Before the season, Jack Ferreira, Special Assistant to the GM, said to me about Paul LaDue, “I told him, I can’t wait to see how much he’s improved by January. He’s going to be a player.”
One day after the end of January, LaDue is receiving his first call-up to the Kings, in place of the just-waived Tom Gilbert.
The organization is very high on the 24-year-old. They're not the only ones. Two weeks ago, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Avalanche were looking hard:
Undoubtedly, one of the players they are watching is defenceman Paul Ladue, in his first pro season after three years at North Dakota. I’ve had some guys saying the Kings won’t make him available, others disagreeing. But he’d be a Colorado target.
So what is LaDue's game?
He's a mobile, composed puck-mover. You can see some of that composure here -- LaDue is #6:
A particular skill of LaDue's is his ability to get his right-handed shot through. Ontario Reign Head Coach Mike Stothers recently noted to Frozen Royalty:
"He escapes coverage and forecheckers with his feet, he makes good outlet passes, he’s mobile, and he’s getting the puck though [from the point]. He’s changing his release. He’s not just blasting the puck into the shin pads of the opposing players.”
This skill is highlighted by these clips:
I'd say LaDue's offense is definitely ahead of his defense, but he's proven more than capable on the defensive end in Ontario. He's been playing all situations.
Listed at 6'1", 205, LaDue is beefy and has held his own down low. There have been some occasional coverage errors, but that might be expected out of a first-year pro, especially given how much the Reign depend on him.
There are also questions about consistency, but again, LaDue's growth is remarkable considering that he's an AHL rookie.
It's hard to project the kind of impact that LaDue will have on the Kings line-up right now. He's certainly not a sure thing to play a lot. But they have been looking for a second-unit power play defenseman and he can fit that role.
If his puck-moving capability translates immediately and he's able to keep pace defensively, he can become an immediate line-up fixture. LA's bottom-pairing has been a bit of a revolving door this season.
***
VICE Sports commissioned me recently to write about the growth of youth hockey in Southern California. Check it out, Kings alumni Luc Robitaille, Steve Heinze, and Brandon Convery, along with other LA Kings High School Hockey League, Jr. Kings, and USA Hockey staff contributed.
President of Business Operations Robitaille revealed in the article:
Robitaille discloses, "In the next ten years, I'd like to see the USHL come in on the West Coast." He believes this goal is attainable.
Until now, the best Jr. Kings had to leave to continue their hockey education. For example, Ryan and Etem both headed to the CHL, while Bennett went to the University of Denver. The arrival of the USHL—the top junior ice hockey league in the country, consisting of teams in the Midwest US—could potentially complete the loop locally from Jr. Kings to being drafted by an NHL team.
Bringing the USHL out west will be another earth-shaking development for Southern California hockey, similar to the AHL's arrival last year. Imagine seeing a junior-age Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, and Max Pacioretty just miles from Staples Center? Trevor Lewis and Derek Forbort also honed their craft in this league.
When I asked Robitaille about potential local destinations for the USHL, he didn't give any away. Where do you think would be good landing spots?
***
My thoughts are with Bob Miller and Red Kelly. Both fell ill during All-Star weekend in Los Angeles.
While my interactions with both legends have been limited to a handful of recent interviews, they were amazing experiences with Hall of Famers in seemingly every sense of the word, both on and off the ice.
LA's original head coach, Kelly, who couldn't make it out for the Kings' Opening Night festivities, basked in the glow of his NHL100 selection with his wife of alomst 60 years Andra before falling ill. If you're not familiar with his career, here's one mind-blowing stat: He won four Stanley Cups as a center and four as a defenseman. Eat your heart out, Sergei Fedorov.
Broadcasting icon Miller, who had made a strong return to the booth this year after missing the second half of last season with a heart problem, suffered a mild stroke before he was about to work the All-Star Skills competition.
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