C Quinton Byfield (2020, 2nd, LAK) part III

[Filthy Dangles]

How the hell did Sherwood manage to lock up such a prestigious prospect?

I don't know how they specifically got him to sign-on but I knew something was brewing with Sherwood when the NHL returned to play last year when Kakko and Trouba were using Sherwood sticks that weren't blacked out and displayed the Sherwood graphic. Sherwood stopped paying the league fee to advertise their brand on sticks (and protective) which is why they went dark for a few years.

They seem to be poaching quite a few players: M. Tkachuk, Kakko, Trouba, DeBrincat, etc.

Yeah, guys are definitely at least trying Sherwood out, since they're officially back and paying licensing fees to the league again. But I haven't heard of any of those players signing any endorsement deals with them yet. As of now, I think only Connor Brown and Byfield have actual deals with Sherwood.

 

[Raymand]

Don't forget Koho! (Before they were bought by Reebok)

Shout out to the Fury Sidewinder

 

[Masked]

Stutzle and Anton Lundell IMO have already leapfrogged Byfield.
Anton Lundell was probably the steal of the draft.

Lundell's also older and had been getting games in before the WJC.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I don't know how they specifically got him to sign-on but I knew something was brewing with Sherwood when the NHL returned to play last year when Kakko and Trouba were using Sherwood sticks that weren't blacked out and displayed the Sherwood graphic. Sherwood stopped paying the league fee to advertise their brand on sticks (and protective) which is why they went dark for a few years.



Yeah, guys are definitely at least trying Sherwood out, since they're officially back and paying licensing fees to the league again. But I haven't heard of any of those players signing any endorsement deals with them yet. As of now, I think only Connor Brown and Byfield have actual deals with Sherwood.

M.Tkachuk does. He's on their website.

 

[Fatass]

Is Byfield playing with the Kings, or getting that special AHL placement, like some other CHL guys got?

 

[KingNick07]

As a Kings fan I watched every game Byfield play in at the wjc and followed Team Canada's training camp closely.

Saying he did not get the opportunity is simply not true. From the start of training camp he was expected to play a major role. The first two scrimmages he played head-to-head against Kirby Dach and was expected to take that second line Center role. It was pretty clear to the coaches that he was not going to take that role and run with it and he was subsequently slotted in a 3rd line role which became a 4th line role as the tournament moved forward. Then Newhook got hurt and the next game Byfield started the game as the 2nd line center. By the start of the 3rd period he was back on the 4th line. So yeah he did get opportunities to take the role everyone was hoping he would have. He just didn't, and it was pretty disappointing.

In watching Byfield it was pretty clear why he was demoted. What really stood out to me was he didn't seem to have much pace in his game. He seemed to coast at times, skated slowly and lazily to the bench on line changes, and I saw him carelessly skate past a scrum in front of the net more than once. He was definitely not hard on the puck most of the tournament and made bad passes and decisions with the puck, dumping the puck instead of passing to wide open teammates on entry multiple times, and straight up missing his teamates on passes. A lot of the time he looked lost. Another concern is his conditioning which might be understandable as he hasn't been playing for a while... but then again neither has most of his peers. The game he scored 6 points was good... but it was a blowout against a vastly inferior team. Those are my observations of him at the tournament.

I see a lot of great attributes in his game. Speed size skill. Great, but if he plays small and shy and doesn't have the hockey sense then what's the point. I think pace and attitude are the hardest things to teach. I have heard that most of his points in the OHL came off the rush which just isn't going to happen at anywhere close to the same rate in the NHL. We'll see if he can get his 5v5 game in order.

Ultimately I do believe the Kings can mold him into a really good player. But if he can't be ahead of Vilardi and Turcotte in the future on the center depth chart it will probably mean 3rd line center for him which I would consider a bust at 2nd overall.

I just hope the Kings don't regret not taking Stutzle, he looks like a super star in the making.

 

[OB34KNH]

Lundell's also older and had been getting games in before the WJC.

Lundell is 4 months older (not a big deal)

Clearly, in the WJC Lundell was far superior to Byfield.

This has shown in Lundell's performance in SM-LIIGA with 20 Points and 12 goals in only 17 games.

Lundell is also an amazing defensive player as well as a phenomenal skater. The only knack on him at the draft was his lack of offensive ability. Clearly, his offense has greatly improved and it's a step above Byfield.

