5. Los Angeles Kings
Strengths: Seven consecutive years of picking top 15, and top five the last three drafts, has enabled the Kings to maintain a good prospect pool despite the graduation of key players each fall. Thomas Hickey highlights a blueline crew that includes Colten Teubert and Vyacheslav Voinov. Prospect goalie depth is not a problem as Jonathan Bernier, Martin Jones and Jeff Zatkoff all appear to have bright futures. Sniper Brayden Schenn is the top newcomer to the list of forwards and he joins CHL imports Andrei Loktionov and Oscar Moller. Toughness, scoring, goaltending — theres not much missing for L.A.
Weaknesses: Perhaps high-end natural wingers could be considered an area that might be getting thin. The Kings might lack top-notch checkers. The Kings have more boom or bust prospects than some teams around them. Top 5 Prospects: 1. Thomas Hickey, D, 2. Jonathan Bernier, G, 3. Brayden Schenn, C, 4. Oscar Moller, RW, 5. Vyacheslav Voinov, D.