Kevin Gravel
| Birthday: 1992-03-06 | Position: D |
| Eligible for draft: 2010 | Shoots: Left |
| Drafted: 2010 | Height: 6-4 |
| Acquired: 5th round (148th overall), 2010 | Weight: 185 lbs. |
Probability of Success
- C
History
2008-09: Kevin Gravel played in the NAHL for the Marquette Rangers. In 58 games for the Rangers, Gravel scored 3 goals and added 11 assists for 14 points. He played for Team USA at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.
2009-10: Gravel’s rookie season in the USHL with the Sioux City Muskateers. In 53 games for the Muskateers, he scored 3 goals and added 3 assists for 6 points. He participated in the 2010 USHL All-Star Game. Fallon was injured for a bit in the early part of the season.
2010-11: Gravel skated in 36 of 38 games as a freshman at St. Cloud State and provided steady, if unspectacular, defense-first play for the Huskies. Gravel’s -7 plus/minus could partly be attributed to the Huskies’ team struggles; St. Cloud slid to eighth (tied) in the WCHA after reaching the NCAA tournament one season earlier. Offensively, Gravel scored 1 goal with 5 assists.
2011-12: Gravel was a fixture on the second pairing for St. Cloud State as a sophomore and played for the USA in the 2012 U20 World Junior Championship. He scored 1 goal with 7 assists and was plus-two with 12 penalty minutes in 37 games. The Huskies struggled to stay above .500 for much of the year; finishing sixth in the WCHA during the regular season and falling to eventual champion North Dakota in the WCHA Final Five quarterfinal game. Gravel played six games for the seventh-place USA at the WJC and was plus-two with 1 goal.
2012-13: Gravel played in all 42 games for St. Cloud State in his junior season. Paired with sophomore Tim Daly, he scored 1 goal with 11 assists and was +2 with 25 penalty minutes. The Huskies finished tied with Minnesota for first in the WCHA and rebounded from a loss to Wisconsin in the WCHA semifinals to reach the Frozen Four. St. Cloud State defeated Notre Dame (5-1) and Miami (4-1) to capture the NCAA Midwest Regional before falling to Quinnipiac, 4-1, in the Frozen Four semifinals.
2013-14: Gravel made his pro hockey debut with Los Angeles AHL affiliate Manchester in April following his senior season at St. Cloud State. In five regular season games with the Monarchs he was -3 with no points and five penalty minutes. Gravel was the leading scorer amongst defensemen for St. Cloud State in his final season with the Huskies. St. Cloud State finished first in the initial National Collegiate Hockey Conference regular season and reached the finals of the NCAA West Regional. After being swept by Miami in a two-game NCHA quarterfinal series, St. Cloud State defeated Notre Dame 4-3 in overtime in the NCAA West regional semifinal before falling to Minnesota, 4-0.
2014-15: Gravel attended the Los Angeles Kings training camp but did not receive an NHL contract, signing an AHL deal with Kings’ AHL affiliate Manchester. Skating in 58 of 72 regular season games for the Calder Cup champion Monarchs in his first pro season, he scored 6 goals with 9 assists and was +15 with 23 penalty minutes. Manchester had the league’s best record in the regular season, finishing first in the Atlantic Division, and rolled through the playoffs; defeating Western Conference champion Utica in the finals. Gravel had 5 assists and was +2 with no penalties in 19 playoff games. The Kings signed him to a two-year entry-level contract in June 2015.
2015-16: Gravel made his NHL debut with Los Angeles in a February 11th game against the New York Islanders, skating in four games with the Kings before being returned to AHL affiliate Ontario. He had no points nor penalties and was -1, averaging 11 minutes of ice time with the Kings. Gravel is the second-leading scorer amongst defensemen for the Reign behind former Miami University standout Vincent LoVerde. Ontario is battling with the Texas Stars for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
Talent Analysis
Gravel has very good skating for his size, including a good first step. His defensive positioning is exceptional and has become a real staple and defining factor to his game. He should have more points than he does given his puck skills and shot.
Future
Gravel is skating for re-located Kings' AHL affiliate Ontario in 2015-16 — appearing in four games with Los Angeles in February during his first NHL call-up — and is one of the Reign's top defensemen. In the first year of a two-year entry-level contract signed in June 2015, he is making headway at cracking what has been a strong blueline corps in Los Angeles. Gravel uses his size to advantage and can generate offense off the transition. He projects as a solid middle pairing defenseman.
