NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 1 Los Angeles Kings - The Athletic
1. Quinton Byfield, C, 18 (Ontario Reign/Sudbury Wolves)
There’s just no prospect like him. There hasn’t been in a long, long time either. Mikko Rantanen and Blake Wheeler weren’t where he is at the same age. You probably have to go back even further to names like Eric Staal and Evgeni Malkin nearly two decades ago to find a proper framework for a 6-foot-4, 220-pound forward with his skill level. Byfield’s blend of athleticism, speed, power, and finesse is just so rare. Are there kinks to his game that still need unwinding? Sure. He can get lost in no man’s land defensively a little. I think I was a little too high on his hands pre-draft and he’s admittedly a little more prone to bobbles and mishandles than I think I recognized (though it’s still definitely an asset relative to his length). He has been a work in progress in the faceoff circle. But there are also so many things that distinguish him. His ability to play at full speed offensively, provide defensive and puck retrieval value forecheck, and generally push pace on the inside of the ice, is pretty special. He’ll surprise you with his creativity for his size. His wrist shot is dangerous from mid-range when he has the time to get it off (though I think he’ll need to continue to improve on balancing his catch-and-release to get the most out of himself as a shooter in traffic when he’s playing off the puck). On top of all of that, he was one of the youngest top prospects in the 2020 draft class and a real sense that he’s just scratching the surface. A little more patience may be required on his file but the payoff has the potential to be tremendous: a true first-line centre.
2. Alex Turcotte, C, 19 (Ontario Reign)
Turcotte played with a ton of pace and confidence at the world juniors, really going at defenders with his hands in possession. His injury history is a little concerning but I think it wrongly clouded a lot of evaluators’ perceptions of his game last season because people didn’t recognize that he was never really 100 percent as a freshman at Wisconsin. Considering how splintered his last two years have been, I’m not at all worried about where he’s at. Inside the offensive zone, Turcotte has quick hands in traffic, he understands how to use space as a playmaker and passer, and he plays a driven, engaged, attacking style that pulls his linemates into the fight. He needs to work on his catch and release (he spends an extra half-second dusting pucks off, which kills some chances to shoot because he’s thinking about it too much) but he plays a complete, play-driving offensive zone style with good touch and NHL acceleration through his stride from a standstill. He also has a low base to his stride, which helps him extend plays, stay on top of pucks, and attack off the wall to the interior. Turcotte’s always in motion, constantly applying pressure. But he doesn’t get lost in that game either, playing a spatially aware game that sees the ice beautifully. In his prime, I think he projects to have top-six, all-situations upside as a counted-upon two-way player who elevates and creates for his linemates.
3. Arthur Kaliyev, LW, 19 (Los Angeles Kings/Ontario Reign/Hamilton Bulldogs)
Kaliyev can shoot the puck better than any prospect in the sport (with all due respect to Cole Caufield, Jack Quinn, Nick Robertson, Carter Savoie, Noel Gunler, Alexander Holtz and the rest). That doesn’t necessarily make him the best goal scorer of the bunch (though he’s in the top three in that regard too), because there’s more to goal scoring than shooting, but his actual shot is the most impressive. It comes off his stick harder and maintains that power from a variety of stances, release points, and shot types. He might be the best shooting prospect the sport has seen in that way since Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine (which is me going as far as to say he’s a better shooter than Alex DeBrincat, Elias Pettersson and others). And there’s real work to be done on his game elsewhere. He looks like he’s snowshoeing out there with the way he drags his skates across the ice on his recoveries. He still flies by too many pucks and gives half effort on the backcheck a little too often, though he has made progress in his effort and commitment on both fronts. There’s still some cheat to his game. But he should have been picked higher on draft day and that remains true today, because good NHL teams have players of all shapes, sizes, and skill level and they need game-breakers. His ability to cleanly beat goalies from range with his wrist shot or his one-timer is elite (a word I hate using). His ability to adjust his shot on catch-and-release is elite. His ability to get the puck up from in tight is elite. He rarely finds holes in the net from bad angles and overpowers from good ones. And he’s a much, much better playmaker and passer than he ever gets credit for, which gives his game an extra dimension and opens up the offensive zone as his playground. There aren’t many players I’m comfortable projecting for 40-goal upside but he’s one of them. He’s the type of player you slot with two linemates who are more engaged, use on PP1, and live with some of the annoyances.
4. Gabe Vilardi, C, 21 (Los Angeles Kings)
A favorite of mine in his draft year, Vilardi is a player who just gets it. He’s 6-foot-3 and plays around 200 pounds, but he’s more than just the puck protection centre you’d expect at a glance of his listed height and weight. He’s not a power forward type, preferring instead to calculate his way around the ice. The things that make him effective aren’t the attention-grabbing kind. He’s not an explosive skater. He’s not a natural scoring threat. He’s not the dynamic, creative, puck-on-a-string type. He’s just a well-rounded offensive player who understands how to use spacing to make plays in a variety of ways. He’s got impressive skill, with a threatening hashmarks shot and good hands one-on-one with goalies or in traffic, but he’s also able to take the puck off the wall and make plays to the interior with his puck control skill out wide to his body. He’s the kind of player who doesn’t have a star quality but impacts a game and produces just the same as players his age who do. I think he’s a joy to watch navigate out there and one of several Kings prospects who is capable of becoming the excellent 2C they’ll need to play behind Byfield if they’re to contend. He’ll complement someone like a Kaliyev or a Samuel Fagemo well long term.
