier 2, what were our LWs behind Wagner???)...I mean, I listed Boko Imama as a prospect just to have a body there so it looked like I wasn't being biased. But if we're being honest, really only like 1-2 guys per wing position belong there, whereas at least 5-6 LD do. Is Bjornfot likely better than most of those guys? Indubitably. But it was adding to a relative position of strength. I never said we were 'stacked'. I believe I used the word redundant. It's kind of bad faith arguing to pretend everything behind Phillips doesn't count but that Drake f***ing Rymsha is going to solve the LW hole there. I don't think I've heard that guy's name since draft day.

Come on man. You're trying really hard to not see the issue I had at the time. And again, most of that has been plugged with this draft so all is well that ends well. But as far as natural positions, we were drowning in AHL/NHL/pro ready LD while other positions were close to having ZERO prospects coming anytime soon. If we can't agree on that after I literally drew it out and tried to be extremely generous to the other positions, then yeah, there's no discussion to be had.

TLDR our left wing depth in particular was basically Austin Wagner and a bunch of longshots so yeah i was upset at the time that we skipped out on Kaliyev, Tomasino and some others to take the LD that we had like 9 of in the pros and several more on the roster.

 

[member 88115]

A few of the left-handed dmen can also play the right side, like Clague. Bjornfot also seems to take the right side of the ice as well.

I was rewatching the U18 gold medal game and Bjornfot was used on both sides and did well

 

[Ghetty Green]

Okay, so if you're being extremely generous, and pretend that moving players out of position is a good move, and that moving frigging Rempal and Lizotte to LW solves the problem, and that only LD has a dropoff in talent (if Clague is tier 2, what were our LWs behind Wagner???)...I mean, I listed Boko Imama as a prospect just to have a body there so it looked like I wasn't being biased. But if we're being honest, really only like 1-2 guys per wing position belong there, whereas at least 5-6 LD do. Is Bjornfot likely better than most of those guys? Indubitably. But it was adding to a relative position of strength. I never said we were 'stacked'. I believe I used the word redundant. It's kind of bad faith arguing to pretend everything behind Phillips doesn't count but that Drake ****ing Rymsha is going to solve the LW hole there. I don't think I've heard that guy's name since draft day.

Come on man. You're trying really hard to not see the issue I had at the time. And again, most of that has been plugged with this draft so all is well that ends well. But as far as natural positions, we were drowning in AHL/NHL/pro ready LD while other positions were close to having ZERO prospects coming anytime soon. If we can't agree on that after I literally drew it out and tried to be extremely generous to the other positions, then yeah, there's no discussion to be had.

TLDR our left wing depth in particular was basically Austin Wagner and a bunch of longshots so yeah i was upset at the time that we skipped out on Kaliyev, Tomasino and some others to take the LD that we had like 9 of in the pros and several more on the roster.

So you would have drafted on need, not BPA

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

So you would have drafted on need, not BPA

The question at the time was whether the vanilla LHD was BPA. It's arguable he wasn't, given the pick was admittedly based on a defenseman run. And all things being equal...see above.

Let's also be honest and realize very few people here knew much about Bjornfot at the time.

Like I said, in retrospect, I'm totally comfortable in the pick. But I'm still not understanding why people are acting like it's crazy to question it or that Blake's thought process is beyond reproach here (especially given they admitted they gambled and hoped one of the forwards would drop but yet were willing to trade up ONE SPOT to Ottawa to be sure?). There were more than a few guys ranked equally so all things being equal this looked like the safe pick and one that didn't fulfill an organizational hole so it was maddening.

Finally, I'm starting to repeat myself so it's the last I'll say about it since I don't want to argue a moot point just to argue. I really like the player and he's sounding like a Swedish Mikey Andersson. Can never have too many of those guys, they sound like new-era Willie Mitchells and Hampus Lindholms. I guess I'm just a little shocked less that people are acting like we're not at all deep at LD compared to other positions which literally had ZERO real prospects, just longshots. But this draft fixed a lot of that and I'm stoked for Blake and co.

 

[kings11]

Okay, so if you're being extremely generous, and pretend that moving players out of position is a good move, and that moving frigging Rempal and Lizotte to LW solves the problem, and that only LD has a dropoff in talent (if Clague is tier 2, what were our LWs behind Wagner???)...I mean, I listed Boko Imama as a prospect just to have a body there so it looked like I wasn't being biased. But if we're being honest, really only like 1-2 guys per wing position belong there, whereas at least 5-6 LD do. Is Bjornfot likely better than most of those guys? Indubitably. But it was adding to a relative position of strength. I never said we were 'stacked'. I believe I used the word redundant. It's kind of bad faith arguing to pretend everything behind Phillips doesn't count but that Drake ****ing Rymsha is going to solve the LW hole there. I don't think I've heard that guy's name since draft day.

Come on man. You're trying really hard to not see the issue I had at the time. And again, most of that has been plugged with this draft so all is well that ends well. But as far as natural positions, we were drowning in AHL/NHL/pro ready LD while other positions were close to having ZERO prospects coming anytime soon. If we can't agree on that after I literally drew it out and tried to be extremely generous to the other positions, then yeah, there's no discussion to be had.

TLDR our left wing depth in particular was basically Austin Wagner and a bunch of longshots so yeah i was upset at the time that we skipped out on Kaliyev, Tomasino and some others to take the LD that we had like 9 of in the pros and several more on the roster.

And again to yourself and BigKing, we drafted whom the FO thought was the BPA... Best Player Available...
Let that sink in for a minute or more, had we had this philosophy years ago we would have had some of the best draft on a yearly basis..

