Prospect Info: Quinton Byfield (2nd Overall 2020 Draft) Discussion part II

[bsu]

Kings fans Draisaitl looked Meh his 1st season as well, you can see the raw talent in Byfield what you're not seeing right now is experience and confidence that will come shortly

Drai looked meh in his first season because he used to skate like a battleship. His hockey IQ and sense were always there. Byfield is an excellent skater and has good agility I don't think those are similar cases at all. He should have been in the AHL with the puck on his stick all the time at ES, PP, PK and end of game situations... just like I think Drysdale should have been this season. Both Anaheim and LA f***ed up not taking advantage of the AHL loophole the NHL gave teams.

 

[Master Yoda]

My hope was the quality wingers would be developing with QB and come up with him. I was getting all horny at that kid line they had for a bit this year

I was good with that line and they were looking better, not necessarily in the scoresheet but good on the forecheck and creating some good chances. Looked like they were going to break through soon.
That obviously didn't last long for whatever reason. I guess losing but I think they should've stuck with them.

 

[YP44]

I was good with that line and they were looking better, not necessarily in the scoresheet but good on the forecheck and creating some good chances. Looked like they were going to break through soon.
That obviously didn't last long for whatever reason. I guess losing but I think they should've stuck with them.

I think the team got healthy is more why they split it up. IDK

 

[MBH]

Drai looked meh in his first season because he used to skate like a battleship. His hockey IQ and sense were always there. Byfield is an excellent skater and has good agility I don't think those are similar cases at all. He should have been in the AHL with the puck on his stick all the time at ES, PP, PK and end of game situations... just like I think Drysdale should have been this season. Both Anaheim and LA f***ed up not taking advantage of the AHL loophole the NHL gave teams.

I had Byfield pretty far down the list of LA prospects in terms of NHL readiness this year.
I can't believe he stayed with the big club all year.
If he starts Game 3... man.

 

[neelynugs]

what are your expectations for QB this year? he always struck me as a longer track prospect,
and the obvious questions about how the kings have handled him so far are fair.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

what are your expectations for QB this year? he always struck me as a longer track prospect,
and the obvious questions about how the kings have handled him so far are fair.

I think I need 30 points out of him to win Sol's money. Sol, do I have that right?

 

[lumbergh]

what are your expectations for QB this year? he always struck me as a longer track prospect,
and the obvious questions about how the kings have handled him so far are fair.

Somewhere around 0.5 points per game if given power play time. I hope we see him occasionally take over a game with his skill, size and speed. There's room for growth in every part of his game, and I expect to see that growth translate to production this season.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

what are your expectations for QB this year? he always struck me as a longer track prospect,
and the obvious questions about how the kings have handled him so far are fair.

He needs to take a significant step forward in production. 10-15 goals, 20+ assists.

No one is expecting him to set the world on fire, but he needs to show some consistency befitting of his draft position and pedigree.

If for whatever reason he doesn’t have a fruitful season, I think it’s fair to begin worrying about his projected future as a #1 center.

 

[kevsh]

There's room for growth in every part of his game, and I expect to see that growth translate to production this season.

Room for significant growth really concerns me. As it was when he was drafted. Still loads of potential but getting there is the hard part.

And yes I almost wept at what could've been when I saw the contract Stutzle signed this summer after a really strong finish to last season. But flashing back to draft day why would Blake listen to some guy on a message board insisting (almost begging) for LA to go with Stutzle at #2?

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

Room for significant growth really concerns me. As it was when he was drafted. Still loads of potential but getting there is the hard part.

And yes I almost wept at what could've been when I saw the contract Stutzle signed this summer after a really strong finish to last season. But flashing back to draft day why would Blake listen to some guy on a message board insisting (almost begging) for LA to go with Stutzle at #2?

I think it's been established that the Kings fail at developing forwards, so it wouldn't matter if they would have picked Stutzle.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The good news is he gets to start answering some questions this weekend.

Excited what a healthy summer brings for Byfield and hopefully Turcotte et. al., please pray to whatever gods, saints, voodoo dolls you have for under-23 health this year because what a f***ing circus of unfortunate events this ride has been.

 

[lumbergh]

Room for significant growth really concerns me. As it was when he was drafted. Still loads of potential but getting there is the hard part.