 

[Masked]

Lundell is 4 months older (not a big deal)

False. Lundell is a 2001 who is more than 10 months older than Byfield, who is a 2002. More fair to compare Byfield's next WJC to Lundell's last one.

 

[Eagle Fang]

As a Kings fan I watched every game Byfield play in at the wjc and followed Team Canada's training camp closely.

Saying he did not get the opportunity is simply not true. From the start of training camp he was expected to play a major role. The first two scrimmages he played head-to-head against Kirby Dach and was expected to take that second line Center role. It was pretty clear to the coaches that he was not going to take that role and run with it and he was subsequently slotted in a 3rd line role which became a 4th line role as the tournament moved forward. Then Newhook got hurt and the next game Byfield started the game as the 2nd line center. By the start of the 3rd period he was back on the 4th line. So yeah he did get opportunities to take the role everyone was hoping he would have. He just didn't, and it was pretty disappointing.

In watching Byfield it was pretty clear why he was demoted. What really stood out to me was he didn't seem to have much pace in his game. He seemed to coast at times, skated slowly and lazily to the bench on line changes, and I saw him carelessly skate past a scrum in front of the net more than once. He was definitely not hard on the puck most of the tournament and made bad passes and decisions with the puck, dumping the puck instead of passing to wide open teammates on entry multiple times, and straight up missing his teamates on passes. A lot of the time he looked lost. Another concern is his conditioning which might be understandable as he hasn't been playing for a while... but then again neither has most of his peers. The game he scored 6 points was good... but it was a blowout against a vastly inferior team. Those are my observations of him at the tournament.

I see a lot of great attributes in his game. Speed size skill. Great, but if he plays small and shy and doesn't have the hockey sense then what's the point. I think pace and attitude are the hardest things to teach. I have heard that most of his points in the OHL came off the rush which just isn't going to happen at anywhere close to the same rate in the NHL. We'll see if he can get his 5v5 game in order.

Ultimately I do believe the Kings can mold him into a really good player. But if he can't be ahead of Vilardi and Turcotte in the future on the center depth chart it will probably mean 3rd line center for him which I would consider a bust at 2nd overall.

I just hope the Kings don't regret not taking Stutzle, he looks like a super star in the making.

I agree with a lot of this. I also thought he WAS given the opportunity in camp in a top 6 role. I didn't quite see the same negatives though. I thought he had pace and effort (most of the time). My main issue was his lack of hockey sense and he seemed to bumble the puck or lose possession quite a bit. I will say though as the tournament went on, he improved in some of those areas which can lend to the idea that he just needed games to get back into things.

But regardless, people will claim Byfield was asked to play a checking role rather than thinking he was "demoted" there (for lack of a better word). But don't worry, he did good at face-offs, threw some hits and performed well as a bottom six checker so there's nothing to be concerned about... or something like that. All those positives are signs he's well on his way to be a top six NHL player. Right?

 

[Shroud of Orrin]

I cannot recall a prospect scrutinized as Quinton Byfield in recent memory, maybe since Rick DiPietro? I remember a lot of people were saying MAF at #1 was crazy. Doug Wickenheiser?

The ceiling is Malkin and the floor is J Staal IMO. What I saw at the WJC is an extremely raw but immense talent. There were moments I was disappointed but it was mixed with highlights too. Glimpses. With the abundance of youth in LA to grow with and the leadership from Kops, Luc and Blake, etc, (to name only a few in that org) there's little doubt in my mind Kings fans will fall in love with him and in a few years when his confidence catches up to that full tool box and obvious talent - look out.

Quinton is a project, yes. But I have little concern regarding his ability to eventually make an impact in the NHL.

I hope the doubt fuels his resolve. He seems like such a humble and respectful kid.

 

[Osprey]

He seems like such a humble and respectful kid.

Don't worry. If there's a city that can change that, it's LA. A few weeks of driving their freeways at rush hour does wonders. You have to learn to push people out of your way to survive there. In 10 years, Quinton's gonna be all swollen with muscles and sporting tattoos up to where his bowtie used to be. Reporters will ask how he's changed since he was drafted and he'll just stare at them and say "next question."

 

[The Colonel]

You have made me sad.

