2016 NHL Draft: Los Angeles Kings Select D Kale Clague With 51st Pick
With the 51st pick in the NHL Draft, LA opts for defense over offense. Meet Kale Clague!
After 30 very slooooow picks and 20 very quick picks, the Los Angeles Kings finally got on the clock! True to recent form, they took a defenseman with their first pick, Kale Clague of the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings. LA often prefers bigger defensemen such as last year's second-round pick, Erik Cernak, but they opted for skill over size on this one.
The Skinny
- Excellent skater with good vision and passing ability
- Plays physical style despite being only 6'0", 177 lbs
- Not a powerful shot, but has a good release and gets puck on net/
With Kale Clague, it looks as though LA made up for losing McKeown.
— Chris Jenkins (@anexanhume) June 25, 2016
Rankings
TSN/Bob McKenzie: 30th
Future Considerations: 39th
ISS Hockey: 39th
Central Scouting service: 27th (North American skaters)
ESPN: 22nd
Kings select d-man @KaleClague from @bdnwheatkings with second round choice (51) pic.twitter.com/IhDVPhCXQt
— LAKingsPR (@LAKingsPR) June 25, 2016
Draft Profiles Around the Network
Fear the Fin:"Clague is a good skater and he has a solid passing game. Like many draft eligible players, Clague will need to bulk up before cracking an NHL roster. But at 6’0, he has the size that is needed for defenseman in the league. The offensive side of the game is not Clague’s strong suit."
The Cannon: "Clague's strengths are his skating and vision on the ice from the back end. He is confident as a distributor and playing physically, but his offense, specifically his shot, still needs some work in order to play at the NHL level. He will likely project as a second-pairing defender, though with more improvement he could have first-pair upside."
Habs Eyes on the Prize: "He’s a great skater, with good edgework, acceleration, and speed, and uses them to race the puck out of his end and navigate the top of the offensive zone. He has good vision that allows him to find outlet passes and set up an offensive rush, and also find lanes when the team gets set up in the opposition’s end... He can get into trouble when he's not able to outskate the opposing players, whether that’s attempting a flat-footed pass in the offensive zone, or trying to keep track of his check in defensive-zone coverage."
Video
Kale should fit in nicely in LA. #NHLDraft https://t.co/7XsP1kyW89
— #LAKings (@LAKings) June 25, 2016
@LAKings picks up an awesome pick in @SCSUHUSKIES_MH F Mikey Eyssimont! Has great finish ability, hands & really fun to watch. #NCHCHockey
— DJ Powers (@DJPowersHF) June 25, 2016
Comments ()