And yes I almost wept at what could've been when I saw the contract Stutzle signed this summer after a really strong finish to last season. But flashing back to draft day why would Blake listen to some guy on a message board insisting (almost begging) for LA to go with Stutzle at #2?

To that I say, Stutzle who?

Do yourself a favor and forget about Stutzle. How Stutzle does or what contract he signed means absolutely nothing to the success of the Kings right now.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Man Grundstrom got benched after scoring in three consecutive games

What do you think the Kings would do with a guy who's 37% on faceoffs and -45

 

[Statto]

Man Grundstrom got benched after scoring in three consecutive games

What do you think the Kings would do with a guy who's 37% on faceoffs and -45

He’d still be in Germany

 

[Herby]

Stutzle would have 100% been in the AHL as an 18 year old, same with Jack Hughes had we won that lottery. Anyone who says otherwise is clueless, Blake and his development teams AHL obsession in comparison to the rest of the league is a definite reality.

I think he would have been up this past season, but it's tough to say what the damage being in the AHL as a teenager would have done to him. As we still don't know the long-term effects of that unorthodox decision with QB. How much did being in the NHL at 18 help prepare him to take that next step at 19? Would he have gained as little as QB did being in the AHL?

We will never know.

I am just beyond happy that Brandt Clarke was not able to be classified as a European pick despite palying overseas in his draft year and was still subjected to the CHL/NHL agreement thus keeping Blake from hurting his ceiling by trying to stick him in the AHL as a teenager.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

"we want them all close in Ontario so we can keep an eye on their development" is the popular theory but it seems like code for "that motherf***er missed a stick check, send him down and put him on the third line with Dudas and keep him off the PP"

Yeah, I much prefer our prospects develop in Europe and juniors until they absolutely can't, because this devteam pinatas the absolute piss out of offensive confidence and risk-taking.

 

[Herby]

"we want them all close in Ontario so we can keep an eye on their development" is the popular theory but it seems like code for "that motherf***er missed a stick check, send him down and put him on the third line with Dudas and keep him off the PP"

Yeah, I much prefer our prospects develop in Europe and juniors until they absolutely can't, because this devteam pinatas the absolute piss out of offensive confidence and risk-taking.

I actually think the affiliate moving from New England to Southern California was actually a detrimental thing for the franchise, because as you mentioned "we want them close" has been taken to just extraordinary levels in comparison to other teams (even though other teams also have affiliates close by) and has caused harm to the potential of many of these guys.

I get the logistical advantage of being able to call-up someone right away, and I'm sure the players prefer SoCal to Manchester for a variety of reasons but I think the AHL usage is so ramped up because they are that close.

Makes the development teams lives easier though, hard to surf and play beach volleyball if you are going to Manchester every other weekend to evaluate players.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

"we want them all close in Ontario so we can keep an eye on their development" is the popular theory but it seems like code for "that motherf***er missed a stick check, send him down and put him on the third line with Dudas and keep him off the PP"

Sounds totally reasonable. Great take.

 

[kingsfan28]

I think it's been established that the Kings fail at developing forwards, so it wouldn't matter if they would have picked Stutzle.

This place would be roasting his defensive flaws, his -29 and 38 pct FO. But hey, pointz, right?!!!!!

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Sounds totally reasonable. Great take.

It's not reasonable, right?

It's exactly what happened to Turcotte.

Wow, check out Axl actually agreeing with criticism of the org!

 

[Herby]

It's not reasonable, right?

It's exactly what happened to Turcotte.

Wow, check out Axl actually agreeing with criticism of the org!

They have hit the trifecta with Turcotte.

They misjudged his ceiling in evaluation
They butchered his development after his D+1
They completely screwed his deployment in the AHL (no #1 PP time in the minors for a 5OA pick while giving time to career AHL'ers)

Not sure any of the other prospects had the trifecta. Some had bad evaluation or deployment. Some had bad development or deployment. But all 3?

Has he given any excuses or justification about Turcotte's deployment in the AHL? I threw in the towel long ago.

I know he doesn't believe the other 2 are reality. But even he has to be hard pressed to defend the AHL usage.

 

[mysterman2]

that panic over Byfield is comical given of the big 3 in the draft his scouting report was "highest ceiling/longer development time."

Seems those projections were spot on. Also consider the # of Rangers fans calling Lafrenierre a bust.

For Lafrenierre was "most NHL ready with highest value as NHL lock."
For Stuetzle it was "most skilled but may struggle defensively."

