Russell Morgan 
First off, what an outstanding venue to hold the NHL Draft. I went into the weekend with high expectations and the Sphere lived up to them. It’s surprising to see the National Hockey League, who for the most part can’t get out of their own way, pull off something this remarkable. With the draft now decentralized moving forward why not continue to hold it there?
As for the LA Kings, it was a busy weekend for general manager Rob Blake and Director of Scouting Mark Yannetti. Going into the draft the plan was clear. Try and move back in the first round to accumulate more picks.
And they did just that on Friday morning moving back five spots from 21 to 26 in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens netting a second (57th overall) and a seventh (198th overall) in return. Yannetti was confident two players from the tier he predicted at 21 would be there at 26.
“It was really the first time Rob (Blake) was open to moving in the first round. And I understand that. There are 28 teams in the NHL whose philosophy is don’t move. So we had to get it right. We told Rob this is what’s going to happen. This is what’s going to happen at 21. This is who is going to be here at 21. This is what’s going to happen between 21 and 26. And this is who is going to be available at 25.”
Round 1 (26th overall): Liam Greentree
Birthplace: Oshawa, ON, CAN
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 214 lbs
Liam Greentree completes the hat trick ???
Each goal is finer than the last ?@SpitsHockey | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/LNakQ7P0au
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) January 28, 2024
Greentree is a highly skilled left wing. At 6’2”, he’s got excellent hands and a powerful shot. He reads the play in front of him extremely well finding teammates often to set up scoring chances. And he doesn’t just like driving to the net, he yearns for it.
In 64 games with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL, Greentree managed 36 goals and 54 assists finishing 12th among all skaters with 90 points. Even though it was a tough year for Windsor, the 18-year-old captain did everything he could to will his team to victory.
It’s hard not to like Greentree when you watch his tape. He’s a highlight reel dangler with size and a ton of upside. Some doubt his skating but I don’t see it as an issue with the amount of skill he has. I’m already envisioning him and Byfield tearing it up on a line together. Yannetti knocked it out of the park with this one.
Round 2 (57th overall): Carter George
Birthplace: Thunder Bay, ON, CAN
Position: Goalie
Catches: Left
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 194 lbs
CARTER GEORGE! ? #U18MensWorlds | @AttackOHL pic.twitter.com/fBVwrlJo9F
— Canadian Hockey League (@CHLHockey) May 5, 2024
George was the number two ranked North American goalie for NHL Central Scouting. And the highest-drafted goaltender by the LA Kings since Christopher Gibson in 2011 (49th overall).
Playing for Owen Sound of the OHL, he was 23-21-9 with a 3.30 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, and four shutouts in 56 games. He faced a league-high 1,923 shots (34 SA/GP) during the 2023-24 season. But his play on the international stage this past year is what started the hype train.
George won the gold medal in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup for Canada last August when he had a 2.25 GAA, .889 save percentage, and one shutout in five games. He followed that up with another gold medal at the 2024 IIHF Under-18 World Championship voted as the tournament’s best goalie going 6-0-0 with a 2.33 GAA, .915 save percentage, and two shutouts in six games.
It’s always tough to predict the trajectory of goaltenders but George looks like the real deal. Blake and Yannetti have done a great job reconstructing the Kings goalie pipeline. Things looked quite bleak just over a year ago. But now with Erik Portillo, Hampton Slukynsky, and Carter George, there’s hope.
Round 6 (164th overall): Jared Woolley
Birthplace: Port Hope, ON, CAN
Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 207 lbs
Woolley is a violent big defensive defenseman with sneaky offense to his game. He was a key piece for the London Knights playing tough minutes helping them to an OHL championship and a run to the Memorial Cup final.
Yannetti is a big fan of Knights’ head coach Dale Hunter‘s work in London and how they’ve helped develop Kings’ prospect Kaleb Lawrence. Now they have another player in that same mold.
When we got a chance to speak with Woolley at the draft, there was a sense of calm in his voice, analyzing each question asked and giving a thoughtful answer in return. Who knows whether he can translate that intellect into an NHL talent.
Round 7 (198th overall): James Reeder
Birthplace: Port Hope, ON, CAN
Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 207
Make way for James Reeder!
Team USA ? 5-2 over Canada East.#WJAC pic.twitter.com/k85FMHBMIi
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) December 16, 2023
Reeder is a right winger with speed and playmaking ability. He’s a puck-hound who can strip opponents utilizing a strong two-way game.
In 63 games for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL, the 5’10” wing put up 20 goals and 40 assists. He served as an alternate captain helping Dubuque to the Clark Cup final until they ran into Hampton Slukynsky’s Fargo Force losing 3-1 in the best-of-five series.
We’ll get the chance to see Reeder a lot this summer as he’s been invited to join USA’s World Junior Summer Showcase in July and August with fellow LA Kings’ prospects Matthew Mania and Hampton Slukynsky.
Tanner Jeannot is a King
As Day 2 of the draft got underway, the draft floor was buzzing as a flurry of moves took place. LA joined the action acquiring forward Tanner Jeannot from the Tampa Bay Lightning for a second-round pick in 2025 and pick 118 in this weekend’s draft. I love this move.
It’s fair to say Jeannot’s stint in Tampa Bay didn’t go as planned. After being acquired from Nashville for a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th round pick and Cal Foote in February of 2023, the 6’2″ forward managed just 18 points in 75 games with the Lightning finding himself healthy scratched on occasions.
A far departure from his best season in 2020-21 where he scored 24 goals for the Predators. And he might never reach those numbers again. But the Kings were in desperate need of some legitimate physicality in the bottom six of their lineup. And with Jeannot, they get just that.
Since 2021, Jeannot is fourth in the NHL in hits with 819. Sure, you can question the relatively high cap hit of $2.665M and the second-round cost for the type of player Jeannot is, but he’s only signed for one more year. And there’s still value to be found all over the roster.
Alex Turcotte, Akil Thomas, and Alex Laferriere three players all expected to be in the lineup are on contracts that total less than Jeannot’s cap for next season. So if you have to pay extra for some protection for those young players I have no problem with that. From what I’ve heard, he’s an excellent teammate and locker-room guy to have around.
LUKE SCHENN VS TANNER JEANNOT ? pic.twitter.com/n2wlD940Wy
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 21, 2023
I see the argument from some asking why not just re-sign Carl Grundstrom, but I view them as completely different players. Tonka throws hits. Jeannot throws fists. And Grundstrom has never sniffed 20 goals in a season. If Jeannot is Jim Hiller‘s “immeasurable” piece in the LA Kings lineup to replace Englund with a more capable defenseman then it’s a big-time win.