Russell Morgan 
Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina/South Bend Tribune-USA TODAY NETWORK
It’s that time of year again.
LA Kings hockey is back. And the LA faithful are excited to see what this year’s team can do. Much of this newfound optimism for Kings’ fans stems from the addition of established veterans and the assertion of prospects showing a lot of promise.
Since my mid-season prospect rankings were released, LA’s pipeline saw significant improvements in its development.
After finishing their first year of professional hockey, top young guns Quinton Byfield, Arthur Kaliyev, and Alex Turcotte, to name a few, have begun their sophomore season much more eventful.
With COVID now somewhat under control, events that could not occur last summer, like Development Camp and the Rookie Faceoff, took place—giving General Manager Rob Blake and Co. a view of their flock of blue-chips. And a glimpse of some newcomers from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Some players took advantage of the opportunity to display their growth and show LA management they’re ready to take the next step. And that progress is shown in my 2021 preseason rankings.
Featured guests
Corey Pronman The Athletic
Corey does fantastic work for The Athletic. And one of the best in the business. His recent NHL Pipeline’s Rankings piece was excellent. If you haven’t had a chance, check it out!
Chris Peters Hockey Sense with Chris Peters
Draft/Prospect Analyst and friend of the Hockey Royalty podcast helps with great analysis on some of the players on this list. If you need a site dedicated to great coverage on all things prospects, the NHL, Olympics, international hockey, and more, check out his Substack. Hockey Sense with Chris Peters.
Tony Ferrari The Hockey News
Of course, I had to reach out to everyone’s favorite Bald Draft Analyst for some insight. Tony has been on the Hockey Royalty Podcast multiple times now. He is always in the know for everything with the Kings’ prospects and the entry draft. And you can catch him contributing to The Hockey News.
Rankings criteria
The model for the rankings project will follow the mid-season criteria. Only players with less than ten games played in the NHL are eligible.