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

[Dirtyf1ghter]

Ok You're right. Byfield is the best prospect from the 2020 draft. I'm a joke that never seen him. I admit it. Stop bullying me please.

 

[Chird Ferguson]

As a relative lurker who just reset his password, and also a die hard Senators fan, here is my take on Jimmy vs Byfield.

For starters, as a Sens fan i am very happy with Stutzle, and look forward to seeing him play for us (hopefully) for a long time. But Byfield tho....

He was always pegged as a project, with a ridiculously high ceiling. I see him driving lines and dominating games as he puts on more muscle, and learns the game defensively. I was salivating at the thought of what Byfield and Chucky could be as a line in 3-4 years.

Byfield will cause lots of match up problems in the future, with very few centres in the league being able to match his size, speed, and skill. Same for defence, Byfield down low on the cycle will eat smaller d-men alive.

I see him being able to drive lines, when placed with the right players. Don’t know the LA prospect system well enough to say who they have down the pipeline, but for example Byfield with a player with a shooter mentality, will be a recipe for 80-90 point seasons.

All the people who are saying that LA screwed the pooch by taking Byfield are simply posting for more internet points. Byfield was probably never going to play in the show this year, no matter who took him. He just needs to cook a little more. Stutzle is looking like the better play this year, but people who are saying this debate is over, need to slow down on whatever they are smoking. Talk to ya again in 3 years

 

[Fatass]

For those interested in his growth and development rather than just motherf***ing him for not being in the NHL: Quinton Byfield ready to make most of shot in NHL, whenever it comes

““Exciting” is a word that came up frequently in my discussion with Emerson, who struggled to find parts of Byfield’s game that haven’t left him impressed.

When pressed, Emerson said it’s Byfield’s skating that’s stood out the most. While he and the Kings knew of his talents before the draft, seeing them first-hand on a daily basis is an entirely different experience.

“His first three steps are absolutely lightning for a big guy and that's when you go, 'Holy cow, I've never seen this out of anyone before,’” he gushed.

“You're thinking back to every player that's gone through here or gone through the league, you see a guy who's 6-5, 220 and he has this ability out of corners to separate or to get out on plays or to go through the neutral zone. We see glimpses of that, and it just gets us out of our seat — it's actually incredible to watch.”

Might Byfield get some games with the Kings this season?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Might Byfield get some games with the Kings this season?

Essentially it seems to come down to how long the OHL gets delayed but it's looking like he'll end up with the big club after that for the training and the environment. Doubt they burn a year of his contract though, so he'll play 6.

 

[funky]

Andreas Athanasiou had a -46 last year playing for some crappy teams and was left for dead.

I am glad we gave that guy a chance and looked at all his tools and didn’t just poach 1 negative stat.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

Ok You're right. Byfield is the best prospect from the 2020 draft. I'm a joke that never seen him. I admit it. Stop bullying me please.

 

[Lt Dan]

Athanasiou sucks in the shuffleboard game and is an offensive mid-range NHL player with excellent skating.

To perform, this player must be placed with dominant or very hard-worker players.

Not true because he was lighting it up early on with Jeff Carter

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I think some people are being controversial for the sake of it. He has 10 points in 17 games. That’s historically very good for a D+1 player in the AHL. He’s also probably the youngest player in the AHL. He could show some potential and score 5 points in 17 NHL games on a third line. I don’t think that’s what the Kings want to do with his development. We’ll see how their plan works for their prospects with their very conservative assignments for their best young players. So far, I don’t see much you can really complain about.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I think some people are being controversial for the sake of it. He has 10 points in 17 games. That’s historically very good for a D+1 player in the AHL. He’s also probably the youngest player in the AHL. He could show some potential and score 5 points in 17 NHL games on a third line. I don’t think that’s what the Kings want to do with his development. We’ll see how their plan works for their prospects with their very conservative assignments for their best young players. So far, I don’t see much you can really complain about.

Also a really good point. His pace has him amongst the top-10 18 year old AHL seasons of all time out of 270 players.

18-Year Old AHL Players - Regular Season Stats

And that should only go up now that the team has their collective heads out of asses.

 

[voxel]

I'm a big Stuzle fan but think Byfield could be better.

I'm an AHL/Condors fan and have watched a few Reign games. Zero issues with Byfield's game - he's a 50-60pt center as a floor. I feel Turcotte and Madden may not have their game translate into the NHL as well because they are a tad undersized and strong enough (yet) to overcome their deficiencies. Even 20 year old AHL rookies struggle in the AHL because their foot speed or acceleration isn't up to par and I see that with 18 year old Byfield. He's close but doesn't win all the battles nor always reach the puck before a defender. He's had many dangerous chances to my eye and doesn't float. The Reign just have sh*tty D (he's looking at you Durzi) and sub-par goaltending (compared to Cal Petersen in the past).

 

[Sens With Benefits]

Stutzle without a doubt has been great. But everyone knew Byfield was a project. The guy is an absolute monster who’s still super young. He’s filling in and getting used to his size. If he hasn’t shown anything 2-3 years from now I’d be concerned but that’s about it. I’d love to see him be more physical and turn into a Lindros type player. He has the potential to be.

 

[tomd]

This is not meant to denigrate Byfield or anyone else but it is obvious that the caliber of play in the AHL this year is way below par due to (1) the addition of 18 and 19 year players (2) the taxi squad, and (3) many players who would normally populate AHL rosters playing in Europe. As a result, the gap between the level of play in the AHL and NHL has probably never been greater.

