Prospect Info: 2nd Round Kings Pick #60 Defenseman Alex Lintuniemi

[Holden Caulfield]

For the people who didn't like this pick, who would you have rather had who was still available at #60?

I had a bunch of guys on my draft list I'd have preferred. Of the big stay at home D mold Adam Ollas Mattsson was one. Jack Glover is another more defensive minded D with lots more polish on his game and untapped offensive potential as well (decent size too). I had Glover as a first rounder. But meh we'll see.

 

[haelwho]

Got to watch Alex at both U18s last year. Wasn't a huge fan. Big kid, decent skater if not a bit awkward, defensive play was his strongest attribute but prone to lapses from time to time. Joined the rush occasionally and had decent offensive instincts but mostly focused on his end. Haven't had a chance to watch him this year so curious how his game has changed, but he seemed like a future bottom pairing guy to me at the time.

 

[Brock]

I had Lintuniemi as the 39th ranked OHL player this year.

http://ohlprospects.blogspot.ca/2014/05/my-final-top-50-ohl-players-for-2014_20.html

 

[King'sPawn]

Thank you for all the article links, Brock!

Here's my shift by shift video of Alex Lintuniemi



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4N4Tg_129w

 

[Oil For The Boys]

Deleted

 

[CNS]

Not very physical

LA Kings co-director of amateur scouting Mark Yannetti couldn't disagree more....

He hits like an absolute truck.

http://mayorsmanor.com/2014/06/blake-yanetti-talk-trading-vey-and-on-2nd-round-picks/

 

[BigBrown]

http://mayorsmanor.com/2014/06/blake-yanetti-talk-trading-vey-and-on-2nd-round-picks/

Cool, thanks. Interesting to hear the reasoning behind the pick by Yannetti. They seem pretty high on his potential if he can get himself in good shape.

 

[Oil For The Boys]

LA Kings co-director of amateur scouting Mark Yannetti couldn't disagree more....



http://mayorsmanor.com/2014/06/blake-yanetti-talk-trading-vey-and-on-2nd-round-picks/

I've seen Lintuniemi about 20-30 times this past season and he does not hit like a truck. He uses his body effectively to gain position and to separate the man from the puck but he's definitely not out on the ice looking for hits.

 

[Jason Lewis]

I've seen Lintuniemi about 20-30 times this past season and he does not hit like a truck. He uses his body effectively to gain position and to separate the man from the puck but he's definitely not out on the ice looking for hits.

This is what I've heard. He does not look to lay the big hit at all. He more or less uses his body effectively but not violently.

Think Victor Hedman style. He's huge and COULD lay you out, but he normally doesn't.

This pick is an interesting one in general to me. He's a project, but he shows potential for growth in every area which is nice.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

4 years later...Has he made much progress?.
ECHL route to the AHL, any thoughts about his game at the moment?
- just over month a go turned 23, so he is still young.

8 points this season in 13 games, that seems solid, box score tell's that has gotten plenty of primary assists,
but is -6 and only 16 SOG, how much he plays?, tonight's highlights showed that he plays in both PP&PK .

How does his 5 on 5 game look?.

 

[kingsboy11]

4 years later...Has he made much progress?.
ECHL route to the AHL, any thoughts about his game at the moment?
- just over month a go turned 23, so he is still young.

8 points this season in 13 games, that seems solid, box score tell's that has gotten plenty of primary assists,
but is -6 and only 16 SOG, how much he plays?, tonight's highlights showed that he plays in both PP&PK .

How does his 5 on 5 game look?.

@regulate will have the best scouting report on him as he watches the reign regularly. But having said that he's had his ups and downs, but honestly I'm not seeing a spot on the Kings in the near future.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Consistently inconsistent.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

Consistently inconsistent.

so...basically the Finnish Derek Forbort.

 

[KINGS17]

I am disappoint.

 

[regulate]

Consistently inconsistent.

This is about an accurate a scouting report as there is. Consistently inconsistent. Nailed it. Not going to be an NHL player in my opinion. Would be best to go back to Finland and play next year. Kings gave him a one year extension to get another look this season after he finally made progress last year, but all I see is the same old problems mixed with some occasional very nice plays. I would have benched him a couple games already this season with some mind blowing bad plays, but so far that hasn't happened.

 

[regulate]

so...basically the Finnish Derek Forbort.

Forbort>>Lintuniemi by a wide margin.

