Clearly, the Los Angeles Kings had a gameplan going into the 2016 NHL Draft, as they picked up yet another defenseman with their fourth round pick. And you could do a lot worse than taking a blueliner from the current capital of NHL defense: Sweden. (He also bears a surprising resemblance to Tyler Toffoli.) The 112th pick of the draft: Jacob Moverare.
The Skinny
- Tall, rangy defenseman wth decent size and average skating ability
- Calm, composed player with great hockey sense
- Two-way player who skews more towards the defensive side./
LA takes Jacob Moverare. Was the top defender for the Sweden 1998 group. Big and moves the puck well.
— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) June 25, 2016
Rankings
TSN/Craig Button: 65th
Future Considerations: 72nd
ISS Hockey: 29th
Central Scouting service: 12th (European skaters)
Kings choose @moveraree from HV71 (SWE) with 112th overall choice (4th round). pic.twitter.com/FMBH8ForAV
— LAKingsPR (@LAKingsPR) June 25, 2016
Draft Profiles Around the Network
SBN College Hockey: “Looking back over my game notes, I have very little written about Moverare. That’s not necessarily the worst thing with a defensive defenseman like him though. He doesn’t make very many flashy plays, but he also doesn’t end up with many big minuses either. He’s a steady defender that you can really depend on to give you good consistent defense shift after shift. He’s got great awareness and hockey sense to avoid pressure.”
Stanley Cup of Chowder: “What stands out again, though, is his confidence…this, don’t forget, is someone who can’t legally drink in America for another four years but is considered calm and mature enough to anchor his country’s blueline at the highest level of international play, and more importantly is given the freedom to play the way he wishes. Moverare is not the finished article, by any means, but at 17 he’s already played against some of the best players in Europe at club level, and will only continue his development doing so.”
Video
Jacob Moverare pic.twitter.com/FZJLIxqbqy
— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) June 25, 2016