Los Angeles Kings: Quinton Byfield is the man to draft with No. 2 pick
The Los Angeles Kings got lucky by getting the second overall pick, as now they can draft Quinton Byfield.
The 2020 NHL draft lottery went precisely how everyone expected it to go. A team that made the play-in round will have the first overall pick, which is what the league was asking for when they gave those teams a chance to get the first pick. What went overlooked was the Los Angeles Kings getting the second overall pick.
Alexis Lafreniere is the clear number one pick. However, Quinton Byfield isn’t too far behind him and the Kings will have the opportunity to add him to an already outstanding prospect pool. Adding Byfield might give them the best pool of prospects in the NHL.
Byfield is coming off a very impressive season with 82 points in 45 games. He’d be the number one pick in most drafts. In Byfield’s draft year, he had a historically great season, as he put up the most points per game of any 17-year-old forward born since 2000. Yes, that’s oddly specific, but even if you look at every 17-year-old OHL forward, he ranks 19th all-time. Even as a 16-year-old, Byfield flirted with a point per game (61 points in 64 games).
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The first thing about Byfield that stands out is his size. He’s exactly what you want a franchise center to look like. Byfield is tall (6’4″) and strong (214 pounds). Not only is he big, but he also knows how to use his size to his advantage. Byfield is tough along the boards and tough to play off the puck. He’s really good at protecting the puck.
Byfield’s also an incredible skater considering how big he is. Byfield is one of the fastest skaters in the draft and he gets to his top speed very quickly. His edgework is borderline poetic. Byfield is a strong skater, which allows him to skate through checks and win a lot of battles to the puck.
On offense, his shot really stands out to me. Byfield has a very powerful release and he’s pretty accurate too. His vision and hockey IQ are top-notch. Byfield understands how to create passing and shooting lanes. He’s more of a shoot-first player, but his playmaking is impressive as well.
Byfield’s defense is probably what kept him from being the top pick, along with Lafreniere having one of the best resumes you’ll ever see from an 18-year-old hockey player. His defense is still a work in progress, but I’m very encouraged by what I’ve seen over the past 12 months. Byfield has grown a lot and has shown he has the potential to be a 200-foot player. Even if he never develops into one, what he does on offense will significantly outweigh what he does on defense.
I don’t use this comparison lightly, but when I see Byfield play, I see a lot of Evgeni Malkin. He’s got the same skillset and playing style, and he has a physical side to his game that makes him so hard to stop. Malkin is more skilled than Byfield, but when you watch Byfield, it’s hard not to notice how similar his style is to Malkin.
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Byfield should be ready to make an immediate impact in the NHL. He’s proven everything he can prove in the OHL. Byfield’s dominated his competition for two straight seasons despite having a late birthday in August. The Kings’ future was already bright before the draft lottery. Now it’s looking even better.