Prospect Info: Who does LA pick #2? Part 2 To Byfield or to Stutzle? That is the question

[SFKingshomer]

I'd like to see more of Byfield down low on the cycle. Every highlight video is him on an odd man rush. The good news about his supposed "lack of hockey sense" is he plays the point on the PP. You don't put a guy with a "lack of hockey sense" to QB your PP.

 

[KINGS17]

Both are true.

But you draft Byfield for the potential grand slam if he gets near his ceiling. Stützle could very well - even most likely - be the better player, but in the Kings position you can afford to swing for the fences of a franchise level enormous, dominating top line center. Those chances come around so rarely.

Most of Byfield's strengths center around offensive transition. He does puck watch and act more complacent in zone play than you would like out of a guy who will play nearly 1/3rd of every game. Those are 100% legitimate criticisms. But they are coachable weaknesses for the most part, and if they are attitude based you can suss that out in pre draft interviews.

Stützle is a high energy, buzzsaw puck hound, and that sort of approach out of your best players can be infectious down the lineup. He is an exceptional skater with better vision and passing than Byfield. He will make those around him more dangerous than Byfield will - and that isn't a knock on Byfield, its just that one guy is simply a little better at it than him at the top of the food chain. But Stützle doesn't have the same 35-40 goal potential of Byfield (who isn't really a sniper either), he doesn't have the same scheme-changing affect on defenses, and doesn't look to be the kind of player you build a franchise around.

Assuming both hit their ceilings, Byfield changes your franchise, Stützle makes the existing one better in a lot of high impact ways. Its a tough choice that we are fortunate to have to make.

 

[KINGS17]

One thing is for certain--immediately following the 3rd OA pick, the Kings will have made the wrong choice and the Sens will have made the right choice because they didn't want who the Kings took anyway and their organization smartly influenced us into making the wrong pick.

The Sens and their fan base have successfully used reverse-psychology on the Kings organization. LOL

 

[funky]

If Byfield is shown to lack hockey sense after we pick him the world is not lost.

how many teams boast a 6-5 230 pound winger that can skate like the wind and make plays in tight. Put him on wing tell him to skate towards the net and see how many of the new 5-9 defenseman can hang with him or move him

 

[Steve Zissou]

I will honestly be happy with either player. Glad LA has solid pro scouts making the call.

This. Either way, I'm happy the balls netted us a 2OA.

 

[bland]

If Byfield is shown to lack hockey sense after we pick him the world is not lost.

how many teams boast a 6-5 230 pound winger that can skate like the wind and make plays in tight. Put him on wing tell him to skate towards the net and see how many of the new 5-9 defenseman can hang with him or move him

This is exactly why I still say the single best comparable for Byfield's style of play is Rick Nash, not Kopitar, Staal or (gasp) Malkin. He will be a center who plays the game like Nash - big, rangy, upright skater who moves in and out of the fray for chances instead of forcing them, while being more than a handful for any style of defenseman.

That's a terrific haul at #2 overall.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Not sure where this notion that Byfield has questionable IQ is coming from. I'm repeating Yannetti's quotes for the umpteenth time here...
LA Kings Have Two Players In Their Crosshairs For 2nd Overall Draft Pick

“He’s a wonderful option at #2,” said Yanetti. “Find the flaw in his game. He’s 6-4. People don’t realize—they think he’s a big, 6-4 guy who’s feasting on smaller competition. But he’s nowhere near his potential for growth yet. I didn’t find him to be a particularly strong player for his size. That doesn’t mean that he wasn’t strong. But at 6-4, and at his size, there are players who are a lot stronger.”

“When he’s all said and done, he’s going to be a force,” added Yanetti. “He’s going to have two power forward elements. If you’re talking straight-on speed, he’s as good a skater as anyone in the draft. He can score, put points on the board, play defense. There isn’t a real flaw in his game.”

Byfield's nickname is also 'Q' because those who coach him call him a cerebral player.

TSN's Craig Button ranks his hockey sense 4/5.
Quinton Byfield - Centre - TSN.ca

DRAFT: Quinton Byfield Profile

"When you look at his skill level, it's very, very good, but it's the completeness of the effort that competitiveness stands out with his size, his skating his determination to impact the game everywhere on the ice. We use the term '200-foot player', that's where Quinton Byfield really establishes himself. So, when you look at his projection into the NHL I see him clearly as a number one two way center in the mold of LA Kings star Anze Kopitar."

Getting to know: Quinton Byfield

"A player with his size and strength, and I think there's more size and strength to come, but to able to have soft hands and vision and make plays and when players try to eliminate him, he can beat you with power or he can beat you with hands and hockey sense, so it makes him very, very tough to contain and a very attractive prospect obviously," NHL Central Scouting's David Gregory said on a video conference call earlier this month.