5. Tyler Madden, C/RW, 21 (Ontario Reign)
Adding Tyler Madden to the Kings’ prospect pool is like cheating (it also feels like it happened forever ago even though it’s only been a year). There aren’t many (any?) players from the 2018 draft who’ve progressed as steeply as Madden has. He was scrawny with decent skill but quickly developed his offensive zone acumen, taking his game from intriguing on the offensive half of the ice to fascinating. He’s different. Though he lacks size and a pull away gear for that size, he doesn’t put himself in tough spots like most players with those two qualities do. He uses deft touch, clever playmaking instincts, and impressive cross-ice vision to problem-solve, manufacture chances to the slot for himself and his teammates, and slice up zone coverage. He has developed an entertaining one-on-one quality to his game. He’s a fun power play player because of his ingenuity. And the more I’ve watched him, the more I’ve grown to appreciate his defensive stick work, effort, and detail. He’s also now 180 pounds, which is 30 pounds heavier than he was when he was picked, helping him to engage more off the puck and then stay on top of it in possession.
6. Helge Grans, RHD, 18 (Malmö Redhawks)
The idea of Grans is still way more interesting than the reality of him, but he’s a 6-foot-3, 18-year-old right-shot defenseman with such legitimate skill that the potential is just so darn exciting. The raw tools really are impressive. He’s a mobile skater. He already looks comfortable with the puck on Malmö’s power play in the SHL. He has great hands for his size. He’s a superb passer on outlets and through offensive zone lanes. And he’s got impressive confidence with the puck on his stick, playing an aggressive style and taking risks to make things happen. There’s still a rawness to his even-strength play, and he can look a little stilted on his pivots, but with some refining and time, Grans has the potential to be a top-four defenseman with significant two-way value. There’s a balance to be struck with his mistakes and some of that just comes with trial by fire.
7. Samuel Fagemo, LW/RW, 20 (Ontario Reign/Södertälje SK)
From a tools perspective, Fagemo has a ton of skills that pop in isolation. His release is ridiculous, deceiving goalies from almost anywhere in the offensive zone. He’s got an incredible feel for the puck when it’s on his stick, which helps him pull dekes through feet and under sticks on attacking lines. He’s a plus level skater (both quick and strong), though I wouldn’t say that element is quite as impressive as his shot or his hands. But there are also times when it feels like his approach is working against some of those skills. He can play a little too much for himself, placing too much focus on individual creation and the net at the expense of his peripherals. He needs linemates who can get him the puck because he’s not all that physically engaged himself. And I don’t think he’s going to be a line driver at the next level as a result, probably topping out as a complementary middle-six scorer who can score 20-plus goals, carve up coverage every once in a while, and give a power play unit another threat.
8. Tobias Björnfot, LHD, 19 (Los Angeles Kings/Djurgårdens IF/Ontario Reign)
Björnfot can be a tricky player to evaluate because he doesn’t really fit into the boxes and biases that exist within hockey. He’s not the big, long, passive, efficient type that most teams covet to play 3-4 of their top-six roles. And he’s not the active, aggressive, talented, occasionally a little smaller type that teams like to round out the last 2-3 spots in their group as complements to those more passive partners. But that’s a problem with how we perceive these players more than it is with his fit somewhere in that mix. Björnfot is a sturdy, heady, smooth-skating 6-foot defenseman who moves the puck well on outlets and has typically made the first available play up ice. It was nice to see him stretch the ice more and look more confident in possession at the world juniors, too. That didn’t translate to his 17 minutes of average ice time in the SHL quite like I hoped it would, where he was still a little too deferential and passive inside the offensive zone (though he continued to play an increasingly aggressive style off the puck). Björnfot holds his own along the wall and in front of the net on box outs, he’s got decent overall skill, and he gaps well. He’s a little risk averse, so he’s not often going to attack off the line or lead a rush, but he plays within himself and impacts play.
9. Rasmus Kupari, C, 20 (Ontario Reign)
Kupari’s an impressive athlete and skater who generates a ton of speed through his pushes and crossovers, weaving and galloping up ice to force the envelope and push play to the inside. He can back defenders off or turn the corner on them when they’re flatfooted, playing a straight lines game that’s complemented by slick hands at full speed. When he engages himself in games and keeps his feet moving, he looks like an NHLer. But there are times where it looks like he’s struggling to process the game, or trying to do too much, or putting himself into tough spots by not entering the offensive zone on the interior (which allows defenders to force him into the corners). I think there’s a risk he ends up as one of the Kings prospects on the outside looking in when the roster starts to get cluttered with many of these players because he’s not a natural scorer, nor a natural playmaker. At his ceiling, he’s an excellent middle-six player who can be the second- or third-best talent on a line and add a speed/skill combination to a line. I’d like to see him showcase all of those pieces working in concert a little more often, but his age and injury history have to contextualize that conversation.
10. Akil Thomas, C, 21 (Ontario Reign)
Thomas’ comportment has probably influenced the way I’ve perceived him. His head’s in the right place, he’s articulate, and I’m pulling for him. From a skill set perspective, it’s more of a mixed bag. He’s not a particularly strong player on the puck, with a little bit of imbalance in his stance. He lacks pull away speed as a skater. And when things slow down, he’s neither a lethal scorer nor a creative playmaker. But I’ve always said that Thomas grades out with a lot of A-minuses and B-pluses even if he’s short on As and A-pluses. His skating is somewhere between fine and slightly above average. His hands are quick in tight, helping him play through a first layer to make something happen even if he’s not going to attack through several layers for a highlight-reel goal. He’s a plus-level passer who nearly put up three consecutive 60-assist seasons in the OHL. He’s got a very accurate shot, even if it doesn’t pop off his stick. He tracks and reads the play well on both sides of the puck and should be able to play on a second power play and second penalty kill at the pro level. He’s dominant in the faceoff circle. I expect those things will combine for a nice middle-six career even if he’s not at the front of the line at this point in time.