Look, i'm not blind to ur lack of scoring talent but as I said above, drafting based on need caused us to pass on some really, really good players..
Forbort vs Tarasenko
Teubert vs Karlsson
Cant remember vs Milan Lucic
and many many more you guys can add here

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

And again to yourself and BigKing, we drafted whom the FO thought was the BPA... Best Player Available...
Let that sink in for a minute or more, had we had this philosophy years ago we would have had some of the best draft on a yearly basis..

Look, i'm not blind to ur lack of scoring talent but as I said above, drafting based on need caused us to pass on some really, really good players..
Forbort vs Tarasenko
Teubert vs Karlsson
Cant remember vs Milan Lucic
and many many more you guys can add here

And all I'm saying is that's debatable based on my grounds in the post above.

Agree on take BPA.

 

[Vino]

Cant remember vs Milan Lucic

Joey Ryan. A big, bruising RD (QMJHL)

 

[BigKing]

And all I'm saying is that's debatable based on my grounds in the post above.

Agree on take BPA.

Exactly. The Kings aren't even saying he was the BPA but rather the best available defenseman and they felt the drop in defenseman talent was going to be larger at 33 than the forward talent decline.

They wound up reading the draft correctly so all's well that ends well but, in a vacuum, Bjornfot is most likely not the actual BPA at #22 but is rather the Kings' scouts best defenseman available.

Everyone can act like an expert about it after they get Kaliyev anyways and then their thought process is explained but, in the moment, the pick was deservedly questioned.

 

[Basilisk]

But I'm still not understanding why people are acting like it's crazy to question it or that Blake's thought process is beyond reproach here.....

Who's saying this? Stupid Blake drafted three undersized defensemen.....IN A ROW!!! .....5'10", 5'9", and 5'11"..... That's the opposite of winning. To hell with "the game is changing". The rules of physics are gunna stay the same, regardless of ridiculous rule changes.

 

[Fat Elvis]

I liked this pick, kid seems to have a very well rounded game to go along with some serious intangibles that don't grow on trees. He's a couple seasons out and a lot can unfold in that time in terms of who's still in the organization. Was hoping for Tomasino, but I'm pleased with this pick. Having multiple capable dmen is not a bad problem. They still got their 51 goals ten picks later.

 

[PumperNichol]

Our look

Tobias Bjornfot Scouting Report: 2018 NHL Draft #35

FWIW...he looked very good at development camp. Great skater, always had his head up and made very good passes whether stationary or on the move..appeared to have a very good shot from the point on a couple occasions.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

 

[Ghetty Green]

Based on Blakes comments i think this kid will have a legitimate shot at cracking the roster

Amazing pick

 

[kilowatt]

Ruuttu, on examples of Bjornfot’s character while scouting him:
When you asked anybody on the Swedish team that he played for, ask who’s the leader on the team, one name came out every time. It was Tobias. It was Tobias Bjornfot. Bjornfot, Bjornfot, Bjornfot. Every single guy said that, so it’s very impressive. You can’t go around asking Tobias who’s the leader, but every player said that on his team. ‘Tobias is our leader,’ and leading a team, getting the first World Championship under-18 for Sweden, it was a very good thing – winning at home, too. But Tobias is a solid player that way.

 

[lumbergh]

Based on Blakes comments i think this kid will have a legitimate shot at cracking the roster

Amazing pick

Interesting news on Bjornfot from LAKI. The Kings want control over where he goes this season, suggesting he's on the fast-track. His game seems very mature for his age. Maybe he ends up at Ontario at the end of the season? Looking forward to watching his development.

Kings control Bjornfot destination; Voynov signs with Omsk - LA Kings Insider

 

[Chazz Reinhold]

Interesting news on Bjornfot from LAKI. The Kings want control over where he goes this season, suggesting he's on the fast-track. His game seems very mature for his age. Maybe he ends up at Ontario at the end of the season? Looking forward to watching his development.

Kings control Bjornfot destination; Voynov signs with Omsk - LA Kings Insider

Sounds like it's likely he'll still go back to Sweden.

From that article: "What this means: Bjornfot is still probably headed to Djurgardens on a loan, but the Kings gain some assurances in his usage, aka, 'the playing situation.'"

Plus this:

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Seems he is implying that Futa wanted things a certain way but now he is not there.

It's a new game where a guy that crushes people and has skill like a Tom Wilson are rare, or even the Tkachuk brothers. That is still valued but there just isn't a lot of those type of players as before since the game has changed.

I get what you are saying about a different philosophy because
Blake himself has mentioned that in the past. That being said, Vilardi, Turcotte and Bjornfot are typical DL picks as far as playing style goes and I do believe Blake is dipping in to the DL playbook with the emphasis on character. These are still the same guys but there is a change in philosophy: where I'm seeing more of a difference is in taking a guy like Kupari over NA skaters and also trading up to take another Euro in Fagemo.

Agreed. Kaliyev is another player Lombardi would have never touched, I don’t think.

 

[Legionnaire]

He drafted Toffoli.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

He drafted Toffoli.

Kaliyev had a lot of work ethic questions surrounding him, though. True or false, that would have warded away Lombardi like garlic to a vampire.

 

[Legionnaire]

Kaliyev had a lot of work ethic questions surrounding him, though. True or false, that would have warded away Lombardi like garlic to a vampire.

I've read otherwise from his coaches when it comes to work ethic.

He may not be a highly active player in game, and he may need major work on his two way play, but I think that Dean would have seen a very talented player he/they could work with.