Having a first round pick is always fun because you get to watch a player of the future get welcomed to your favorite organization. We’ve been watching it happen with the LA Kings for the last few years as they’ve been lucky enough to pick high up in the NHL draft because of the treacherous rebuild.
As the LA Kings had finally made it into the playoffs this past season for the first time since before the rebuild commenced, it was clear that the Kings were no longer interested in trading for picks and continuing the strategy of building for the future through picks and prospects.
With the Kings looking to fill the void of a first line scorer, they executed on their choice to move away picks rather than using the draft. On Wednesday, the Kings traded away their first round pick in 2022 (19th overall), and RD prospect, Brock Faber to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for goal-scorer Kevin Fiala.
To gain, you must give. That’s exactly what the LA Kings did as they filled out that missing piece to their roster, but lost their best pick in the process. It seemed to favor both teams as the Minnesota Wild got compensation for a player who was unlikely to stay, and the Kings brought in a player who went just a smidge over PPG.
As fun as it would be to watch the Kings make a first round selection on July 7th, it’s nice to know that the Kings became much better with that trade. And for the most part, their exceedingly deep prospect pool remained untouched. Was Faber even going to sign his ELC with the Kings? Not that it matters anymore, but that was a big question before the trade. Now, we don’t need to worry about such a thing.
With the Kings moving on from the 19th overall pick, it leaves them with five total picks in this year’s draft. The Kings do not own a first and a seventh round pick, but they do own picks from rounds 2 to round 6.
Now that 51st overall is the highest pick that the Kings own this year, let’s go over a few options that they have for that spot. Today, we’ll take a deeper look at three possible prospects that the LA Kings could draft at pick number 51.
Paul Ludwinski
Team: Kingston Frontenacs, OHL
Position: C
NHL Central Scouting rank (NA): 49
Stats: 67 GP, 16 G, 27 A, 43 PTS
When you look at top NHL draft prospects, a name pops up that doesn’t feel like the rest. That’s Paul Ludwinski. Playing the majority of the season on a line without Shane Wright, Ludwinski has been given the chance to prove himself without having any help from players like Shane Wright.
Ludwinski has moved up the rankings quite a lot recently, and that’s because of his rapid improvement. You see, Ludwinski started the 2021-22 OHL season off slowly, struggling to put up points. At some points, he was even moved down to the fourth line because he wasn’t playing well enough.
While it were his first OHL games of his career (he didn’t play in 2020-21 because COVID-19 had shut things down), he still struggled and it wasn’t a pretty sight. While he wasn’t producing and he wasn’t doing the best of his abilities, the one thing that stood out was his skating.
Constantly using his legs, Ludwinski’s best aspect has been his skating and edge work. Through thick and thin, Ludwinski always did move his feet and it had always helped him in the big picture. Because of his speed and agility, it’s given him that extra boost of making him look like a flashy player. Not that Ludwinski isn’t a flashy player, he is, it’s just that fast skaters tend to stand out the most.
He’s got an accurate shot that looks like a laser, and thanks to his exceptional speed and game sense, it’s made him appear like someone that can be anywhere at any time. While in plain sight he may look like a first round player, he does have a few issues that do need addressing.
Ludwinski struggles defensively quite a lot. He does have his takeaways and his positioning does look well, he has issues with engagement in general. He’s always in the right position and he knows where to be to intercept passes, but a lot of the time he does have that feeling of laziness in him.
He’s quick and he loves to move his feet, but whenever he’s forced to backcheck, he puts in 50 percent effort. It’s almost like he doesn’t want to play whenever he’s forced to play defense. He does occasionally have his bright spots on the back end, like this play for example:
Ludwinski struggles with retrievals the most on the back end, and he also has his slip ups when he has to make quick decisions in both the neutral zone and the defensive zone. He’s mastered the game of offense and he’s figured out the best plays known to kids his age, but you’ll catch him panicking and throwing the puck away a lot under pressure in the defensive and neutral zone. Because of it, he’s let up a lot of giveaways and even a few mistakes leading to goals.
