Los Angeles has had some great luck over the years with highly-ranked forwards falling to them near the end of the lottery.
In 2005, Anze Kopitar landed at 11. In 2003, Dustin Brown went 13th.
But Kopitar and Brown's drops pale in comparison to Gabriel Vilardi's last night. Vilardi was a consensus top-five selection, a possible number-three, who surprised everybody, including the Kings themselves, with his availability.
So what happened?
Speaking to an NHL scout, he was shocked. He cited skating, bad luck, and other teams zeroing in on "their guy." He was sure to emphasize, "His skating isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be."
Is it safe to say that nobody expected Vilardi at #11? I wrote 13 Draft prospect profiles, none of which included the Windsor Spitfires star. Even Jon Rosen was at a loss:
So with that said, let's get to know the 6'3" forward. I say forward, because some people think Vilardi will convert to wing. I asked him, and not surprisingly, he said he was happy to play anywhere.
A scout told
The Hockey News:
"There may be some concern about his skating, but he's too smart not to get over that."
Another scout told them:
"His stick is lethal, and the skating will come. The way he scores goals in traffic reminds me of Corey Perry."
(
The Hockey News excerpt from May 29, 2017 Draft Preview issue,
available now.)
Brock Otten from OHL Prospects rated him as the OHL's best Draft prospect -- easily:
He's the prototypical center for today's NHL game which lives in the Corsi age and thrives on possession time. Vilardi might be the best player in the entire OHL below the hash marks. He has an unreal ability to extend possession in the offensive end by controlling the wall and tiring out opposing defenses. This not only draws countless penalties, but it opens up the ice for his linemates. And Vilardi's second best attribute would be his hockey sense and vision, so he consistently finds those open teammates from the wall or behind the net. In a lot of ways, Vilardi's ability to slow down the play and control the wall reminds me of Joe Thornton in his prime.
In addition to having great puck control, Vilardi is also a solid two-way player who has the potential to develop into an elite two-way forward.
He's not an awful skater, just not an above average one. I'd compare him to Sean Monahan as a skater when he was drafted and that certainly hasn't limited his effectiveness in the NHL. Vilardi is too smart and too skilled to not be an impact player at the NHL level IMO and I think he deserves to be the 3rd player off the board behind Patrick and Hischier come June. Heck, if he has a dominating performance in the Memorial Cup, can he even enter the conversation with those two? (OHL Prospects)
Personally, I see some Alexander Frolov in Vilardi's game.
That said, his skating seems to have really scared off some suitors, according to some scouts that HockeyProspect.com spoke to:
"He's a mid to late first for me at best...skating is a big issue."
"If teams see Vilardi as a center he'll go somewhere 5 through 10. If they seem him as a winger he will probably slide just outside the top 10."
(HockeyProspect.com's 2017 NHL Draft Black Book
is out now!)
***
I e-mailed Otten after the Draft to get his thoughts about why Vilardi dropped:
I think the obvious reason that he fell is the skating. He's kind of an awkward skater with a wide stride and he lacks explosiveness. I know a lot of people think that there is a ceiling for how much it can actually improve. But I think that the skating concerns have been overblown. You can't find consistent success in the OHL's Western Conference, especially in the playoffs, without playing at a high tempo. Against London and against Erie, he was one of the best players on the ice and the tempo of those games was pretty similar to pro hockey. He thinks the game so well and he's so strong on the puck, that he's able to bide time for himself.
I think the other reason he might have fell is a lack of belief that he can stick at center at the next level. While he's a natural center from his minor midget days, he's played wing for the Spitfires. And there's some belief out there that his skill set and skating stride makes him a better fit fr the wing at the next level too. Again though, I think he can play down the middle.
Thanks, Brock!
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