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KINGS Rd 1 #11 overall GABRIEL VILARDI

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Great pick by the kings... was my favorite player in the draft.. def going to look good for the kings for a long time .
 
The more I read and see media talking about this kid, the more I think we got the steal of the draft. Rank as high a 3rd overall, falls to us at 11.
 
As an Avs fan, I think you guys just got the steal of the draft ! He might pan out to be the best player in this draft. If he fixes and improves his skating he could become a monster. He was high on my list: only behind Heiskanen.

I had Heiskanen, Vilardi and Makar as my 3 favorite potential picks for the Avs !!

You guys are really lucky !
 
I'm liking what I've read so far on this kid. We should be OK at center with him and Amadio in the future. Very best case scenario, he turns out to be a Getzlaf-light for us. The injuries do concern me though, but the consensus is that he's the steal of the draft. Finally some good luck falls our way...

Thank **** we kept our first this year.
 
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http://md-akc.med.nhl.com/mp4/nhl/2...43-db7deed79e90/1496370475391/asset_1800k.mp4

""The enhanced stats tell us [Vilardi] is the engine on this team because whoever plays with him, their Corsi numbers go straight up and are increased," [Windsor coach Rocky] Thompson said. "Without him, they drop significantly. We've had a ton of injuries this year so it's been a revolving door with our lines but the one common theme has been Vilardi's ability to make the players with him even better."" -Mike Morreale
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LOVE IT! :yo: This is exactly what we need! Players that will make linemates better!
 
I'm not concerned about his injuries. One was an accident at the Canada camp, the other was appendicitis...
 
deeshamrock said:
I don't think he'll rush him. Kid's not even 18 yet. Keep him in Juniors next year and the AHL the year after. He needs to put some muscle on. He's got all the tools to be a skilled top center, so let him grow the right way.
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Unfortunately due to the NHL/CHL agreement this is not possible. For the next two years his only options are NHL or CHL. He won't be AHL eligible until the 2019-2020 season.

It's funny that the Kings were drafting 11th overall and had a what was thought to be a lock for of a top 5 player slip to them. This has happened twice to the Kings in recent memory. Let's hope it works out more Anze Kopitar and less Lauri Tukonen.
 
I didn't see this coming, many mock drafts had him at 3. I hope this will be our Filip Forsberg.
 
Holden Caulfield said:
Unfortunately due to the NHL/CHL agreement this is not possible. For the next two years his only options are NHL or CHL. He won't be AHL eligible until the 2019-2020 season.

It's funny that the Kings were drafting 11th overall and had a what was thought to be a lock for of a top 5 player slip to them. This has happened twice to the Kings in recent memory. Let's hope it works out more Anze Kopitar and less Lauri Tukonen.
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Vancouver had the pick right before us in 2005 and again this year. In 2004 it was Atlanta, I think we're good! ;) Also holy crap can't believe Tukonen is only 30. Seems like a lifetime ago.
 
Bandit said:
Vancouver had the pick right before us in 2005 and again this year. In 2004 it was Atlanta, I think we're good! ;) Also holy crap can't believe Tukonen is only 30. Seems like a lifetime ago.
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Plus Tukonen was considered the "safest pick of the draft," ironically. Kopitar and Vilardi both had size and talent, but question marks where people felt justified passing up on them.
 
History of the 11th overall pick:

2017 Gabriel Vilardi
2016 Logan Brown
2015 Lawson Crouse
2014 Kevin Fiala
2013 Samuel Morin
2012 Filip Forsberg
2011 Duncan Siemens
2010 Jack Campbell
2009 Ryan Ellis
2008 Kyle Beach
2007 Brandon Sutter
2006 Jonathan Bernier
2005 Anze Kopitar
2004 Lauri Tukonen
2003 Jeff Carter
2002 Keith Ballard
2001 Fredrik Sjostrom
2000 Pavel Vorobiev
1999 Oleg Saprykin
1998 Jeff Heerema
1997 Jason Ward
1996 Dan Focht
1995 Jarome Iginla
1994 Jeff Friesen
1993 Brendan Witt
1992 David Cooper
1991 Brian Rolston
1990 Trevor Kidd
1989 Mike Sillinger
1988 Chris Govedaris
1987 Yves Racine
1986 Scott Young
1985 Dave Manson
1984 Sylvain Cote
1983 Adam Creighton
1981 Randy Moller
1980 Mike Blaisdell

Didn't realize both Carter and Campbell were 11th overall picks. Some pretty good players on that list.
 
Great pick. The kid is a bull on skates. Tireless worker, goes after the puck like a starving hound after a bone. A warrior...he played 1-2 games with a burst appendix! There was a lot of turmoil in Windsor last year as the Memorial Cup hosts...lots of team injuries and some problems behind closed doors and with coaching/management. I'm not privy to all the details (the Windsor fans on here could probably go into more detail). The kid worked his butt off to get through it and persevere. Also took an unconventional route playing in the CIH (residential hockey school outside of Ottawa) before being drafted into the OHL. Strong defensively, too. Great hockey IQ.

Only negative thing is the skating. Spends a lot of energy with his skating, and the first couple of steps are really awkward. Some of it is likely his size at such a young age and lacking some leg strength, but some of it is the mechanics. That's the key.....he's going to have to put in a lot of work changing his mechanics to get to NHL-caliber speed.

If the skating issues get fixed, you've got a first line guy.
 
Nac Mac Feegle said:
Great pick. The kid is a bull on skates. Tireless worker, goes after the puck like a starving hound after a bone. A warrior...he played 1-2 games with a burst appendix! There was a lot of turmoil in Windsor last year as the Memorial Cup hosts...lots of team injuries and some problems behind closed doors and with coaching/management. I'm not privy to all the details (the Windsor fans on here could probably go into more detail). The kid worked his butt off to get through it and persevere. Also took an unconventional route playing in the CIH (residential hockey school outside of Ottawa) before being drafted into the OHL. Strong defensively, too. Great hockey IQ.

Only negative thing is the skating. Spends a lot of energy with his skating, and the first couple of steps are really awkward. Some of it is likely his size at such a young age and lacking some leg strength, but some of it is the mechanics. That's the key.....he's going to have to put in a lot of work changing his mechanics to get to NHL-caliber speed.

If the skating issues get fixed, you've got a first line guy.
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That's a lot of interesting information. Thank you! Do you think you'll be able to stop by from time to time to give us updates?
 
I was flipping by NHL channel this morning and they were replaying a draft preview show. They had Vilardi as the #3 :thumbu:
 
From all the experts and commentators before/during/after the draft the same things about Vilardi are still said and true..

1- his talent is top 3 and top 6 C....

2- his hands are as good as any prospect the last 3 drafts

3- his skating action is choppy but can be improved

4- the Kings got an absolute steal at #11

5- Kopitar, Tavares, Thornton, Allison, Luc, Toffoli, Pearson.. and so on, guys that have been criticized for average skating whom blossomed into really good/ great players...
 
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