Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles Kings

Team Depth Chart of NHL Prospects
Strengths
  • Quality and quantity of goaltending
  • Great overall depth at defense
Weaknesses
  • Well below average in right wing prospects

About Prospect Scores and Probability

Prospect Criteria

Legend of Players' Leagues
Pro
Playing in N.A. Pro (NHL, AHL, ECHL, etc.)
CHL
Playing in CHL (OHL, QMJHL, WHL)
NCAA
Playing in NCAA
Europe
Playing in Europe
Junior
Playing in Junior 'A' (USHL, BCHL, AJHL, etc.)
N/A
Not Categorized Yet

Goaltenders

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Jean-Francois Berube Pro 6.5 C
2. Martin Jones Pro 6.5 C

Right Wing

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Linden Vey Pro 7.0 C
2. Tomas Hyka CHL 7.0 D
3. Brandon Kozun Pro 6.5 C
4. Stefan Legein Pro 6.5 D
5. Brian O'Neill Pro 6.5 D
6. Nic Dowd NCAA 6.0 C

Left Wing

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Tanner Pearson Pro 7.5 C
2. Nikolai Prokhorkin Europe 7.0 D
3. Maxim Kitsyn Europe 7.0 D
4. Michael Mersch NCAA 6.5 C
5. Joel Lowry NCAA 6.0 C

Centers

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Tyler Toffoli Pro 8.0 B
2. Nick Shore Pro 6.5 C
3. Jordan Weal Pro 6.0 C
4. Andy Andreoff Pro 6.0 C
5. Robert Czarnik Pro 6.0 C

Defensemen

 League Prosp. talent Prob. of success
1. Derek Forbort Pro 7.0 C
2. Jake Muzzin Pro 7.0 C
3. Nicolas Deslauriers Pro 7.0 D
4. Nick Ebert CHL 7.0 D
5. Paul LaDue Junior 7.0 D
6. Kevin Gravel NCAA 6.5 C
7. Colin Miller CHL 6.5 C
8. Alex Roach CHL 6.0 C
9. David Kolomatis Pro 6.0 C
10. Kurtis MacDermid CHL 6.0 C

L.A. Kings Season In Review

by Tony Calfo
on

The Los Angeles Kings ended their season with a four-goal loss in a game 7 in Denver last night.

The Los Angeles Kings ended their season with a four-goal loss in a game 7 in Denver last night.

Seem repetitive? Just think how it feels for Kings’ fans, players and management. The same story as a season ago, but a round earlier. 95 points and a first round loss. Desperation time. Or is it?

A year ago, the Kings left Denver with the notion that one of their top goal scorers was likely gone, their goalie was unsigned, their top defenseman was unsigned, they were facing another season with a hole in the first line as Josef Stumpel battled through another injury plagued season. They had two bad back-up goaltenders in Jamie Storr and Stephane Fiset. There were more questions than answers as they left the Mile High City.

While the taste in the collective mouth of the Kings is certainly no sweeter, this offseason brings more solidity than in years past. The Kings have their elite center. Jason Allison is a powerful center who can dictate the pace of a game. Allison is the star center the Kings have been dreaming about and his effort in game 7 on an extremely suspect leg was astonishing. Mike Keenan often spoke of Allison’s leadership skills and the Kings got a glimpse of it in the Colorado series. Since his arrival, Allison was always the first to stand up for his teammates. He played hard every night, even as he was getting himself into the shape that a training camp gave everyone else.

Last season the Kings were also unsure of the directio Read more»

Kings College Prospect Update

by Tony Calfo
on

Here’s an update on the Kings’ prospects that played on the college level this season.

Mike Cammalleri- Center- Jr.- Michigan

Easily the top college prospect for the Kings. Cammalleri had a breakout season despite battling a case of mono during the season. Cammalleri excelled at the WJC’s and lead his Michigan team to the Frozen Four where they lost to eventual champion Minnesota. Mike was voted as the team’s co-MVP. Cammalleri has another year of eligibility and has said he will use it. You can bet the Kings are licking their chops waiting for this exciting, though undersized playmaker.

Cammalleri finished with 23 goals and 21 assists despite playing only 29 games. He was MU’s leading goal scorer by 5 goals even though he played 11 fewer games. Mike was also a team-leading +26.

Noah Clarke- Left Wing-Jr.- Colorado College

The diminutive Clarke posted 13 goals and 24 assists in 42 games for Colorado College. Clarke has two connections to the Kings. He is a California native and he attended Shattuck St. Mary’s where Andy Murray coached and his son Brady currently attends.

