Welcome to the 2014 edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. As we go through the Summer of 2014 I will be featuring a team-by-team look at the top prospects in the NHL. I will go team by team through the NHL bringing you a look at each Teams Top Prospects. I will be following the order of the first round of the NHL draft (as if there were no traded draft picks) and you can find all the articles here. Since we had an extensive NHL Draft preview, I will not be reviewing the players who were drafted in the 2014 draft, as there have been no games since then, and my reports on them will not have changed. What I will be doing is linking you to those articles, as well as taking a look at prospects that were acquired before this year’s draft; their progress, and their chances of making the 2014-15 roster of the NHL team in question. I will also bring you one sleeper pick – a player who was either drafted in the 4th-round or later, or was an undrafted free agent signing who I pick as my darkhorse to make the NHL. For those wondering, the cut-off for what is or isn’t a prospect is typically about 50 NHL games played (including playoffs) or being 25 years old. These are not hard or fast rules though, and I may make some exceptions depending on the circumstances.
In late April, things looked bleak for the Los Angeles Kings, down 3-0 in their first round playoff series to the San Jose Sharks. The Kings had lost the first two games and badly in San Jose, before a Patrick Marleau overtime goal gave the Sharks a 3-0 lead. The Kings would not die though, taking the next four games. They would then beat the Ducks and Blackhawks (each in seven games) before taking on the Rangers and beating them in five games to win their second Stanley Cup in three years. What a difference a couple of months can make.
The off-season has seen the Kings keep the majority of their core together. They were able to re-sign Marian Gaborik to a team friendly deal. While the only major loss was defenceman Willie Mitchell.
In recent years the Kings have done a magnificent job of building through the draft and some of their key contributors in this year’s playoff run were part of our last 2 years of Kings TSP reviews, such as Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson, and Jake Muzzin. The strong get stronger though, as we also gave the Kings an A grade on our 2014 draft rankings after they took 5 of our top 100 ranked players.
2014 Draft Picks (reviewed by LWOS): Adrian Kempe, Roland McKeown, Spencer Watson, Jacob Middleton, Matt Mistele
Graduations: Tyler Toffoli, Tanner Pearson,
Top Los Angeles Kings Prospects
Top Prospect: Valentin Zykov, Right Wing
Born May 15 1995 — St.Petersburg, Russia
Height 6.02 — Weight 205 — Shoots Right
Drafted by the Kings in the 2nd Round, 37th overall of the 2013 NHL Draft
Valentin Zykov had a solid second year in the QMJHL for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar putting up 63 points in 53 games this season. While his goals per game was done from his draft year, his assists and points both went up. With Petr Straka leaving the team, and Zykov becoming the number one offensive weapon for the Drakkar, he took advantage of the fact that teams were working to keep him from getting good looks at the net, by adapting and being more of a playmaker this year.
Zykov is a big forward (already listed at 6’2″ 205 lbs) who plays with a gritty edge and is developping into a potential power forward. He goes to the net very hard and knows what to do when he gets there. He has great hands in tight and can make slick moves, tip in shots, or bury rebounds. A natural goal scorer Zykov also has a strong wrist shot and quick release. Zykov also works extremely hard in the corners, winning board battles, and playing a gritty, physical game. Zykov is very strong on the puck and protects it extremely well in the cycle game. He uses his body to shield off checkers and is strong on the puck and rarely knocked off of it by contact. As mentioned, he became more of a playmaker this year, finding open teammates off the cycle game, and using his ability to control the puck to extend plays, and wait for teammates to get open. He has very good vision and hockey sense.
Zykov’s skating is very unorthodox. His hunched over style means that his top end speed, and his acceleration are not as good as they could be and could use some work going forward. In particular his first few strides need improvement, as he needs to be quicker. He does however have good agility, and great balance and power that allow him to fight through checks and to drive to the front of the net with power. These skating issues will be the biggest area that Zykov must work on before he is able to crack the NHL as he has the other skills to look for in a power forward.
He is also a hard worker in the defensive zone, using his size and ability to win board battles to help out on the back check, and to help his defense contain against the cycle game. He anticipates well creating turnovers as well.
Zykov is likely headed back to Baie-Comeau who should have a solid team again this year. He is likely at least a couple of years out from the NHL but the upside is high if he can fix the skating issues.
#2 Prospect: Nikolay Prokhorkin, Left Wing
Born Sep 17 1993 — Chelybinsk, Russia
Height 6.01 — Weight 195 — Shoots Left
Drafted by the Kings in the 4th round, 121st overall in the 2012 NHL Draft
The 20-year-old winger put up 37 points in 52 games for CSKA Moscow in the KHL this season, showing an ability to produce against men in Europe’s top league. The Russian factor is likely the reason he fell to the fourth round of the 2012 Draft, as he clearly has talent, but there are questions about when he will come to North America. There were rumors that Nikolay Prokhorkin would be terminating his contract with CSKA and coming to LA this summer, but those turned out to be false.
Skill wise, Prokhorkin is also looking like a potential power forward. He has the size and plays a gritty game, getting in hard on the forecheck and battling hard in the corners and in front of the net. He loves to work down low on the cycle game and will take the opportunity to drive the net if it presents itself. Prokhorkin has the balance and strength to fight through checks, and the stickhandling to protect the puck. Combine that with the soft hands to finish in tight and a strong wrist shot and good release, and you have an intriguing prospect. He’s also a pretty good playmaker off the wing, with good vision and passing skills. Like Zykov, he also needs to work on his top end speed and acceleration.