 

[voxel]

This is not meant to denigrate Byfield or anyone else but it is obvious that the caliber of play in the AHL this year is way below par due to (1) the addition of 18 and 19 year players (2) the taxi squad, and (3) many players who would normally populate AHL rosters playing in Europe. As a result, the gap between the level of play in the AHL and NHL has probably never been greater.

Yes and no. NHL quality has been lowered due to the AHLers in the league and quarantine rules. AHL has some ECHLers. The gap basically is the same - both league have shifted lower.

Regardless, Drysdale and Seth Jarvis have been super impressive (and they are 18/19) in the AHL. Byfield looks like he could stay in the AHL but juniors might be better if he wants to continue developing high end offensively skill and not just play a safer two way game.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Right below Drysdale

Kings have so much young talent coming up they show let Byfield develop slowly, in a couple years it could pay off big time. I could see him being an Eric Staal type impact player in his prime.

Yep, definitely dropped my jaw as well, friggin jamie

And that's the thing--the Kings are content to bring him along as slowly as needed. A lot of people over the last few pages of this thread are seeing that as a detriment. I've posted links to feedback directly from the organization and that's not good enough for some posters.

 

[SFKingshomer]

Guys like Byfield never pass the eye test because they're big and lumbering in comparison to Stutzle, Raymond, etc. We just don't know if we have Jordan Staal or Eric Staal, maybe Kopitar in Byfield.

 

[KapG]

How anyone can say he hasn’t had a great developmental year is anyone’s guess.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Guys like Byfield never pass the eye test because they're big and lumbering in comparison to Stutzle, Raymond, etc. We just don't know if we have Jordan Staal or Eric Staal, maybe Kopitar in Byfield.

People often confuse "flash" for "effectiveness".

 

[King'sPawn]

In 23 years of hockey, I have never seen a player who stood out from the crowd at 15, get passed by a dozen players gradually and then become better than them again.

...

Anyway, I'm not saying anything other than selecting Byfield over Stutzle was a big mistake. Today Byfield appears to be struggling more in AHL than Stutzle is in NHL. It's a fact. Everything I say is built around facts.

We will see next year or in two years. I will be there to recognize my mistake. But my opinion has been built gradually since 2016/17 and makes sense.

...

I see that season after season it takes the road. His physical advantage is no longer enough for him to dominate in increasingly strong leagues.

I don't have the time or the inclination to stalk Ontario Reign just for Byfield.

...

I think these players know hockey a lot better than you do.

For all the things you say you "see" and what "appears" to you, you certainly haven't done any watching.

And a fair share of scouts and coaches who are professionals disagree with you and the players you parrot.

But thank you for admitting you just troll annually instead of all the time.

 

[SFKingshomer]

People often confuse "flash" for "effectiveness".

Trevor Zegras is an example of that.

 

[Anguyen92]

I just don't know what people want the Kings to do at this point regarding Byfield. The Kings made this choice and this is the side of fate they have to work with. Do they regret it now? No, they shouldn't or else I would question their scouting department's ability moving forward when making these evaluations. In the now, I trust them and the Kings' development team to make sure Byfield is going to be ready for the show in however long it may be. If they can get him ready in less than two years by the time he's 20, awesome.

Do people want the Kings to admit that they are wrong now about the choice they made? Do they want the Kings to say Byfield is a bust now? Do they want the Kings to trade Byfield? I don't like hearing these kinds of criticism unless you have a suggestion of what the Kings can do better moving forward, not what they could have done in the past.

 

[SFKingshomer]

Trevor Zegras is effective though....he should be in AHL leading the league in scoring too bad our GM is a dumb f***.

He hasn’t been in the NHL in the games Ive seen but it’s really early. He just needs to get stronger and learn the speed. He should be a great PP producer

 

[LAKings88]

The Reign have finally strung some wins together and sorted out the d pairings. Top prospects are seeing time in all situations win or lose. QB will get a few games in LA and likely won’t see the OHL again. It’s a process and the kid is still young.

 

[Jericho111091]

Trevor Zegras is effective though....he should be in AHL leading the league in scoring too bad our GM is a dumb f***.

I agree that Zegras is and will be an effective and exciting player for the Ducks and that he'd be best served playing in the AHL getting stronger and learning to play against men, since the NHL isn't suited as a developmental league. That said if he brings some excitement to fellow socal fans im glad to see it

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

People often confuse "flash" for "effectiveness".

Just to be clear--I wasn't saying this to mock any other prospects. My example here is that Kopitar has been the most 'boring' player in the league for years, he's the Tim Duncan of the NHL. Byfield seems to fit more of that category even though he has dynamic moments.

Byfield is always going to look like a battleship with hands, so if he has to be 'visually impressive' for people to like him, I'm okay with the 'meh's because we've heard that all about a hart-caliber player for his whole career.

 

[Anguyen92]

Just to be clear--I wasn't saying this to mock any other prospects. My example here is that Kopitar has been the most 'boring' player in the league for years, he's the Tim Duncan of the NHL. Byfield seems to fit more of that category even though he has dynamic moments.

Byfield is always going to look like a battleship with hands, so if he has to be 'visually impressive' for people to like him, I'm okay with the 'meh's because we've heard that all about a hart-caliber player for his whole career.

I, too, am ok with the meh moments as well. That's when the Kings will have their moments to surprise people in the events that they do well or their players do well. When people least expect it.