Kings OHL Prospect Reviews

[Brock]

Each summer I review the progress of each NHL team's OHL Prospects. Today is the LA Kings, aka half of the OHL sarcasm

http://ohlprospects.blogspot.ca/2015/07/30-teams-in-30-days-los-angeles-kings.html

Click to read more...

 

[Sleeping Dog]

Each summer I review the progress of each NHL team's OHL Prospects. Today is the LA Kings, aka half of the OHL sarcasm

http://ohlprospects.blogspot.ca/2015/07/30-teams-in-30-days-los-angeles-kings.html

Nice recap of the possible next generation of the Kings. Future continues to look bright.

 

[Captain Mittens*]

Thank you Brock

 

[Kingsfan1]

Thanks Brock ! Great read.

Cernak however is believed to be destined either for AHL or back to HC Kosice , which I think is unlikely. So maybe AHL. Even though we are stacked at D-Men for the AHL.

This was said by Rosen, our insider.

 

[417th]

What a great job on the article (again) and some really good insights on a few of the kids. Thanks Brock.

 

[PJ Kings Hockey]

Thanks for the assessments of our OHL prospects, Brock. Sorry to read that Leslie didn't have a great year. He's the only player on that list that I've seen play in person, and then only once or twice. From what I saw I believe in Zac Leslie. He may not have a huge frame or dazzling moves, but he struck me as a smart and reliable player, a smarter player than some of the other defensemen in the system that have more fanfare.

That list though, doesn't inspire much confidence in our pipeline at this point.

 

[HYORI 1963]

If I could make a suggestion...I find it helpful when their height/weight/position is listed. Otherwise, it was a great read! Thanks!

 

[Brock]

Thanks for the assessments of our OHL prospects, Brock. Sorry to read that Leslie didn't have a great year. He's the only player on that list that I've seen play in person, and then only once or twice. From what I saw I believe in Zac Leslie. He may not have a huge frame or dazzling moves, but he struck me as a smart and reliable player, a smarter player than some of the other defensemen in the system that have more fanfare.

That list though, doesn't inspire much confidence in our pipeline at this point.

As I said in the article, I don't think Leslie had a bad year. Far from it. He just didn't have a great year. When you send a player back for his overage season, there are generally pretty big expectations for their play and progression. Just look at what Colin Miller was able to accomplish in his overage year.

He's still a solid prospect, but I'm a bit worried he could be a bit of a tweener. As you said, he's a smart defender at both ends, but if often takes more than that. Being a pretty good offensive defender, and a pretty good defensive defender, but not outstanding at either can be a kiss of death for a defensive prospect. In that same regard, he could be compared to a guy like David Kolomatis, who definitely developed into a quality AHL defender, but whose lack of a particularly dominant trait kept him from the NHL.

We'll see how he develops as a pro though.

 

[PJ Kings Hockey]

As I said in the article, I don't think Leslie had a bad year. Far from it. He just didn't have a great year. When you send a player back for his overage season, there are generally pretty big expectations for their play and progression. Just look at what Colin Miller was able to accomplish in his overage year.

He's still a solid prospect, but I'm a bit worried he could be a bit of a tweener. As you said, he's a smart defender at both ends, but if often takes more than that. Being a pretty good offensive defender, and a pretty good defensive defender, but not outstanding at either can be a kiss of death for a defensive prospect. In that same regard, he could be compared to a guy like David Kolomatis, who definitely developed into a quality AHL defender, but whose lack of a particularly dominant trait kept him from the NHL.

We'll see how he develops as a pro though.

Good point. He'll really need to show something special to succeed against all the defensive competition in the Kings system. I'm a little worried that we lack some higher-end skill among forwards, but the Kings do make some good choices when they draft defensemen. I'm interested to see what defenseman prospects will make an impression at the next camp and the upcoming season.

 

[PJ Kings Hockey]

It's been a couple of days since Jason Lewis put this up but I'm surprised I haven't seen it posted here. Speaking of Zac Leslie, guess who just made Jason's list?

LA Kings Top 10 Prospects

There were a ton of players up for number 10 and it was really a neck to neck between a couple. Notable omissions include:

Johnny Brodzinski
Alex Dergachyov
Patrik Bartosak
Kevin Gravel
Paul LaDue

What do you think of Jason's list? Do agree with his rankings? Jewels from the Crown found that Jonny Brodzinski had the 3rd highest NHLe points behind Brian O'Neill and Jordan Weal.

 

[Sheng Peng]

What do you think of Jason's list? Do agree with his rankings? Jewels from the Crown found that Jonny Brodzinski had the 3rd highest NHLe points behind Brian O'Neill and Jordan Weal.

I disagree with the omission of Brodzinski. He has one dominant trait: His shot.