Los Angeles Kings: Top 10 prospects entering 2018
The Los Angeles Kings are not the team they were five years ago. After years of missing the playoffs and a sweep at the hands of an expansion team, the Kings need to rebuild. Here are the prospects who can help start that project.
The Los Angeles Kings are a team in need of a rebuild around their current core. Instead, they’ve been retooling, which has led to missing the playoffs and getting swept. Still, they’ve collected a good number of prospects for their efforts, and those prospects could come in handy over the next few seasons.
These prospects are ranked based on three categories: NHL readiness, the likelihood they play with the Kings, and, chief amongst these, ceiling. Prospects who have a combination of these or are higher than the others in one of them will rank higher. To qualify, each of these players must not have played 25 games in the NHL. That means that younger players like Alex Iafallo and Adrian Kempe are off the list.
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Let’s start with the goaltenders.
1. Cal Petersen [23] (5-129, 2013)
Stats (Ontario Reign, AHL): 41 gp, 2.58 GAA, .910 SV%, 4 SO (4 pgp, 2.38 GAA, .915 SV%).
Cal Petersen isn’t the greatest goaltender in the AHL. He’s not the best goaltending prospect in the National Hockey League. Yet, Petersen the best long-term prospect the Los Angeles Kings currently have and should be better in the future. Who knows, he could turn into one of the best goaltending prospects in the league. After all, goaltenders are voodoo and things change quickly.
Petersen was tied for 25th in save percentage in the AHL (amongst qualified goaltenders) but was fifth amongst rookies. He was 19th in goals-against average, but fourth amongst rookies. He was tied for first in shutouts for rookies and seventh for all qualified. Then in the playoffs, he was second in save percentage amongst rookies and second in goals-against average. That does give an indication that Petersen can be something, and something special.
He had four shutouts in the regular season as well, and that shows that Petersen can at times be dominant
He had four shutouts in the regular season as well, and that shows that Petersen can at times be dominant. At 23, there’s time for him to develop that dominance and to begin to excel as a prospect.
With Jonathan Quick still at an age where he can play a ton, Petersen isn’t in a rush. If he can continue to take steps forward, he’ll become that top-tier prospect, and perhaps eventually the Los Angeles Kings’ workhorse.
2. Matt Villalta [19] (3-72, 2017)
Stats (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, OHL): 49 gp, 2.58 GAA, .908 SV%, 3 SO (24 pgp, 3.30 GAA, .893 SV%, 1 SO).
Matt Villalta was 11th in save percentage, third in goals against average, and tied for third in shutouts in the regular season in the OHL. At 19, those numbers could be better. Luckily, he has another season with the Greyhounds to prove that he can be better. He won’t be moved to the NHL quite yet, and he won’t be able to move to the AHL. Still, as a developing goaltender, another season in the OHL could be perfect.
if he can take steps forward as a goaltender in the next few seasons, he could put himself in position to be a piece of the Los Angeles Kings’ future
In the playoffs, Villalta was tied for first in playoff shutouts, tied for 13th in goals against average, and was 13th in save percentage. Villalta helped the Greyhounds get to the OHL finals, but lost to the Hamilton Bulldogs.
He was on the Third All-Star Team in the regular season, though again, he could be much better. He had the lowest team GAA (the Dave Pinkney Trophy) in the regular season, though that could be a product of the defense in front of him (which included Conor Timmins and Rasmus Sandin).
He’s of NHL size (6’3″) and if he can take steps forward as a goaltender in the next few seasons, he could put himself in position to be a piece of the Los Angeles Kings’ future. His ceiling is hard to determine (as it is with most young goaltenders), and he’ll need to make an AHL transition to see if he’ll play with the Kings.