Kings Article: LA Kings: Jaret Anderson-Dolan Is Exceeding Expectations

[Raccoon Jesus]

Hilarious how Vilardi has gone from having forks stuck in him to not really a 1C. LoL

And everyone saw it coming, too. If the guy scores 70 points next year, it'll be "should've had 90" with no acknowledgement of the past.

1C, think kopitar without the top speed. People don't like his skating, but his game doesn't revolve around his skating, it's all puck protection, vision and stick handling.

I don't dive deep in to prospects and watch shift-by-shift YouTube vids but Vilardi's highlight reel screamed Jason Allison but with a better looking shot. That's pretty high praise since Allison was PPG in his own healthy season in LA and put up 95 the season before during the Dead Puck Era. To me, Allison is the best passing centerman the Kings have had since I've been a fan behind only Gretzky.

Now, today's game is faster so the skating could be more of an issue than it was for Allison back then; however, if Vilardi can get stronger than he can start putting defenders on his back in the offensive zone and just dominate.

He's been the Kings best prospect the moment he was drafted through today when not factoring in the back problems. If he can stay healthy and get stronger, he definitely has 1C potential. Small sample size but he had 7 points in 10 games while playing ~13 minutes a night. Over 50% on face-offs. Just like it was even before he was drafted: it is all about his health and if those health problems will limit his strength and the amount of minutes he can play.

I always liked the Jason Allison comp but the other one I've seen thrown around a bit lately that I tend to agree with even down to the pissiness (in a positive way) it Getzlaf. I think Vilardi is a bit more assertive of a shooter than either guy, though.

The crazy thing about those numbers is he put them up in his first NHL stint and first handful of pro games after a year and a friggin half out of hockey altogether. That's the truly insane part and why this was just a glimpse.

Have to imagine he's going wild right now.

 

[Sparky206]

I think the extended layoff during Covid will do wonders for his long term health. He cuts his first season back in two years short but still with a strong workload and respectable amount of games played for the season. It allows him to go away and reflect on what worked and what didnt and tweak his management of his back issues. Hes avoided re-injury of the back and now gets another 6 months to work on strength and fitness to hopefully put all of those issues behind him for good. This is before he even reflects on how well he's played and what he can improve on hockey wise.

For those still interested in his back injuries and possible causes and outcomes you should have a look at the career of a cricketer named Pat Cummins. He debuted in international cricket at the age of 18 and was man of the match in his first game. For a cricketer to play international cricket at 18 happens about once every 30 years, its a game where most guys make it to that level after the age of 25. But after that first game he suffered from stress fractures in his back from the twisting forces of bowling. He did not play another international game for 6 years, consistently coming back from injury 9-12months later only to re-injure himself again on return. Finally after 6 years his back settled down and he has not had an injury for 3 years and is now one of the best players in the game. Its a common injury for young bowlers and generally the only real fix is time to let the body harden its bones as you age. They share a lot of traits with Vilardi, Tall young guys who use a repetitive twisting motion while playing. His injuries, timeframes and treatment reminded me a lot of what is spoken about with back injuries in cricket bowlers and I wouldn't be surprised if stress fractures were the underlying issue. Even the diagnosis had similar traits, no visible injury during games, they just wake up the next day sore and end up being out for the next 9 months.

 

[psych3man]

I was trying to find this article today but the Athletic's search function is garbage, plus I thought it was a Pronman piece.

I thought it was Pronman too and only found the article once I finally searched Google with "Wheeler Vilardi." Here's hoping Athletic improves its search engine because I really like so much of their stuff, esp re:prospects.

 

[PANARIN BREAD FAN]

JAD - i can see this guy being an all-star within 2-3 years. he's a little bit better than half a version of draisatil. good skater, passer, and a real accurate finisher.

 

[Token]

It’s funny how we dwell on the shiny toys from the first round of the draft, then we get surprised when the forgotten 2-4th round picks suddenly burst into the scene.

JAD has all the tools for a top-6 role. It wouldn’t be the first time a 2nd rounder becomes a really good NHL player.

That never-quit motor and work ethic is becoming a trend with the kids graduating lately. I think Blake and Luc are calling it culture.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

I never mentioned it, but any break, delay or postponement in the schedule has led me to say to myself “good, that might mean one more game down the line with JAD healthy and in the lineup.”

He was even better than I was hoping for last night.

 

[jfont]

I don't want him too good right now...

Otherwise, Buffalo is going to want him in a deal for Eichel in the summer.