Even though it is a bit of a smaller issue, Ludwinski has had his due diligence of bad pass receptions and lost pucks in transition. He likes to stick handle despite him not having any grip on the puck. That goes for when he gets passes and stick handles.
He gets over excited when he’s got the puck and he occasionally tries to do too much. It almost feels like his stick is made out of jello because he deplores with keeping the puck on his stick so often. It’s a small working area that can (and likely will be fixed), but if he can’t figure it out, it’ll be a worrisome aspect to his game, especially in transition.
As for his good side, Ludwisnki has amazing footspeed. He’s used it to his advantage countlessly. Because of his quickness, he loves to join the rush. And fairly, that’s what you want to see from a centerman. Being able to join up the ice quickly and generate offensive chances for your team is a big part of being a centerman.
An example of his rushes would be the one above. Ludwinski catches the pack, then moves up the ice. He looks around, pre-plans his play, and makes a nice pass. As his teammate moves up the wall trying to convey a set-up, Ludwinski continues to move his feet all the way to the net and pots in a goal off of a rebound. That shows how active Ludwinski is in the offensive zone. You’ll be able to catch him everywhere and it’ll make him appear like the best player on the ice.
Another thing that was shown in the clip that demonstrates what type of player Ludwinski is, is how he isn’t afraid to get to the dirty areas of the net. Ludwinski loves to crash the net and pot in a greasy goal. No matter if he’s against a bigger and scarier player, he will try to get to the net and generate momentum there. Defensemen and goaltenders hate him because of that. He loves to get in opponents’ faces, and you’ll see it a lot once he comes into the NHL.
As for Ludwinski’s shot, it’s a goodie. It isn’t the hardest shot and he definitely doesn’t have a lot of deception when he shoots, but he does have the power of accuracy and speed on his side. His quickness with feet almost feels like it translates into his shot. Watch below how quickly and how aggressively he shoots the puck:
Having his head up all the way, Ludwinski fires this puck top corner with so much speed that the goalie has no time to react. He does get to the net a little bit and there goes that struggle of deception.
But even though his shot is predictable, it’s difficult for goaltenders to make saves. Because of that quickness and that accuracy, he knows how to pull off the best shots at the right times. A huge plus for teams looking for goal scoring.
One last thing that does have a bit of an impact with Ludwinski is his leadership. It’s clear that his teammates love him and that he knows how to get his guys fired up. Even on the bench, you can tell that his attitude is always well and that he wants to push himself along with his peers to become better.
A natural born leader, you could make the case that Ludwinski is more than comfortable to push the limits for his team. That’s captain material.
Julian Lutz
Team: EHC München, DEL
Position: F
NHL Central Scouting rank (EU): 30
Stats:14 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 PTS
Julian Lutz missed a huge chunk of the 2021-22 DEL season due to injury. Because of that injury, Lutz only played from February and on. A lot of scouts are sour on Lutz because he didn’t play a lot, but that shouldn’t make him any less deserving of a top pick.
Could Lutz fall further than he should like Peyton Krebs did in 2019 because of the injury? It’s a possibility, but it doesn’t feel like a given. Even if he does, he may not be available at 51. There’s always a chance he will be, and that’s why he’s on this list.
Lutz’s best aspects are his quick thinking in high-pressure situations and his elite passing. It’s almost like whenever he has the puck, he’s able to fling it right over to his teammate’s stick without it being intercepted. It’s so exciting watching him make long-range passes in the toughest situations and still connecting the pass. Him being 18 years old and doing this against men in the DEL has only made it more impressive.
Another huge aspect to Lutz’s game is his speed and how much he loves to move around. He’s a quick skater and a huge thanks to that is his explosiveness with his crossovers. He adores to rush through all the zones and swoosh right by defenders with his speed.
You’ll never see him start off slow. He loves to explode into his skating using a jumping technique that allows him to not only jumpstart his feet, but also send him into a constant crossover pace.
A lot of players skate using crossovers, but the difference between Lutz and other players is that he never slows down to stride. Once he starts, he doesn’t stop.
