Wheeler's prospect pool ranking Vol.6

Rank #2

Welcome again to Scott Wheeler's prospect pool ranking,
We are now at #2, this is a team who won some cups, then were pretty bad for a while and now theyre starting to climb
the ladder with the cupboard full of solid prospects. Lets jump right into it.

Rank # 2   Los Angeles Kings

1. Quinton Byfield, C, 19 (Detroit Red Wings)

Byfield’s career hasn’t played out exactly like anyone had drawn it up. But he was also one of the youngest players in his draft class, the pandemic necessitated time in the AHL, and then he suffered a fluke injury. And there just isn’t a young player in the sport quite like him through it all. So I’m still not that concerned, frankly, about his ceiling as a top-of-the-lineup pivot. He’s too good a skater and too big and strong and talented for his size not to put it all together. I have minor concerns about his processing and some of the bobbles that happen in his game when pace is ramped up, but there aren’t many 6-foot-4, 220-pound players who can skate and make plays like he can. Byfield’s blend of athleticism, speed, power, and finesse is just so rare. Are there kinks to his game that still need unwinding? Sure. He can get lost in no man’s land defensively a little. He has been a work in progress in the faceoff circle. But there are also so many things that distinguish him. His ability to play at full speed offensively, provide defensive and puck retrieval value on the forecheck, and generally push pace on the inside of the ice, is pretty special. He’ll surprise you with his creativity for his size, too. His wrist shot is dangerous from mid-range when he has the time to get it off (though I think he’ll need to continue to improve on balancing his catch-and-release to get the most out of himself as a shooter in traffic when he’s playing off the puck). The payoff is still there, it’s just going to require a little more patience.

2. Brandt Clarke, RHD, 18 (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Clarke has offensive-zone skill that is extremely hard to find among defencemen. He’s just a roving, confident, attacking defender with an uncanny ability to beat opposing players side-to-side, find his way into dangerous areas and then execute NHL-level plays to drive offense. He’s got some oddities, too. His knees knock. He rides on his inside edges. He’s not a natural athlete (though he has worked very hard to build out his frame and strength). But I don’t think any of those things are prohibitive to his development and he’s actually a pretty darn good defender (the biggest misnomer about him tries to say otherwise) against the rush and inside his own zone as is. Different isn’t necessarily a negative and I think that’s the case with Clarke. All of his little quirks make him the weird, fascinating, gifted player that he is. And I expect his intricacies will make him a special player at the next level, just like they have at every level below it. Clarke’s east-west vision was impressive as ever. He does a great job changing sides. He has this way of getting into the spots to make something happen. I liked what I saw defensively, too. I’ve often referred to him as a bit of a unicorn. He looks, at all times, completely unbothered by the stage or the pressure of opposing players. I think there are times when that can result in him trying to do too much. But there are also times it results into little spin or flip passes that are rare. There are things about his game that may scare off the odd coach (which I’d argue has less to do with him than hockey’s misperceptions of what he is) but he can completely take over a game and I admire his gumption. I also expect him to make significant progress as he continues to get stronger and sturdier.

3. Alex Turcotte, C, 20 (Philadelphia Flyers)

Turcotte’s projection has definitely dulled since the draft but he still projects as a contributing, impactful top-nine player. I do think he turned pro a year too early, especially knowing his injury history to that point and what a consistent year at Wisconsin could have done for him as a sophomore (like it did for Cole Caufield and Dylan Holloway). When he plays with pace, confidence, and an attack mentality, he’s a highly-involved player who can make a lot of plays (especially as a passer through layers/under sticks/around feet). He has quick hands in traffic, he understands how to use space as a playmaker, and he plays a driven, engaged style that pulls his linemates into the fight. He needs to work on his catch and release (he spends an extra half-second dusting pucks off, which kills some chances to shoot because he’s thinking about it too much) but he plays a complete, play-driving offensive-zone style with good touch and decent acceleration through his stride from a standstill. He also has a low base to his stride, which helps him extend plays, stay on top of pucks, and attack off the wall to the interior (despite his 5-foot-11 frame, which does come with some limitations). Turcotte’s always in motion and constantly applying pressure. But he doesn’t get lost in that game either, playing a spatially-aware game that sees the ice beautifully.

4. Gabe Vilardi, C, 22 (Winnipeg Jets)

 He’s 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, but he’s more than just the puck-protection centre you’d expect at a glance of his listed height and weight. He’s not a power-forward type, preferring instead to calculate his way around the ice. The things that make him effective aren’t the attention-grabbing kind. He’s not an explosive skater. He’s not a natural scoring threat. He’s not the dynamic, creative, puck-on-a-string type. He’s just a well-rounded offensive player who understands how to use spacing to make plays in a variety of ways. He’s got impressive skill, with a threatening hashmarks shot and good hands one-on-one with goalies or in traffic, but he’s also able to take the puck off the wall and make plays to the interior with his puck control skill out wide to his body. He’s the kind of player who doesn’t have a star quality but impacts a game and produces just the same as players his age who do. I enjoy watching him navigate out there and I think he belongs in the NHL.

5. Helge Grans, RHD, 19 (Vancouver Canucks)

The appeal of Grans has, in the past, been anchored in the legitimacy of his individual tools more than the sum of his parts. This season, though, he has really begun to put the pieces together (both in the AHL, where I’ve been impressed in all of my viewings, and briefly with Team Sweden). He’s a 6-foot-3, right-shot defenceman who is both mobile and talented. He’s comfortable with the puck. He has great hands for his size. He’s a superb passer on outlets and through offensive-zone lanes. And he’s at his best when he’s playing an aggressive style and taking risks to make things happen. There’s still some rawness to his even-strength play and he can look a little stilted on his pivots, but his game has started to take form and despite having played parts of four seasons at two top pro levels, he’s just still just 19. Grans has the potential to be a top-four defenceman with significant two-way value. There’s a balance to be struck with his mistakes and some of that just comes with continued reps.

6. Samuel Fagemo, LW/RW, 21 (Detroit Red Wings)

From a tools perspective, Fagemo has a ton of skills that pop in isolation. His release is ridiculous, deceiving goalies inside the offensive zone. He’s got an incredible feel for the puck when it’s on his stick, which helps him pull dekes through feet and under sticks on attacking lines. He’s a plus-level skater (both quick and strong), though I wouldn’t say that element is quite as impressive as his shot or his hands. But there are also times when it feels like his approach is working against some of those skills. He can play a little too much for himself, placing too much focus on individual creation and the net at the expense of his peripherals. He needs linemates who can get him the puck because he’s not all that physically engaged himself. And I don’t think he’s going to be a line driver at the next level as a result, probably topping out as a complementary middle-six scorer who can score 20-plus goals, carve up coverage every once in a while, and give a power-play unit another threat.