Byfield, Quinton | 2016 NHL Draft Prospects

SCOUTING REPORT: POWERFUL SKATER WITH BREAKAWAY SPEED. EXCELLENT PUCK POSSESSION PLAYER WITH SUPERIOR VISION, CREATIVITY AND PLAYMAKING ABILITY. HEAVY, ACCURATE SHOT THAT CAN OVERPOWER GOALTENDERS. PHYSICALLY READY FOR THE PRO GAME. WORKS HARD ALL OVER THE ICE WITH RELENTLESS PLAY AND NEVER GIVES UP ON A PUCK. PLAYS IN ALL SITUATIONS AND CAN TAKE OVER A GAME AT ANY TIME.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Scouting report on Byfield from a site dedicated to OHL coverage.
Quinton Byfield – Sudbury Wolves – Player Profile

When you watch Byfield, several things stand out. First, is his size. He has a man’s body already – an NHL body. If that doesn’t wow you, then the skating will. He has superb speed despite lugging around his big frame – one wouldn’t think that he possesses such a tremendous separation gear. He’s a force on his skates and almost impossible to knock off the puck. His edgework is elite, able to pivot, turn, start and stop with relative ease.

Also impressive is Byfield’s puck protection and possession skills. He uses his body and reach to keep the puck away from defenders while maintaining possession. Once he has the puck on his stick, it’s like it is attached to a string and the only way it’s coming off is if he passes it or takes a shot.
Byfield’s vision and hockey IQ are also elite. He has the uncanny ability to draw in a defender or two, assess the situation in the blink of an eye and then set up a teammate for scoring opportunities. Rarely do you see him make the wrong decision. He can also beat goaltenders with an elite, NHL ready shot that is overpowering.

I don’t categorize Byfield as a generational talent in the ilk of a Connor McDavid or Sidney Crosby. However, he is the type of player that you can build around and be your number one center. How good he can be will be dependant on how he develops parts of his game as he matures.

 

[The Lukeman]

This is the best take on those who nitpick and try to find a reason to knock down Byfield's game.


Some dolts knock him for being productive because he can score on the rush, as if that's a bad thing.

Posted this like a month back. All these OHL players produced heavily on the Rush, with the exception of Tkachuk:

People who point out Byfield's production mainly comes from transition plays forget that the OHL is a transition league and a majority of goals are scored on either the rush or PP. Odds are, you heard someone hear from Draft Dynasty about his concerns, and made now its a major argument point. Yet, that argument was never brought up for Connor McDavid, Mitch Marner, Matthew Tkachuk, DeBrincat, Yakupov, Svechnikov, etc despite them doing the same thing. Don't believe me. Here is a bunch of player highlights from their ohl seasons:
McDavid
Marner
Strome
Tkachuk
Svechnikov
Must I go on?

 

[tbrown33]

Posted this like a month back. All these OHL players produced heavily on the Rush, with the exception of Tkachuk:

People who point out Byfield's production mainly comes from transition plays forget that the OHL is a transition league and a majority of goals are scored on either the rush or PP. Odds are, you heard someone hear from Draft Dynasty about his concerns, and made now its a major argument point. Yet, that argument was never brought up for Connor McDavid, Mitch Marner, Matthew Tkachuk, DeBrincat, Yakupov, Svechnikov, etc despite them doing the same thing. Don't believe me. Here is a bunch of player highlights from their ohl seasons:
McDavid
Marner
Strome
Tkachuk
Svechnikov
Must I go on?

Dominating players tend to find themselves on odd man rushes quite a bit, and converting a high % of goals on said odd man rushes means you also have a ton of skill.

Give me all the odd man rushes.

 

[Legionnaire]

Dominating players tend to find themselves on odd man rushes quite a bit, and converting a high % of goals on said odd man rushes means you also have a ton of skill.

Give me all the odd man rushes.

I'm always hoping for ploddingly slow prosects. Key to success is not skating too fast and hurting yourself.

 

[redcard]

I'm always hoping for ploddingly slow prosects. Key to success is not skating too fast and hurting yourself.

I also prefer prospects who don't shoot much, lest they strike and injure a teammate with an errant shot.

 

[Steve Zissou]

The Kings hardly score on the rush - and this particular prospect scores a bunch ON THE RUSH!? Sign me the f*** up!

 

[ibleedkings]

The Kings hardly score on the rush - and this particular prospect scores a bunch ON THE RUSH!? Sign me the f*** up!

And you think he's just gonna be able to score on the rush in the NHL??? That's what worries me about Byfield. A lot of his highlights are on the rush, and being in the NHL it's not that easy.

 

[King'sPawn]

And you think he's just gonna be able to score on the rush in the NHL??? That's what worries me about Byfield. A lot of his highlights are on the rush, and being in the NHL it's not that easy.

It gets harder for every prospect from here.

