Los Angeles Kings: Top 3 young players to watch next season
Which young players could make a huge impact on the Los Angeles Kings next season?
The Los Angeles Kings are officially in the rebuilding process. Whenever the 2020-21 season happens, winning won’t define whether or not it will be a successful season. Sure, winning would be nice, but the Kings could easily have a very successful season while still not winning games.
Rather, their success will be measured by the development of their key young players. The Kings have an impressive core of young players, as The Athletic recently ranked their pool of players 22 years old or younger 13th in the league. The main reason they weren’t higher, according to Corey Pronman, is because there’s a lot of projection and not too much NHL certainty among their young players.
Considering they were the ninth-oldest team during the 2019-20 season, that’s a fair assessment. Only two players 22 years or younger played in over 20 games for the Kings (Austin Wagner and Blake Lizotte both played in 65 games).
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It’s been painful the past two seasons, but the 2020-21 season is when some of the Kings young players should be ready to make an impact. Let’s take a look at three young Los Angeles Kings who could turn some heads next season.
3. Calvin Petersen
In a very limited sample size of 19 NHL games over the past two seasons, Calvin Petersen has been quite impressive. You should take any sample size that small with a grain of salt, but Petersen posted a .923% save percentage in those 19 games.
He hasn’t seen much time in the NHL because for a while, the Kings’ crease was simply too crowded. Between Jonathan Quick and Jack Campbell, there wasn’t any room for Petersen on the NHL roster.
At the trade deadline, the Kings traded Campbell to the Toronto Maple Leafs and that should give the team a chance to see what Petersen can do with a more steady and consistent role. The Kings wouldn’t have traded Campbell if they weren’t confident in the soon-to-be 26 years old Petersen.
2. Gabriel Vilardi
Gabriel Vilardi has had a less than straight road to the NHL. Originally drafted by the Kings in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft, Vilardi has since suffered numerous setbacks thanks to injuries. He missed nearly a year due to back issues, but last season, he made his NHL debut.
In a 10 game cup of coffee, Vilardi scored three goals and seven points. He ended the season on a three-game point streak, picking up four points in his last three games. If healthy, Vilardi should see a fairly significant role with the Kings next season.
He averaged 12:51 of playing time last season and I’d be shocked if he doesn’t see at least a minute increase per game. The Kings lack dynamic players and, when healthy, Vilardi has shown he has the potential to be one.
Blake Lizotte (another fun young player to watch) is currently penciled in as the Kings second-line center for next season. But don’t be surprised if Vilardi challenges him for that role very soon. The Kings will likely take things easy with him, but if he stays healthy (knock on wood), it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Viladri contends for the Calder Trophy. His skating needs to improve, but his skill and hockey IQ are good enough to overcome his somewhat pedestrian skating abilities.
1. Arthur Kaliyev
Even if he doesn’t make his NHL debut with the Los Angeles Kings next season, Kings fans should be watching what Arthur Kaliyev does next season. With a full 2020-21 season, Kaliyev likely would have made his debut at some point and maybe even challenged for a roster spot right out of training camp.
But these troubling times are likely going to deny the NHL of a “normal” 2020-21 season. Still, Kaliyev might be able to win himself a roster spot out of training camp. Especially if the Kings can find him somewhere to play professionally while the OHL works to get their season going. This would give Kaliyev a huge advantage and help him prepare for the future.
The Kings’ wing depth isn’t great. Kaliyev has the potential to be a huge difference maker there. His defense is a work in progress, but I think he made some huge strides there last season. Kaliyev was noticeably more effective and efficient in the defensive zone.
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His offense, on the other hand, is his calling card. Kaliyev saw his points per game jump from a shade over 1.5 in his draft season to over 1.7 during the 2019-20 season. I honestly don’t think he has anything else to learn in the OHL. That’s another reason why the Kings should try to find somewhere for him to play professionally. Even if it’s a lower-tier European league, Kaliyev is ready to play professionally.