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Kale Clague #51

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damacles1156 said:
Good skater, seems to have underrated Vision/IQ. Next two years will be telling for him when it comes to production. See if that drop was a fluke.
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To be honest I'm not seeing real production in the first place.

He lit up the leagues before juniors but hasn't done too much since other than a few small bursts. This past year, he had a slow start, then put up 35 points in the last 40 games. I think people are having a hard time telling which guy he is.

From what I can see and interpret, he can make plays but people around him need to finish, as he's only going to pop in himself once in a while.

That's why I was referencing Martinez earlier, i.e. he's definitely a good offensive guy--smart puck mover, great skater, high IQ--but he's not a huge producer.
 
Raccoon Jesus said:
To be honest I'm not seeing real production in the first place.

He lit up the leagues before juniors but hasn't done too much since other than a few small bursts. This past year, he had a slow start, then put up 35 points in the last 40 games. I think people are having a hard time telling which guy he is.

From what I can see and interpret, he can make plays but people around him need to finish, as he's only going to pop in himself once in a while.

That's why I was referencing Martinez earlier, i.e. he's definitely a good offensive guy--smart puck mover, great skater, high IQ--but he's not a huge producer.
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Needs solid team mates ala A-Mart ?

I could see that with him.
 
Raccoon Jesus said:
To be honest I'm not seeing real production in the first place.

He lit up the leagues before juniors but hasn't done too much since other than a few small bursts. This past year, he had a slow start, then put up 35 points in the last 40 games. I think people are having a hard time telling which guy he is.

From what I can see and interpret, he can make plays but people around him need to finish, as he's only going to pop in himself once in a while.

That's why I was referencing Martinez earlier, i.e. he's definitely a good offensive guy--smart puck mover, great skater, high IQ--but he's not a huge producer.
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And he had a strong playoff, with 6 goals and 15 pts in 18 games. The 6 goals matched his reg season totals. 12 goals and 46 assists including the playoffs. Not many 17 yr old D (if any) are putting up that many points, before their 18th BDAY. (he turned 18 3 weeks ago)
 
Peter James Bond II said:
And he had a strong playoff, with 6 goals and 15 pts in 18 games. The 6 goals matched his reg season totals. 12 goals and 46 assists including the playoffs. Not many 17 yr old D (if any) are putting up that many points, before their 18th BDAY. (he turned 18 3 weeks ago)
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Yeah I'm pretty excited about this guy. Easy to see why he dropped though. But there's a LOT of room for growth imo and having these characteristics as a base is fantastic
 
Peter James Bond II said:
And he had a strong playoff, with 6 goals and 15 pts in 18 games. The 6 goals matched his reg season totals. 12 goals and 46 assists including the playoffs. Not many 17 yr old D (if any) are putting up that many points, before their 18th BDAY. (he turned 18 3 weeks ago)
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I think this might be our home run elite pick for the first time. Could turn out into a Duncan Keith type for us. Him and Doughty are going to be our corner stones on the blue line.

He also had more points than Provorov in the playoffs. They play on the same team.
 
Kingsfan1 said:
Him and Doughty are going to be our corner stones on the blue line.
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To be fair, I don't think we see him producing reliably at the NHL level for at least 5 or 6 years. That's not a cornerstone with Doughty who will be in his early 30s by that point. (Mind you, Doughty may have it in him to be one of those generational players who plays into his 40s, but you can't tell in his mid-20s.)
 
i know absolutely nothing about him...but a lot of mocks i have seen had him going in the 22 to 30 range, surprised he drop so far..hopefully we will look back and laugh at the other teams.
 
KopitarFAN said:
More likely in 3-5 years.
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I'm thinking more like 2-3. Gifted defensemen that can skate, are smart, focused can take less time than the avg defenseman. And no,
he does not need 20 lbs of muscle. He's working on it and will put on 10 or so and will get there in a year or 2.

Great article. 49 points in last 61 games? As a 17 year old (he turned 18 last month) on the top WHL team? Pretty impressive.

http://lakingsinsider.com/2016/07/11/scouting-kale-clague-from-bantam-to-development-camp/
 
Peter James Bond II said:
I'm thinking more like 2-3. Gifted defensemen that can skate, are smart, focused can take less time than the avg defenseman. And no,
he does not need 20 lbs of muscle. He's working on it and will put on 10 or so and will get there in a year or 2.

Great article. 49 points in last 61 games? As a 17 year old (he turned 18 last month) on the top WHL team? Pretty impressive.

http://lakingsinsider.com/2016/07/11/scouting-kale-clague-from-bantam-to-development-camp/
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Based on?

I would argue that's the exception. Duncan Keith broke into the league at 22 but was arguably 25 before he made an impact. You already know about Hickey. Leddy was...21? But you can argue his defensive development stagnated until more recently. Are there other examples?

If all we want is raw offense, skating, puck-movement, sure, we could see him sooner rather than later--good luck getting that past Sutter--but I would suggest it's going to be a while before he's a roster mainstay. Unless he has some magic up his sleeve. I'd be all for that, don't get me wrong, I just think that similar players took longer to make a big impact on either side of the puck, particularly defensively.