 

[KingsCourt]

I'm probably in the minority but I am really starting to doubt Futa, short of a very few good ones...the majority has been pretty bad

 

[damacles1156]

I'm probably in the minority but I am really starting to doubt Futa, short of a very few good ones...the majority has been pretty bad

Not really,

I have been a huge critic of Futa for awhile, but it gets drowned out by the constant "Lombardi was a moron drafting" talk. Even though Futa is and has been a huge part of the drafting/scouting/development of the Kings since 2009.

 

[kovacro]

Not a big Futa guy either. Fair to say Lombardi was not making each draf pick on his own accord.

I’m sure Futa had a big role to play so to single out Deano would be naive. He has to share the blame.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Honestly I don't see how "Futa doesn't get criticism" holds any water, he's been getting eviscerated around here for the last couple of years and then some.

Yet everyone is thrilled with our last two drafts as well so

 

[KINGS17]

Honestly I don't see how "Futa doesn't get criticism" holds any water, he's been getting eviscerated around here for the last couple of years and then some.

Yet everyone is thrilled with our last two drafts as well so

Give it 2-3 years.

 

[DoktorJeep]

It’s hard to know how much Futa is responsible versus Lombardi. But I’m inclined to say it was Dean who was pushing for drafting big, slow players by all available evidence.

The mantra of 3-2 hockey games came from top down.

It is depressing reading the comments from 2014 in this thread. You can’t draw major conclusions about flaws in the franchise based on a pick which was essentially a 3rd rounder. And it’s unfair to dream that the Kings would have used the pick to get Brayden Point, cause he went a number of picks after AL. But you gotta wonder if Point was even on the Kings radar back then.

So I’d ask Futa, where he had Point on his list if I had the chance.

 

[regulate]

I'm probably in the minority but I am really starting to doubt Futa, short of a very few good ones...the majority has been pretty bad

We are not at the table, nor do we know how much leeway Futa (and somehow Yannetti is left off the hook, director of amateur scouting) have on draft day under DL or Blake, so it's hard to quantify. We've gone a little off topic here, but I would say Lintuniemi was a mistake. They liked his size and skating at the time, but Lintuniemi had a fitness problem his first two pro years (Stothers has said this publicly), and his hockey IQ has always been questionable at best in the 3 years I've watched him. He did lose weight and improved last year, but the pick was a huge reach by the Kings staff. Lintuniemi was ranked #187th (yes, they murdered this pick), and he was chosen 60th I believe.

I will say this though. I think the last two drafts, without loosing any of our picks, have been pretty solid, and have received good grades among the pundits out there.

 

[Fishhead]

I don't think Futa is let off the hook. Regardless of who he's expected to target, he's got to perform. Whether that's DL wanting size and character, or Blake wanting speed and skill.

Look at the Amadio pick. That's a solid pick in the 3rd if you are looking for size, two-way play, and leadership. The problem was DL was out of touch with where the league was headed. A smaller, highly skilled guy like Point who was taken in the 3rd round probably wasn't on their radar. It wasn't just the Kings, lots of teams were still looking for size at the time.

Between 2011-2016, seven players 6' and under were taken. There's been seven 6' under guys taken in the last two drafts alone. There's been an obvious shift in philosophy that was implemented right away, and at least the team appears to be looking at guys as a whole and not worrying if they are massive or not.

 

[GoldenBearHockey]

I don't think Futa is let off the hook. Regardless of who he's expected to target, he's got to perform. Whether that's DL wanting size and character, or Blake wanting speed and skill.

Look at the Amadio pick. That's a solid pick in the 3rd if you are looking for size, two-way play, and leadership. The problem was DL was out of touch with where the league was headed. A smaller, highly skilled guy like Point who was taken in the 3rd round probably wasn't on their radar. It wasn't just the Kings, lots of teams were still looking for size at the time.

Between 2011-2016, seven players 6' and under were taken. There's been seven 6' under guys taken in the last two drafts alone. There's been an obvious shift in philosophy that was implemented right away, and at least the team appears to be looking at guys as a whole and not worrying if they are massive or not.

That's hindsight though....first of all...you will never know if Point was on their radar, because he NEVER MADE it to their pick in the 3rd round....Central Scouting had him at 70 that year, woulda been a reach at 60, probably not...but they also could have thought he would last until 3rd etc, cherry picking drafts like that is inane....it makes no sense...