Prokhorkin did try to sign with the Kings after he was drafted, and even played 8 games for their AHL affiliate in Manchester, but his KHL team claimed he had a contract in Russia, and this was found to be the case. He was forced to leave the Monarchs and return to the KHL. While this should indicate his willingness to come to North America, there are also reports out of Russia that he is negotiating a contract extension with CSKA. As such, its a little unclear if he will come to North America next season after his current deal is done.
#3 Prospect: Brayden McNabb, Defence
Born Jan 21 1991 — Davidson, SASK
Height 6.04 — Weight 205 [193 cm/93 kg] – Shoots Left
Drafted by Buffalo Sabres in the 3rd round, 66th overall in the 2009 NHL Draft
Acquired from the Sabres in a March 2014 Trade.
McNabb was acquired by the Kings in a trade deadline move for prospect Hudson Fasching and Nic Deslauriers. The Kings also got a couple of draft picks from Buffalo in the deal. He already has 37 games of NHL experience under his belt in Buffalo, but spent the remainder of last season in Manchester.
While he hasn’t been able to put up many points at the NHL level, McNabb has shown offensive potential at the AHL level. He has good speed and acceleration going forwards and is willing to join the rush. He has very good stickhandling and can make plays off the rush, with good vision and passing skill. He also has hard, and accurate wrist shot with a good release. Add in a bomb of a slap shot and his potential as an offensive defender is his biggest asset.
Defensively his backwards skating does not reach the level of his forwards skating and thus can be beaten wide by speedy forwards. When he gets the opportunity he loves to throw big hits, but this can sometimes get him in trouble as he gets out of position. In terms of his in zone play he willingly blocks shots, and can cut down a lot of passing lanes with a long stick and impressive reach.
For this season, McNabb looks like a depth option for the Kings blueline. With the right development he could become an NHL regular and an important part of the powerplay. Working on his defensive game (especially in transition) will be the biggest key.
Super Sleeper Prospect, Nick Ebert, Defence
Born May 11 1994 — Livingston, NJ
Height 6.01 — Weight 205 — Shoots Right
Drafted by the Kings in the 7th Round, 211th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft
Its been a roller coaster ride for Nick Ebert. After a solid rookie season in the OHL, he was considered of the top defensive prospects for the 2012 draft in the summer before it was held. A disasterous draft year meant he nearly went undrafted as the Kings grabbed him with the very last pick of the 2012 Draft. When things didn’t really improve in 2012-13 most wrote him off as a kid who peaked too early at 16 and didn’t have what it took. However a dominant season in 2013-14, including a trade to the Guelph Storm, where he became the number 2 defenceman on the best team in the OHL, and was one win away from the Memorial Cup, has put Ebert back on the map and gets him mentioned as our Kings super sleeper.
Ebert has all the physical tools to be a top defenceman. He is an excellent skater with very good top end speed and quick acceleration. He makes quick strong pivots and is agile, allowing him to change directions quickly and efficiently. He is able to join the rush and then recover quickly back to his defensive assignment. Ebert is solid on his skates and has good balance allowing him to clear the front of the net and win battles in the corners.
In the offensive zone, he has a great point shot, an absolute bomb of a slapshot. He has learned to be more patient with the puck and to open up shooting lanes by using his lateral mobility to get open at the blue line, and to walk the line when he has the puck. Ebert is also making better decisions with the puck, making much smarter passes when setting up the play at the blue line, or in breaking out of his own zone. He also has good stick handling ability which he often shows off the rush, and can either make a pass to a teammate or finish with a strong wrist shot and good release. He’s learned to use that wrist shot from the point as well and this has also helped him get more pucks through to the net and past the traffic. Varying his game just a little made that slap shot all the more efficient.
Ebert’s defensive play this season has really come a long way. A major criticism the past two years was that he would be inconsistent and unfocused on some nights. This season he has really cut down on those awful games, and this is a lot closer to what many expected to see out of him when he was a potential top 5 pick. There are still some issues such as getting beaten on defensive assignments from time to time, or getting caught running around and chasing the puck too much, and this is why he’ll never fulfill the franchise potential that was seen when he was 16. However in improving his game and consistency he could make the NHL, and could even be a two way top four defender in time, and thats quite the coup from the last pick in the draft. Ebert now uses his size and strength more effectively avoiding the stick check he used to favour and instead taking the body in the defensive zone.
The Kings took a low-risk/high-reward gamble on Ebert and it might just pay off. He’s still got a ways to go, and I want to see him do this at the AHL level, and not just be a player who had a good season in his fourth year of junior before he truly becomes a top prospect again, but he’s on his way. The Kings will likely put Ebert in the AHL this year, where he will need to keep the focus, consistency, and intensity he found this season.
The Kings system is finally starting to feel the effects of graduating all those prospects and having lower end picks in recent years. There are some players still here, but they are considered projects more than blue chippers, and while they could make the NHL are several years away. On defence, Derek Forbort continued to take steps forward in the AHL this season but there isn’t much beyond him that hasn’t already been reviewed above. Up front Michael Mersch, Nick Shore, Nic Dowd, Jordan Weal and Joel Lowry are the top prospects behind the above mentioned group. They are all projects though. The only place the team has a prospect who is close to the big club is in goal, where Martin Jones is still a prospect by our criteria, even though he spent the majority of the year in the NHL. That said, the Kings should be fine in goal with Jonathan Quick for a long time. A really solid draft including Kempe, Mistele, and Watson up front, and McKeown, Middleton on defence has replenished the pipeline; though again these players are a ways away. The biggest need is at centre where only Kempe has high end potential at the position.
Prospect systems are often cyclical, and while the Kings will be further down in our team rankings, the fact is that they have a young team that has already shown the ability to win on the biggest stage there is. The Kings should continue to be a cup contender going forward, even if they may have to wait for the next set of graduates.
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