Have you seen the space Stutzle gets on European ice? Or Lafreniere against better defense (QMJHL typically has the weakest defense)

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

And you think he's just gonna be able to score on the rush in the NHL??? That's what worries me about Byfield. A lot of his highlights are on the rush, and being in the NHL it's not that easy.

Go look at the highlights of all Stutzles goals.

Don't worry, it won't take long, there are only 7 of them.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

It gets harder for every prospect from here.

Have you seen the space Stutzle gets on European ice? Or Lafreniere against better defense (QMJHL typically has the weakest defense)

It’s dumbfounding how that’s a criticism used against Byfield but ignored for others.

 

[Flamingo]

I'd like to see more of Byfield down low on the cycle. Every highlight video is him on an odd man rush. The good news about his supposed "lack of hockey sense" is he plays the point on the PP. You don't put a guy with a "lack of hockey sense" to QB your PP.

I really like Byfield on the forecheck. He didn’t just try to force one defenseman into a bad pass, he gets on his horse and.l chases the first pass to harangue the safe outlet. With good F2 and F3 support, this is the kind of hustle that generates offends, even when he’s not credited with a point. Ottawa’s coach uses a strong, 2-F forecheck, so we’d make good use of him. You can’t go wrong with Byfield.

 

[bland]

Go look at the highlights of all Stutzles goals.

Don't worry, it won't take long, there are only 7 of them.

Stützle had 41 goals in 46 games over his two previous seasons in their DNL junior equivalent. And 8 goals in 10 playoff games.

Its as minor a concern as Byfield's set zone play.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Stützle had 41 goals in 46 games over his two previous seasons in their DNL junior equivalent. And 8 goals in 10 playoff games.

Its as minor a concern as Byfield's set zone play.

Agreed, I was being facetious.

 

[bland]

It’s dumbfounding how that’s a criticism used against Byfield but ignored for others.

Stützle's one stinking year of a poor shooting percentage and his playing on international ice are brought up in virtually every critical post.

 

[bland]

Agreed, I was being facetious.

I want both of these players so badly, I don't see any reason whatsoever to pass on either. I think Stützle's qualities and weaknesses have been poorly represented and overstated in this thread. He has abilities missing from most of the Kings other prospects, except Turcotte and maybe Fagemo - that kind of high tempo, puck hungry intensity that can make something out of nothing in a flash. That is something that has been missing here for a long time now.

Just boils down to choosing two lottery tickets, and I'll take the one with larger jackpot.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Stützle's one stinking year of a poor shooting percentage and his playing on international ice are brought up in virtually every critical post.

If Byfield is going to be critiqued for scoring on the rush and his performance at the WJCs, then why should Stutzle be absolved? I guess every time Stutlze is brought up we should also bring up the other criticisms about his game, like his preference to play along the perimeter, being a pass first player, playing against weaker competition, and almost half his assists at the WJC came against Kazakhstan.

We were all hoping for Stutzle to fall to four if the Kings remained there, not sure how likely that would have been if that's how things turned out, but we didn't even think about Byfield until they moved to #2. If Stutzle was a better finisher, we probably wouldn't be having this debate.

 

[bland]

If Byfield is going to be critiqued for scoring on the rush and his performance at the WJCs, then why should Stutzle be absolved? I guess every time Stutlze is brought up we should also bring up the other criticisms about his game, like his preference to play along the perimeter, being a pass first player, playing against weaker competition, and almost half his assists at the WJC came against Kazakhstan.

We were all hoping for Stutzle to fall to four if the Kings remained there, not sure how likely that would have been if that's how things turned out, but we didn't even think about Byfield until they moved to #2. If Stutzle was a better finisher, we probably wouldn't be having this debate.

I would suggest that talking about the game and its players is a lot more interesting than being concerned about what fans from other teams have to say.

Nobody needs to be absolved of anything, its just internet nonsense.

And, I will add, Byfield is easily more of a perimeter player than Stützle. Stützle always gets his nose dirty along the wall, Byfield hangs back and looks to strip at the blueline.

Stützle doggedly pursues, Byfield hangs back and sets up traps. Both are very effective at what they do, but your characterization is incorrect.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

I would suggest that talking about the game and its players is a lot more interesting than being concerned about what fans from other teams have to say.

Nobody needs to be absolved of anything, its just internet nonsense.

And, I will add, Byfield is easily more of a perimeter player than Stützle. Stützle always gets his nose dirty along the wall, Byfield hangs back and looks to strip at the blueline.

Stützle doggedly pursues, Byfield hangs back and sets up traps. Both are very effective at what they do, but your characterization is incorrect.

And your characterization of Byfield hanging back is also incorrect.

Watch this.


He seems to go a lot deeper than just hanging back at the blueline like you described.

Watch Byfield's play in the OHL Cup when he was 16 and tell me how much he's hanging back and playing the perimeter here.


For an alleged perimeter player, he sure does like to attack the middle of the ice and cut to the net quite a bit.