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LA Kings Drafting Finally Paying Dividends

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bmr

bmr

Registered User
Jan 23, 2013
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With the influx of new talent hitting Manchester (Mersch/Dowd/Gravel/Bartosak), it's amazing to think where we are vs. where we were. This team was a hopeless mess for so many years and now we have one of the best farm systems in the league. Every GM makes mistakes (including Lombardi), but I think our scouting system has and will continue to do wonders for us.

I'm so happy that Dean has managed this team the right way. It takes a lot of patience and knowing when and what the team needs. I am really excited to see how far Manchester/LA can get in the playoffs and even more excited for the draft and next year's camp.

Go Manchester! Go Kings!
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And give Manchester credit.

The coaching staff and the whole org in Manchester does an
elite-level job of preparing/shaping/honing the players our scouts draft,
for the NHL.

They have become an NHL Player-factory.

:nod::yo:
 
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Agreed all because of the change in culture, Lombardi, Futa, and the coaching staff in Manchester deserve credit
 
DocWest said:
I hope we don't lose Futa. He has been instrumental to our success.
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Pay the man! Seriously, it all depends on how good his situation is. Some guys are perfectly happy doing what they love, especially if the environment is great. It'll be interesting to see if he pursues another opportunity.
 
I believe we currently have 23 players drafted from 2006 to 2013 who have played or are playing in the NHL that we have drafted and developed. I could be short a few but if memory serves me correctly it is somewhere around there. Now think about how many of our kids are poised to play in the NHL in the near future and the numbers become elite.

We have imo the best drafting and developmental system in the NHL.
 
Tonellisghost said:
I believe we currently have 23 players drafted from 2006 to 2013 who have played or are playing in the NHL that we have drafted and developed. I could be short a few but if memory serves me correctly it is somewhere around there. Now think about how many of our kids are poised to play in the NHL in the near future and the numbers become elite.

We have imo the best drafting and developmental system in the NHL.
Click to expand...

I don't count the 2006 draft as Futa wasn't a part of it, but if you go from 2007 to 2012, we have drafted 46 players, and 17 have played at least one NHL game, or 37 per cent. That percentage is high on its own, but it's exceedingly high when you consider it includes drafts which are only a few years old and many players haven't even turned pro yet. I believe eight of the 29 who haven't played in the NHL are either in college or Europe, or just recently turned pro (Dowd and Mersch). It's exceedingly likely for those six drafts we will have at least half of the players drafted at the very minimum appear at the NHL level for at least one game, and that's truly incredible. Usually anything over 40% is considered outstanding.

2007-2009 we have five guys each year so far who have played in the NHL, and that could increase with Nic Dowd and J-F Berube still in the system. Even if they don't, we would be batting .517 (15-for-29) in those three years.

Futa and company are the Ted Williams of scouting.
 
kingsfan said:
I don't count the 2006 draft as Futa wasn't a part of it, but if you go from 2007 to 2012, we have drafted 46 players, and 17 have played at least one NHL game, or 37 per cent. That percentage is high on its own, but it's exceedingly high when you consider it includes drafts which are only a few years old and many players haven't even turned pro yet. I believe eight of the 29 who haven't played in the NHL are either in college or Europe, or just recently turned pro (Dowd and Mersch). It's exceedingly likely for those six drafts we will have at least half of the players drafted at the very minimum appear at the NHL level for at least one game, and that's truly incredible. Usually anything over 40% is considered outstanding.

2007-2009 we have five guys each year so far who have played in the NHL, and that could increase with Nic Dowd and J-F Berube still in the system. Even if they don't, we would be batting .517 (15-for-29) in those three years.

Futa and company are the Ted Williams of scouting.
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Thanks KF for setting it straight.

I was going off the top of my head and am certain I was including 06 so thanks again for the update.

Futa and co work their collective tails off and the people who work for them (and the people who work them) do too and for the first time in Kings history we have a GM who makes it his bus to know every single possible thing that he can about ever prospect as they develop and the system that they develop in.

It makes for a few decisions that some, myself included may not like every now and then but there is very little reason for questioning the results. Nobody's perfect but compared to their peers DL Foots and co are the bus.
 