The clip above shows it off perfectly. He picks it up and immediately explodes into his crossover movement. Endlessly moving his legs in the crossover motion, not once does he slow down to make a pass or transform into a basic stride in the transition.
From one end to the other, he’ll keep moving his legs and gradually getting more and more speed. It’s really impressive to see him move at such a high speed past all of these defenders.
Here’s another example of Lutz using that crossover skating to get away from any pressure from the defenders. He gets lucky as he pots in a goal from an awkward spot.
Puck control is an issue for Julian at points, and his speed does play into that. It’s almost like his hands aren’t caught up with his legs’ speed and that causes Lutz to want to make creative and sharp dekes and movements, but a lot of the time he’ll fumble the puck over because of it. His stick handling and puck protection does need a bit of work as it is one of his working areas.
Another plus for Lutz is his positioning. While there is a bit of a small issue with defensive (and a bit of offensive) awareness (which we will get into in a bit), Lutz always knows where to be on the ice. If it’s in the offensive zone, he’ll look to find open space or drive to the net depending on where the puck is.
He’ll also look to battle it out on the boards even if the size matchup isn’t fair. In the neutral zone, he’ll be able to carry the puck up wherever depending on where he’s playing, and if he isn’t carrying it in, he’ll tag along and spread himself out to make extra room.
In the defensive zone, he’ll always be waiting to get the puck so he can get a zone exit. He’s always got his head up and he’s always awaiting the pass. Like in the clip below, Lutz is always wanting to get the puck on his stick and he always looks for areas to get the puck to him.
Lutz gets the puck on the half wall in the defensive zone, and as he does he makes a quick move around the attacker who attempts to hit him. Picking it up, he spots his teammate moving up so he makes a nice touch pass to his teammate.
As he gets the pass back, Lutz enters the zone. That’s just one of the many examples of Lutz loving to join the rush and breaking it out of his zone. Julian has that constant want of rushes. You can tell he isn’t big on playing in the defensive zone.
Although Lutz does sound like the whole package, he has a massive issue. He struggles with awareness a lot. Sometimes it’s because he isn’t looking and/or he has his head down, and a lot of the time he just simply struggles to read the play from the other team. Whereas his teammates understand the opponent almost immediately, Lutz has trouble understanding how to play against some of his opponents.
Lutz also doesn’t look around enough in the defensive zone. He’s always got his eyes on the puck rather than who he’s supposed to be checking, and a lot of the time it’ll be costly as he gets beaten out without even noticing.
It’s a fixable blip because NHL defensive coaches teach awareness greatly, but if he continues to struggle with looking around and reading plays in all three zones, it will negatively stunt his growth.
Julian Lutz is a really lively player to watch and it’s so entertaining to see him rush through zones while making tape-to-tape passes without choking up the puck, but if he doesn’t learn how to be safer and more aware of his surroundings in all areas of the ice, it could be the make-or-break point with him. Lutz may seem like a safe pick, but just like many prospects, he does have a huge red flag that makes things uncertain.
Adam Sykora
Team: HK Nitra, Slovakia
Position: W
NHL Central Scouting rank (EU): 42
Stats: 46 GP, 10 G, 7 A, 17 PTS
Depending on who you ask, Adam Sykora is considered the best defensive-minded forward in the 2022 NHL entry draft. High praise for a player that can very well fall to the third round. For me, I would argue that Owen Beck of the OHL does have a slight edge over Sykora in the two-way category, but Sykora is the close second. If he does fall to 51st overall, the LA Kings must take him.
A cool fact about Adam Sykora, is that he was drafted first overall in the CHL European import draft only a number of days ago.
Sykora is a player that coaches love. He’s never afraid to get down and dirty. He can fight, he can hit, he knows how to find the back of the net, and he plays with that nitty-gritty type of edge that opponents find so annoying.
Standing at only 5-foot-11 and 174 pounds, you wouldn’t be able to tell that he’s extra chippy and he gets people’s blood boiling whenever he needs to. He truly reminds me of Matthew Tkachuk minus the size and a bit faster. Now I don’t project him to become the next Matthew Tkachuk, but as Kings fans, we know how tough it is to play against him. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a Matthew Tkachuk of our own?
