Russell Morgan 
1. Brandt Clarke – 19 y/o – F – 2021 Round 1 #8 overall
Previous ranking: 4
It shouldn’t come as much surprise to see Brandt Clarke in the number-one spot in this year’s rankings. He’s not only the best player in LA’s pipeline, but he’s also one of the best defensive prospects in the NHL. The Kings have not had a player like Clarke in their system in a long time.
Clarke has an uncanny ability to anticipate the play in front of him and attack at the right time to put his team in position for a scoring opportunity. But if there’s one thing I love about Brandt’s play, it’s the charismatic and star personality he brings to the ice. We saw that trait come to the forefront during the Rookie Faceoff this past September in San Jose when he scored a walk-off shootout winner for the LA Kings.
Brandt Clarke scores the shootout winner for LA and says goodnight.#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/dbCE2AddkB
— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) September 17, 2022
Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
“Clarke is a special talent who possesses the unique ability to both see plays that others don’t see and then execute them. He’s a highly gifted puck transporter and distributor who makes opposing pressure miss with subtle fakes and a unique knack for sliding laterally. “
JFresh Hockey’s Prospect Card
It’s been a roller coaster Summer/Early Fall for the Kings’ eighth overall pick in the 2021 NHL draft. After a stellar year with the Barrie Colts in the OHL, where he finished with 59 points (11g, 48a) in 56 games as the team’s captain, he made his way to Los Angeles for Development Camp with one goal in mind–to prove to management he was ready for the NHL.
That goal hit a speed bump only a month later when we found out he would be left off Team Canada’s WJC team for the postponed tournament in August. The omission caught a lot of fans by surprise as he was one of the stars during the summer evaluation camp for Canada. But that didn’t stop Clarke from continuing on his mission to play NHL hockey. He showed up to the Rookie Faceoff in San Jose and was the best player on the ice in every game he played. Highlight reel passes and solid defensive play were only a preamble for what was to come.
His stellar play from the Rookie exhibition carried over into training camp for the Kings. He never looked out of place or was nervous about playing the type of game that has made him successful at all levels. LA management had no choice but to fulfill his dream and give him a spot on the NHL roster. Now, a few games into his NHL career, Clarke will have to continue to show Rob Blake and Todd McLellan that he should be here to stay past the nine games allotted to him before the first year of his entry-level contract kicks in.