Don't worry. If there's a city that can change that, it's LA. A few weeks of driving their freeways at rush hour does wonders. You have to learn to push people out of your way to survive there. In 10 years, Quinton's gonna be all swollen with muscles and sporting tattoos up to where his bowtie used to be. Reporters will ask how he's changed since he was drafted and he'll just stare at them and say "next question."

 

[Odie Cleghorn]

I cannot recall a prospect scrutinized as Quinton Byfield in recent memory, maybe since Rick DiPietro? I remember a lot of people were saying MAF at #1 was crazy. Doug Wickenheiser?

The ceiling is Malkin and the floor is J Staal IMO. What I saw at the WJC is an extremely raw but immense talent. There were moments I was disappointed but it was mixed with highlights too. Glimpses. With the abundance of youth in LA to grow with and the leadership from Kops, Luc and Blake, etc, (to name only a few in that org) there's little doubt in my mind Kings fans will fall in love with him and in a few years when his confidence catches up to that full tool box and obvious talent - look out.

Quinton is a project, yes. But I have little concern regarding his ability to eventually make an impact in the NHL.

I hope the doubt fuels his resolve. He seems like such a humble and respectful kid.

Uh Caufield.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I do not know how people can say as a legit criticism that he was 'soft on the puck' at the WJC.



And the stats show he was consistently amongst canada's leaders on controlled zone exits and he rarely failed a zone entry, was mostly amongst the leaders there too except for the fair criticism that he dumped the puck a LOT (which seems like a coaching /request decision because it was not only excessive, it's typically not part of his game).



That guys' timeline has each game if you want to see it but that's a pretty typical statline and those are strong for a guy given limited minutes.

And again he was amongst Canada's best play drivers in the gold medal game despite his shit deployment, and one of the best in the tourney on faceoffs.

Some of these critiques make me feel like I'm watching a different game than others, especially when the stats also show such a stout performance from every aspect but raw point production. Yes, I know stats aren't everything and I'll be the first to criticize box score watching but all of that jives with what I saw. Dude embraced his role and played it emphatically well from that standpoint--it's just not what people expected (also fair). I'll even grant an uneven effort, especially since he looked gassed at times, and the criticism about giveaways/dumping the puck, because he was throwing it forward quickly a lot. But everything on his side of the puck was amongst Canada's best, backed up by damn near every stat.

 

[covfefe]

I don't know how they specifically got him to sign-on but I knew something was brewing with Sherwood when the NHL returned to play last year when Kakko and Trouba were using Sherwood sticks that weren't blacked out and displayed the Sherwood graphic. Sherwood stopped paying the league fee to advertise their brand on sticks (and protective) which is why they went dark for a few years.



Yeah, guys are definitely at least trying Sherwood out, since they're officially back and paying licensing fees to the league again. But I haven't heard of any of those players signing any endorsement deals with them yet. As of now, I think only Connor Brown and Byfield have actual deals with Sherwood.

IIRC Sherwood was acquired by Can-Tire a few years ago and this would've been one of their express interests in pursuing that acquisition

 

[HockeyWooot]

Is somewhere in between aRyan Johansen and a Ryan Getzlaf a realistic projection for Byfield? Where he ends up depending how he develops over time.

 

[Osprey]

IIRC Sherwood was acquired by Can-Tire a few years ago and this would've been one of their express interests in pursuing that acquisition

Only in Canada would a tire company buy a hockey stick manufacturer. Now, a hockey puck manufacturer, that would make some sense.

 

[Kalv]

As a Kings fan I watched every game Byfield play in at the wjc and followed Team Canada's training camp closely.

Saying he did not get the opportunity is simply not true. From the start of training camp he was expected to play a major role. The first two scrimmages he played head-to-head against Kirby Dach and was expected to take that second line Center role. It was pretty clear to the coaches that he was not going to take that role and run with it and he was subsequently slotted in a 3rd line role which became a 4th line role as the tournament moved forward. Then Newhook got hurt and the next game Byfield started the game as the 2nd line center. By the start of the 3rd period he was back on the 4th line. So yeah he did get opportunities to take the role everyone was hoping he would have. He just didn't, and it was pretty disappointing.