I find it funny how Futa usually takes all the spotlight, even though the Kings have two Directors of Amateur Scouting - Mark Yannetti being the other.
 
nki said:
I find it funny how Futa usually takes all the spotlight, even though the Kings have two Directors of Amateur Scouting - Mark Yannetti being the other.
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Yannetti, by his own Kings page bio, when he was with the Leafs " monitored prospects in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as well as Hockey East, the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, the United States Hockey League and the U.S. National Development Team. He also monitored U.S. High Schools and Tier 2 Hockey and, to a lesser degree, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association."

Considering he's still living in Boston that's likely the same circuit he has now.

Our highest pick from that area:

2007: Alec Martinez, round 4 (fifth selection by LA)
2008: Robert Czarnik, round 3 (fourth selection by LA)
2009: Nicolas Deslauriers, round 3 (third selection by LA)
2010: Derek Forbort, round 1 (first selection by LA)
2011: Christopher Gibson, round 2 (first selection by LA)
2012: Tomas Hyka, round 6 (fourth selection by LA)
2013: Valantin Zykov, round 2 (first selection by LA)

Counter that with what are likely to be Futa's top picks:

2007: Thomas Hickey, round 1 (first selection by LA)
2008: Drew Doughty, round 1 (first selection by LA)
2009: Brayden Schenn, round 1, (first selection by LA)
2010: Tyler Toffoli, round 2 (second selection by LA)
2011: Andy Andreoff, round 3 (second selection by LA)
2012: Tanner Pearson, round 1 (first selection by LA)
2013: Justin Auger, round 4 (second selection by LA)

He's been trusted with higher picks and has produced better results. Even Hickey, everyones favorite whipping boy for draft picks, has emerged as a decent D-man in NYI and is coming off a very solid season.

Its arguable the best player Yanetti has drafted is Alec Martinez while Futa grabbed Drew Doughty. I can see why Futa gets more credit.
 
Tonellisghost said:
I believe we currently have 23 players drafted from 2006 to 2013 who have played or are playing in the NHL that we have drafted and developed. I could be short a few but if memory serves me correctly it is somewhere around there. Now think about how many of our kids are poised to play in the NHL in the near future and the numbers become elite.

We have imo the best drafting and developmental system in the NHL.
Click to expand...

This, imo has been Lombardi's biggest contribution to the organization. He took a non existent development program and turned it into one of the best.
 
kingsfan said:
I don't count the 2006 draft as Futa wasn't a part of it, but if you go from 2007 to 2012, we have drafted 46 players, and 17 have played at least one NHL game, or 37 per cent. That percentage is high on its own, but it's exceedingly high when you consider it includes drafts which are only a few years old and many players haven't even turned pro yet. I believe eight of the 29 who haven't played in the NHL are either in college or Europe, or just recently turned pro (Dowd and Mersch). It's exceedingly likely for those six drafts we will have at least half of the players drafted at the very minimum appear at the NHL level for at least one game, and that's truly incredible. Usually anything over 40% is considered outstanding.

2007-2009 we have five guys each year so far who have played in the NHL, and that could increase with Nic Dowd and J-F Berube still in the system. Even if they don't, we would be batting .517 (15-for-29) in those three years.

Futa and company are the Ted Williams of scouting.
Click to expand...

37% is an impressive number when you consider that the average success rate of draft prospects panning out is around 22% according to David Conte of the New Jersey Devils.

It's why a lot of folks say if you can get at least two serviceable NHL players out of each draft you're doing something right.
 
cnshockey said:
Head scouts go everywhere.
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No kidding, but they are going to have their primary regions. Futa is based out of Ontario, Yanetti is out of the east coast. Futa is naturally gioing to see more OHL/WHL games than Yanetti, who will see more college hockey than Futa. They aren't to fly Futa to Boston when Yanetti lives there unless they want a second opinion.
 
Credit starts at Anschutz, then goes to Lombardi, and then to Futa/Yanetti and staff. DL gets involved in the high end picks like Drew Doughty at #2 overall but it's the two scouts that find us Toffoli in the second round.
 
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