Looks like when it comes to consensus top draft picks- NHL Scouts maybe know a thing or two.

NHL draft 2020: First-round picks, scouting reports of the players selected

Scouting reports of every player taken in the first round of the 2020 NHL draft -- from the Rangers at No. 1 to the Sharks at No. 31.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

that panic over Byfield is comical given of the big 3 in the draft his scouting report was "highest ceiling/longer development time."

Seems those projections were spot on. Also consider the # of Rangers fans calling Lafrenierre a bust.

For Lafrenierre was "most NHL ready with highest value as NHL lock."
For Stuetzle it was "most skilled but may struggle defensively."

Looks like when it comes to consensus top draft picks- NHL Scouts maybe know a thing or two.

NHL draft 2020: First-round picks, scouting reports of the players selected

Scouting reports of every player taken in the first round of the 2020 NHL draft -- from the Rangers at No. 1 to the Sharks at No. 31.

www.usatoday.com

Don't kill the narrative, man.

 

[Herby]

that panic over Byfield is comical given of the big 3 in the draft his scouting report was "highest ceiling/longer development time."

Seems those projections were spot on. Also consider the # of Rangers fans calling Lafrenierre a bust.

For Lafrenierre was "most NHL ready with highest value as NHL lock."
For Stuetzle it was "most skilled but may struggle defensively."

Looks like when it comes to consensus top draft picks- NHL Scouts maybe know a thing or two.

NHL draft 2020: First-round picks, scouting reports of the players selected

Scouting reports of every player taken in the first round of the 2020 NHL draft -- from the Rangers at No. 1 to the Sharks at No. 31.

www.usatoday.com

People always say this, but what did it mean?

Did it mean, will do nothing in first two years and be a question mark entering year 3 or did it mean, "won't be a plug and play star like some others taken that high" ?

I have a hard time believing that when he was drafted that the Kings thought that by the end of year 2 that QB would be playing at a sub-replacement level and be scratched in the playoffs with lots of uncertainty entering year 3. Now granted, a lot of that is the Kings own doing with the bizarre development choices but I think the longer development thing really just meant that he certainly wouldn't be a McDavid and wouldn't even be an Eichel. Which I think all of us accepted and were fine with.

I can't speak for everyone else, but for me, had QB played D+1 in the NHL in a red-shirt year (which he almost certainly does if he's in another place), struggled a lot that first year but gradually got better to the point where he was showing serious signs of growth and potential by the end of D+2 (similar to the Jack Hughes development curve) there isn't as much concern here.

And to add, if he truly is that big a project when do you start to see tangible results that warrant the draft capital used on him. Is it this season, the season after, the season after that? And at what point is it fair to question whether taking such a project was the correct choice. And again, I don't see him as that kind of project, but maybe some do and I'd be curious their answers.

 

[mysterman2]

People always say this, but what did it mean?

Did it mean, will do nothing in first two years and be a question mark entering year 3 or did it mean, "won't be a plug and play star like some others taken that high" ?

I have a hard time believing that when he was drafted that the Kings thought that by the end of year 2 that QB would be playing at a sub-replacement level and be scratched in the playoffs with lots of uncertainty entering year 3. Now granted, a lot of that is the Kings own doing with the bizarre development choices but I think the longer development thing really just meant that he certainly wouldn't be a McDavid and wouldn't even be an Eichel. Which I think all of us accepted and were fine with.

I can't speak for everyone else, but for me, had QB played D+1 in the NHL in a red-shirt year (which he almost certainly does if he's in another place), struggled a lot that first year but gradually got better to the point where he was showing serious signs of growth and potential by the end of D+2 (similar to the Jack Hughes development curve) there isn't as much concern here.

And to add, if he truly is that big a project when do you start to see tangible results that warrant the draft capital used on him. Is it this season, the season after, the season after that? And at what point is it fair to question whether taking such a project was the correct choice. And again, I don't see him as that kind of project, but maybe some do and I'd be curious their answers.

may have been here but someone posted a stat that players bigger than 6'2" and smaller than 5"10 did take longer to reach peak scoring. I should have bookmarked but was interesting and had same data.

Anyone else remember that link?

on side note- your observations about development are not without merit and solid/reasonable takes. Point here being Rangers fans were vicious to Lafrenierre is his rookie season. Point is the DNA of hockey players growth and development is gradual...expecting too much too soon will always be a fools folly.