In watching Byfield it was pretty clear why he was demoted. What really stood out to me was he didn't seem to have much pace in his game. He seemed to coast at times, skated slowly and lazily to the bench on line changes, and I saw him carelessly skate past a scrum in front of the net more than once. He was definitely not hard on the puck most of the tournament and made bad passes and decisions with the puck, dumping the puck instead of passing to wide open teammates on entry multiple times, and straight up missing his teamates on passes. A lot of the time he looked lost. Another concern is his conditioning which might be understandable as he hasn't been playing for a while... but then again neither has most of his peers. The game he scored 6 points was good... but it was a blowout against a vastly inferior team. Those are my observations of him at the tournament.

I see a lot of great attributes in his game. Speed size skill. Great, but if he plays small and shy and doesn't have the hockey sense then what's the point. I think pace and attitude are the hardest things to teach. I have heard that most of his points in the OHL came off the rush which just isn't going to happen at anywhere close to the same rate in the NHL. We'll see if he can get his 5v5 game in order.

Ultimately I do believe the Kings can mold him into a really good player. But if he can't be ahead of Vilardi and Turcotte in the future on the center depth chart it will probably mean 3rd line center for him which I would consider a bust at 2nd overall.

I just hope the Kings don't regret not taking Stutzle, he looks like a super star in the making.

First of all, I think Byfield will be a really good player in the NHL, but as a Ducks fan, it's a bit entertaining to read all the turmoil surrounding your #2 pick. I was praying you don't pick Stutzle, though. Watching Byfield pre-draft gave me a lot of Emerson Etem vibes. Physically strong, super fast, and... earning most of the goals and points off the rush where he can dominate against junior players but it wouldn't fly in the NHL anymore. Byfield is a much better prospect than Etem and Etem got some really bad timed injuries that derailed his career, but I saw a lot of similarities between the two.

Like I said, I think Byfield will still end up a really good player in the NHL. And it's a couple of years too soon to make any major assumptions, some posters here come to just talk shit and denote one prospect to feel better about one of their own. A sports fan vulgaris

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Is somewhere in between aRyan Johansen and a Ryan Getzlaf a realistic projection for Byfield? Where he ends up depending how he develops over time.

Yeah...Byfield is not a two-way center.

He is a future 90-100 point franchise center for the Kings, not anything like those two, way better.

 

[JTeller97]

Is somewhere in between aRyan Johansen and a Ryan Getzlaf a realistic projection for Byfield? Where he ends up depending how he develops over time.

He personally reminds me of Eric Staal.

 

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

Yeah...Byfield is not a two-way center.

He is a future 90-100 point franchise center for the Kings, not anything like those two, way better.

What? Byfield absolutely is a two-way centre. His faceoffs and defensive game are great.

 

[bsu]

I cannot recall a prospect scrutinized as Quinton Byfield in recent memory, maybe since Rick DiPietro? I remember a lot of people were saying MAF at #1 was crazy. Doug Wickenheiser?

The ceiling is Malkin and the floor is J Staal IMO. What I saw at the WJC is an extremely raw but immense talent. There were moments I was disappointed but it was mixed with highlights too. Glimpses. With the abundance of youth in LA to grow with and the leadership from Kops, Luc and Blake, etc, (to name only a few in that org) there's little doubt in my mind Kings fans will fall in love with him and in a few years when his confidence catches up to that full tool box and obvious talent - look out.

Quinton is a project, yes. But I have little concern regarding his ability to eventually make an impact in the NHL.

I hope the doubt fuels his resolve. He seems like such a humble and respectful kid.

He literally plays nothing like Malkin. Eric Staal isn't a real bad comparison I guess.

 

[SympathyForTheDevils]

Yeah it's easy to imagine him settling on the Staal spectrum, somewhere between Jordan and Eric. Big centres with skating ability and good puck skills who play an effective North/South game. Blake Wheeler would be another decent comparison.

 

[aemoreira1981]

It would be best to keep Byfield on the Ontario Reign the entire season (and slide his entry-level contract). Normally a player not making the NHL team with junior eligibility remaining would head back to juniors (for Byfield, the Sudbury Wolves), but it isn't clear if there will be a junior season this year in the OHL.

 

[Shroud of Orrin]

He literally plays nothing like Malkin.

At full flight, carrying and protecting the puck it is definitely reminiscent of. Its the skating and the stature, but I concede its not the same cerebral creativity.