For a better comparison, he has Matthew Tkachuk’s attitude, the footspeed and movement of Carl Hagelin, and the energy and tenaciousness of Blake Lizotte.
You can call Adam Sykora Mr. energy. Why? Because whenever he’s out on the ice, he’ll do whatever to get his team pumped up while doing his best to store goals and generate plays. For example, in the clip below he shows a bit of Blake Lizotte and Matthew Tkachuk in him. (It’s a bit hard to tell, but he is number 10).
Sykora comes in close to the net looking for a pass, and once there’s a giveaway, Sykora goes to do what he does best: annoy people. He charges for the hit, and once his opponent is down, he keeps him down and likely says something to the other guy because the other guy went to cross-check Sykora.
With Sykora, it’s funny. You can tell that he’s out there doing what he loves most. He’s there to have fun and simply annoy everyone to oblivion. Not only is he able to score goals and play action-packed hockey, but he knows how to get under everyone’s skin while doing so.
That tenaciousness transitions into his play, too. He loves to block shots and he loves to attack the net. It’s almost like he likes the pain and he loves the extra pressure. He’s not afraid of going into corners and he’ll never back down if he’s hit.
He plays like a Golden Retriever, but has the attitude of a Chihuahua. I’ve seen opponents get so angry at him because not only is Adam in their heads, but he’s also outplaying them on the ice.
Just like Lutz and Ludwinski, Sykora is a fast-paced skater who loves to join the rush.
In the clip above, Sykora explodes past the blue line to slow down a little as he goes towards the net. Like mentioned earlier, he’s not afraid of matching up and tying up against bigger and stronger players. If Sykora wants to score, he will score. That’s exactly what he did as he tipped in a shot from his teammate.
Above is another example of Sykora stealing the puck away in a battle and then scoring a breakaway goal while drawing a penalty. The defender can’t catch up with Sykora’s speed, and Adam scores.
Just like Lutz, Sykora is your basic European hockey player. He’s a ticking time bomb ready to explode if disturbed, but before that, he’s just as much fun to watch. It’s like Sykora has a motor in his head that doesn’t have an “off” switch. Even if he’s losing by 5, he’ll always give 100% when he’s on the ice by constantly moving his feet and never quitting his job at being the agitator.
He’s the type of player that you can ask him to do literally anything, then he would go out the next shift and do exactly that. He doesn’t even have a play style because he’s so versatile. He’s capable of doing almost everything, and that makes it certain that he will be in the NHL one day.
He could become a top six player, or he could become a fourth line player. That’s still up in the air, but the promise is that he will be a full time roster player in the NHL. He could even make that push in his post DY+1 season.
As good as Sykora is with his intangibles, he does need to work on his shooting. He knows how to score chippy goals and he has had his fair share of wrist shot goals, but his shots look like butterflies. Sykora needs to be able to shoot harder and quicker. His shots were definitely lacking accuracy and aim, so that is another aspect of his shooting that needs fixture.
Speaking of accuracy, he’s got a hard pass but it is extremely inconsistent. A lot of the time the pass won’t connect and it could cause an icing or a turnover. Those two issues will be holding him back for at least another two-ish years, but if he does eventually fix those issues, it’ll be the pushing point to make him a top six player in the NHL.
Even though the LA Kings no longer have a first round pick in the 2022 NHL entry draft, they do still have their second round pick and they have Kevin Fiala. Yes, you likely won’t hit as big in the second round as you would in the first, but the second round is still full of terrific players.
Every year there is first round talent that falls to the second round, and if the Kings are lucky enough to find someone at 51 that is even remotely close to the first round, they’ll come away as winners.
These are just three realistic possibilities for the LA Kings to pick in the second round, but there are so many other skillful players that the Kings may want to pick up on draft day.
(Featured Image Credit: Terry Wilson/OHL Images)
(Videos courtesy of InStat)