Russell Morgan 
5. Martin Chromiak – 20 y/o – F – 2020 Round 5 #128 overall
Previous ranking: 7
Much like Kasper Simontaival comes another one of my favorite mid-round draft picks for the LA Kings in Martin Chromiak. Talk about electric. There are not many players in the Kings pipeline I get excited about watching more than Chromiak.
With an elite-level shot, good pace, and skill with the puck, Chromiak has the ability to take over a game offensively. He sees the ice exceptionally well and can find open areas to put himself in a prime shooting opportunity. That talent set makes me wonder how he fell to the fifth round in the 2020 draft.
Tony Ferrari The Hockey News
“Showcasing the fact that he is done with junior hockey, Chromiak tore up the OHL last season with 44 goals and 86 points. He won’t be an offensive catalyst at the next level, but he plays a very important role, the ultimate complimentary player. It takes a lot of skill and patience to ride shotgun with highly talented play drivers, but Chromiak has proven able to do so. He may play middle six minutes at the NHL level eventually, being in the right place at the right time for his star teammates and finishing the opportunities he gets.”
JFresh Hockey’s Prospect Card
In his final junior season with the Kingston Fronteacs in the OHL, the Slovakian native finished with 86 points (44g, 42a) in 60 games, good enough for 12th overall in points in the league. However, the summer would be arduous for Chromiak, as he would succumb to an unknown illness that would force him off the ice for over a month and cause him to miss the postponed WJC in August, playing for Team Slovakia.
Fortunately, the fifth-rounder was able to regain his health and his strength to join the LA Kings in San Jose for the Rookie Faceoff and picked up right where he left off, scoring two goals in his first game.
4-4 Martin Chromiak#LAKings #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/4NOUNVbcuQ
— Eric (@kingsgifs2) September 18, 2022
I’m looking forward to seeing Chromiak play his first year of professional hockey with the Ontario Reign in the AHL this season. His shot will provide head coach Marco Sturm with another weapon on the power play.