Vilardi Must Help
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, nearly a two point per game output. Even though he finished the season in 60th place on the stat board, he also played in less than half of the games that the leaders played in. In fact, his 1.81 points per game pace puts him at number two behind only Jordan Kyrou. Kingston was a solid team this year with three other players in the top 12 for scoring. He wasn't alone, but he was also not simply a product of his surroundings.
So where does Vilardi fit in with the Kings? This remains to be seen. One of the beautiful things about the NHL, is that it is full of surprises like Iafallo, who came from seemingly nowhere (Minnisota-Deluth mostly counts as nowhere to those of us living in Southern Cal.), undrafted, to be a vital contributor for the top line. While the Kings should be shopping for a top sniper, Vilardi would likely not spend much time playing with such a player. Whoever he plays with, though, is apt to be happy with the extra time and space that he creates for them. Maybe it will be Anderson-Dolan.
I am looking forward to seeing him test himself at the highest level. For the sake of all the fans, I hope that he brings that scoring touch with him. I'm guessing that he will be a legitimate part of future success for the Kings.
Comments
Post a Comment