After selecting Liam Greentree 26th overall on Friday, the Los Angeles Kings made three more selections on draft day two, in the second, sixth and seventh rounds.
#57 Carter George:
The first pick of day two was Owen Sound Attack and Team Canada goalie Carter George. Most public scouts had George as one of their top goalie prospects and his selection reflected that, being the third goalie taken.
Firstly, goalie scouting is a completely different animal compared to players. Knowing what to look for in players and what to look for in goalies is not the same.
I won't claim to know too much about the technical side of goaltending, so I'm pulling from different sources to piece this pick together more than I usually would.
This video from HockeyProspect.com does a great job breaking down George's game.
George's size is the first thing that stands out. At 6-foot-1 he's what most people would consider undersized for an NHL goalie.
That size hasn't held him back at youth levels though, as he was one of the OHL's best goalies last season and was a star for Canada at the U18 worlds.
However, it's something to keep an eye on. Most goalies around George's size have success, like Jusse Saros, Jonathan Quick, Dustin Wolf, Devon Levi, etc. All have one thing in common, elite athleticism.
George lacks that though which is a slight concern. He has a good hockey IQ and that clutch gene that's tough to quantify though.
The standout quote from the above video is this.
"The mental foundation screams starter. What we think though, is the physical foundation screams backup. Is there an in-between there? That's what we've done, we've recognized the starting potential mentally, we think people have really overexaggerated the athletic components."
A lot of good and some not-so-good there with George. If the Kings are believers in the athletic tools, and they're right, this pick will be a homerun.
If not, the Kings could still get a backup goalie and in today's NHL, having a reliable backup is huge.
Pick Grade: B
#164 Jared Woolley:
In the sixth round, the Kings bet on the raw tools of left-shot defenseman Jared Woolley of the London Knights.
At 6-foot-5, 207 pounds, the physical tools stand out right away with Wooley. He's a physical defenseman who can clear net front areas and punish attackers along the boards.
He can be a little difficult to evaluate from his time in London. On a stacked team he was given a limited role and didn't get to show off much puck play.
However, when playing in the GOJHL he showed off some good first pass ability and a willingness to jump up in the play.
The GOJHL isn't great competition for evaluating NHL talent, but it's clear he has more offensive instinct than he showed in the OHL.
If he gets a bigger role in London next season his stats should improve and it will be easier to read what his ceiling is.
As a sixth-round pick, a realistic ceiling is probably a hard to play against 3rd pair defenseman though and if the offense pops he can maybe be a second-pair guy.
Like a lot of players his size, his skating needs a lot of work. He lacks first-step quickness and explosiveness which could become a problem at higher levels.
In the sixth round, I like betting on the size and tools of a player like Woolley.
Pick Grade: B+
#198 James Reeder:
There aren't many scouting reports on the Kings' seventh-round pick James Reeder and I haven't had a chance to watch much of him so I won't pretend to have a bio on him.
What I will say is, I'm not confident in a 5-foot-10 seventh-round pick.
I know a lot of people don't like judging a player off their size, however, falling into the seventh round leads me to believe he lacks a standout trait.
If he had something like high-end skating or stickhandling, someone would have taken a chance on him sooner.
No one did and that isn't a great sign. Add in being just 5-foot-10 and his chances of making the NHL are very slim.
You won't find many, if any players his size in the league without a standout trait.
You're generally taking a flyer on someone in the seventh round and I trust the Kings' scouting staff more than myself, but I just don't see that profile of player making it.
Pick Grade: C-