LA Hockey Underground

Correction - previously unbeknownst to me, Junior hockey has a rule that players in their 18 year old year can't move up to professional hockey unless it is the NHL.  In my previous blog, I mentioned the possibility of Jaret Anderson-Dolan moving up to play with the Reign.  Due to this rule, the Ontario Reign would not see Anderson-Dolan until the season ends, and Spokane has been eliminated from the playoffs.  Unless the Kings decide to move him to the big club, a very unlikely scenario, AD will likely play in Spokane next year.  He is only 18, and another year in the WHL won't likely hurt him.  I guess I was getting ahead of myself.  Either way, he is a player and will hopefully bring some offensive punch down the road.

As I look into the future of the Los Angeles Kings, I have to admit that I am getting a little excited.  Last year's draft pics are proving to be legitimate pieces that may bring just what the team needs, scoring. Before I go any further, I must admit that my resources are extremely limited.  I don't have the money or time (I have a job) to fly around the country scouting the young up and comers, especially since there simply aren't serious junior tier I, II, or NCAA Div 1 programs anywhere near Southern California.  However, there are highlight reels available, and stats.  One of the real drawbacks of stats and video highlights, however, is that they don't show some of the not so little things that NHL coaches demand from their players, like fore-checking angles and effectiveness, back checking, turnovers in the critical areas...etc.  While neither highlight reels, or stats, are enough to make prophetic predictions about how a young man will play in the NHL,...

The bad news is that the Kings need some help.  I know, not exactly an astute observation, especially since we are watching other teams play in round two from our couches.  They need scoring.  The good news is that Gabriel Vilardi appears ready to step in and get it done. Vilardi, the first round draft pick from last year, had been projected as a top four pick.  For one reason or another, he dropped.  He dropped all the way to 11, where the Kings happily snapped him up.  His summer and subsequent fall were plagued by injuries.  Maybe that is what kept teams from picking him up, or maybe it was his supposed lack of skating ability, a denigration that I find hard to give too much credence too.  Either way, neither his injuries, nor his supposed lack of skating could keep him down forever.  In the second half of the season, he was a juggernaught for the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. In 32 games, he tallied 22 goals and 36 assists, nea...