Jason Crain- Defenseman-Sr.- Ohio State

Jason Crain has had a roller coaster ride of a career at Ohio State. Crain was considered a top prospect two years ago but has battled injury and inconsistency since. Crain had a decent season at OSU and showed some signs of regaining the form that had him ranked among the top defensive prospects. Crain has completed his eligibility so the Kings need to make a decision on him. Jason Crain’s best days are still ah Read more»

Yannick Lehoux Signs

by Tony Calfo
on

The Los Angeles Kings got part one of their off-season work done Monday when they signed highly regarded prospect Yannick Lehoux to a three year contract.

Lehoux will report to the Kings AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, on Tuesday. The Monarchs are preparing to open their first ever playoff series on April 13.

Lehoux also signed an amateur tryout contract with the Kings, so he could potentially play in one of the Kings final three games should they clinch a definitive playoff position. The Kings finish Sunday in Anaheim and if they have locked up their position, the Kings may give the faithful a look at the future.

The Kings next targets would appear to be Jared Aulin and Alex Frolov.

2002 Kings System- A Huge Step

by Tony Calfo
on

The 2001-2002 season has brought prosperity for the Kings both in the system and on the NHL level. The Kings were able to do some key things that they have not been able to do in year’s past-

1) The Kings were able to develop some top prospects that they acquired in trades and from drafts. Alex Frolov has emerged as a potential NHL star and Jared Aulin, Yannick Lehoux and Mike Cammalleri have all had seasons that have pushed them into the legitimate prospect category. The Kings have also seen defense prospects Joe Corvo and Tomas Zizka emerge as potential NHL defensemen as soon as next season. Add the improved play of Jens Karlsson and the Kings system is deep heading into a draft where they have a first round pick and two first round picks the following year.

2) The Kings were able to develop their own affiliates in Manchester and Reading. The Monarchs have been a monumental success. All of their prospects have been able to develop under their own coaching and the team has been successful as well. The franchise is a hit in Manchester and the players have prospered there.

3) The Kings were able to dip into the system when needed and were the beneficiaries of some positive results. When enforcer Ken Belanger went down, they were able to call on Kip Brennan and new fan favorite Ryan Flinn who combined to give the Kings the punch the Kings were missing for much of the season. In fact, their inspired play lit a fire under Ken Belanger who has played his best hockey since returning. When Eric Belanger went down the Kings were able to go to Brad C Read more»

Kings at the Trading Deadline

by Tony Calfo
on

As the trade deadline nears closer and closer, hockey critics have provided
us with their predications of what to expect before the 3:00 pm deadline on
Tuesday. According to the majority of critics, such as TSN’s Bob McKenzie,
deadline should be marked by a number of insignificant trades quite unlike
what we have become accustomed to in the past seasons.

Although the Los Angeles Kings started the season poorly, they have been one
of the NHL’s hottest teams and seemed destined to make some noise in the
upcoming playoffs, especially if they are lucky enough to play the Chicago
Blackhawks in the first round, who have had a strong season but really
cannot be considered a serious contender in the Western Conference.

The Kings were involved in the most talked about trade of last year’s
deadline when they sent Rob Blake to the Colorado Avalanche for Adam
Deadmarsh and Aaron Miller. Will the Kings once again make significant
adjustments to the roster? The answer is likely no, but it should be noted
the recent addition of veteran forward, Cliff Ronning, does improve the
team.

Cliff Ronning has played in over 1000 games and participated in the Stanley
Cup finals as a member of the Vancouver Canucks. Although he is now 36 years
old, he once again led the Nashville Predators in scoring and can be relied
upon to provide some offense, taking away some of the burden from Jason
Allison.

The addition of Ronning provides Andy Murray with some more depth but
without Karalahti, the Kings are not willing to part with any other player Read more»

Top Prospects

  1. Tyler Toffoli
  2. Tanner Pearson
  3. Derek Forbort
  4. Linden Vey
  5. Jake Muzzin
  6. Martin Jones
  7. Michael Mersch
  8. Nick Shore
  1. Kevin Gravel
  2. Colin Miller
  3. Brandon Kozun
  4. Andy Andreoff
  5. Jordan Weal
  6. Alex Roach
  7. David Kolomatis
  8. Nicolas Deslauriers
  9. Paul LaDue

Notable Prospects

  1. Jean-Francois Berube
  2. Robert Czarnik
  3. Nic Dowd
  4. Nick Ebert
  5. Tomas Hyka
  1. Maxim Kitsyn
  2. Stefan Legein
  3. Joel Lowry
  4. Kurtis MacDermid
  5. Brian O'Neill
  6. Nikolai Prokhorkin
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