Imagine this guy getting trucked by Doan, Benn, Perry, etc.
 
Doan will be retired by the time he makes it into NHL. I see Clague getting ppg next year. This kid is special. I love his interviews and his choice of words. Really happy with this pick.
 
Raccoon Jesus said:
Based on?

I would argue that's the exception. Duncan Keith broke into the league at 22 but was arguably 25 before he made an impact. You already know about Hickey. Leddy was...21? But you can argue his defensive development stagnated until more recently. Are there other examples?

If all we want is raw offense, skating, puck-movement, sure, we could see him sooner rather than later--good luck getting that past Sutter--but I would suggest it's going to be a while before he's a roster mainstay. Unless he has some magic up his sleeve. I'd be all for that, don't get me wrong, I just think that similar players took longer to make a big impact on either side of the puck, particularly defensively.

Imagine this guy getting trucked by Doan, Benn, Perry, etc.
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Fair. Just see lots of posts that say "3-5 years" and "this guy won't be in the NHL until he puts on 20 lbs of muscle". Not always the case.
There are a few 19-21 yr old defensemen that play in the NHL every year. Matt Dumba was 19 and not big or exceptional.
Sorry for not repsonding...crammed the last few days for health-life ins state test...passed.

Clague could take 4 years, but would not be surprised to see him sooner. Think he captained the U17 Canada Team. Just has lots to like,
except size. Skating, skill, leadership, puck moving, smart, character, drive...seems to have all that. Add 2" and 15 lbs by the time he makes it and could be a steal.
 
KingCanadain1976 said:
I think this is a good time to ask where do you all think he will fit in the future Bottom pairing? 2nd ? or top pairing ?
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Most project him to be a middle pair because of his wheels and advanced offensive game, but it will be interesting to see how he progresses on a team that takes a step back, though they still have presumptive #1 pick Nolan Patrick and Ivan Provorov (#7 pick by the Flyers in 2015) doesn't turn 20 until January 13th, so he will be in Juniors or Philly.

It is worth noting that Clague has to play 2 more Junior seasons before gaining AHL eligibility, doesn't turn 20 until June 2018, so he will have to wait until 18-19. Unless does anyone know if the partial seasons prior to last year count as additional years? If so, he may only need one more season.
 
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damacles1156 said:
Good skater, seems to have underrated Vision/IQ. Next two years will be telling for him when it comes to production. See if that drop was a fluke.
Click to expand...

well, it's pretty telling Clague can produce. He was injured in pre-season and just came back this weekend, for the Brandon Wheat Kings. 6 points in his first 2 games back! First game back, 1 goal, 2 assists, first star of the game. 3 assists last night. Great pick. Another second round steal.
 
En fuego.

I know the big question was whether he was the guy that was racking up pts at the end of last year and so far so good!
 
I have the feeling he'll never be in a Kings uniform.

As soon as the LV expansion draft is over, Lombardi will be looking for a legit top four defenseman and it wouldn't surprise me if Clague was the trade bait to get a good cost-controlled one or eve a deadline deal vet before next season's run.
 
Rorschach said:
I have the feeling he'll never be in a Kings uniform.

As soon as the LV expansion draft is over, Lombardi will be looking for a legit top four defenseman and it wouldn't surprise me if Clague was the trade bait to get a good cost-controlled one or eve a deadline deal vet before next season's run.
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It'll be consistent with Lombardi moving prospects like Fasching, Deslauriers, McKeown, Zykov, Miller, etc.

Rather than looking for a top 4 defenseman via trade, they could develop one, like they did with Doughty, Muzzin, Martinez and Voynov.
 
Rorschach said:
I have the feeling he'll never be in a Kings uniform.

As soon as the LV expansion draft is over, Lombardi will be looking for a legit top four defenseman and it wouldn't surprise me if Clague was the trade bait to get a good cost-controlled one or eve a deadline deal vet before next season's run.
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Not a chance. Kings are desperate for puck moving D men. It's also why I keep laughing at all the trade Martinez proposals.
 
Rorschach said:
I have the feeling he'll never be in a Kings uniform.

As soon as the LV expansion draft is over, Lombardi will be looking for a legit top four defenseman and it wouldn't surprise me if Clague was the trade bait to get a good cost-controlled one or eve a deadline deal vet before next season's run.
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Disagree, LA needs to have multiple low cost options going forward. Clague plays a much different game than Forbort n Gravel, in fact they don't have anyone really who plays like him that's a legitimate prospect. I think they hold on to him.
 
Rorschach said:
I have the feeling he'll never be in a Kings uniform.

As soon as the LV expansion draft is over, Lombardi will be looking for a legit top four defenseman and it wouldn't surprise me if Clague was the trade bait to get a good cost-controlled one or eve a deadline deal vet before next season's run.
Click to expand...

Once Hickey'ed twice shy, perhaps?

I don't think Clague gets traded either. Hopefully Lombardi has learned his lesson from the past two years.
 
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