Los Angeles Looks Great at Right Wing

The Kings have a fair amount of depth at right wing, a bit more than they do on the left side.  With Captain Dustin Brown, John Zeiler, and prospect Wayne Simmonds, they are not bad.  But of course, like every young team, they could use some help.

Well, that help is on the way.  With three great right wing prospects, the Kings are sitting pretty, and looking good for the next few years.  They have two great offensive players and a player who can play stellar defense for their checking line.

Here they are, the Kings’ right wing prospects:

Oscar Moller- RW, 1/22/1988, Second Round pick (52nd overall) in 2007, Chilliwack (WHL), Los Angeles (NHL)

I had a minor argument in my mind between to decide whether or not I can still consider Oscar Moller a prospect for the Los Angeles Kings.  After a while of talking out loud to myself and deflecting suggestions that I was schizophrenic, I ultimately chose to keep Moller in this list. 

The word prospect is defined as “a potential customer or candidate” (Dictionary.com).  Oscar Moller is most definitely a potential customer or candidate for the Los Angeles Kings.

In his first year on the big team, Moller has put up 13 points in 30 games before being put on injured reserve with a fractured clavicle.  He has since returned to the lineup and has continued to perform.  Moller has great on-ice vision and anticipation, and after being named captain to Team Sweden’s 2007 World Junior team, he showed his leadership and competitiveness.

Moller is a two way player, “a tenacious player with great hands…he’s a legitimate point producer” (The Hockey News 2008 Future Watch).  His plan was to return to Chilliwack for his final year of eligibility, but after impressing the Kings’ management in training camp, he was offered a contract and decided to play in the NHL.

Verdict: Moller has much time to improve, is still very young, and will turn into a second line right winger for the Kings.

Ted Purcell- RW, 9/9/1985, Signed as free agent in 2007, Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL), Manchester Monarchs (AHL)

Purcell was ranked as the 26th best prospect, and 16 of the prospects ahead of him are no longer on that list, 14 due to playing in the NHL, two due to death (Luc Bourdon and Alexei Cherepanov). 

Purcell is ranked as one of the best drafted players not yet in the NHL.  At 6’3" and 195 pounds, Ted is a big player, yet one who can skate extremely well and play the game.  His hands are the best part of his game, as he can pass like any other player.  Although he is known as a playmaker, he can also shoot extremely well, with a quick release and a powerful shot.

Purcell has unbelievable patience and discipline, never forcing anything to happen, but waiting for a play to develop, then capitalizing on it.  He is also a physical player, one who will take the body when he needs to, and steal the puck with his great defensive skills. 

With 83 points in 67 AHL games last season, he showed how talented he is, and he is en route to continuing a point per game pace.  In his two short stints in the NHL, he has not produced like the Kings had hoped, yet he remains one of the top prospects in their organization.

Verdict: Purcell will absolutely be on the roster, and most likely will be fighting with Oscar Moller for a spot on the second line, perhaps even the first.

Wayne Simmonds- RW, 8/26/1988, Second Round pick (61st overall) in 2007, Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL), Los Angeles (NHL)

Simmonds has spent the entire season thus far on the big league team, totaling 12 points in his 52 games played.  He was a great player in the OHL for many years, averaging a point per game.  He has many raw skills that need to be shaped into talent that performs on the ice. 

A great skater, a good shot, ambitious; just a few phrases to describe this young Kings’ player.  At 20 years old, he is one of the youngest players on the Kings’ roster this year.

In addition to offensive skills, Simmonds will also drop the gloves when he needs to defend his teammates, and will take the body when required.  He is a leader both on and off the ice, something the young Kings could use more of.

Verdict: Simmonds will most likely wind up being a third or fourth line winger for the Kings.  Yet he will be a checking line forward who will be on the NHL squad to stay, unlike many other young forwards.

Marc-Andre Cliché- RW, 3/23/1987, Trade with NY Rangers in 2007, Lewiston (QMJHL), Manchester Monarchs (AHL)

Cliché plays much bigger than his 6’0" body would suggest.  He is a solid skater and a two-way player that the Kings desire.  A player who put up more than a point per game in the QMJHL, he has not had the same offensive success in the AHL, yet he has remained a great energy player.

When he was acquired from the Rangers at the 2007 trade deadline, the Kings expected him to develop in the minors before considering bringing him up, and he has done just that.  He will spend the remainder of the season in Manchester, but he hopes to make the Kings’ NHL team next training camp.  Scouts have compared him to a slower Eric Belanger.

Verdict: Cliché has a chance to make the fourth line out of camp next season, but look for him to spend another season or two in the minors.

Vladimir Dravecky- RW, 6/3/1985, Signed as free agent in 2007, Reading Royals (ECHL), Manchester Monarchs (AHL)

Dravecky is a fairly good Slovakian two-way forward who is good in the corners, despite being a bit undersized for an NHL player.  He is very fast, and has great positioning in the defensive zone.

He averaged almost a point per game in the ECHL, yet in the AHL, he has not been as effective on either end of the ice.  He must improve his game a fair amount to move up in the AHL before he can even think about making the jump to NHL.

Verdict: Dravecky will not make the NHL on any team…his size is a factor, and he seems to be having trouble playing against higher competition.

Next up: The Kings’ dominant D!

Alan Bass is a Senior Writer for Bleacher Report and the Community Leader for the NHL and Philadelphia Flyers’ section; a writer for TheHockeyWriters.com, Prohockeynews.com and Insidehockey.com, he is also the co-host of NHL 2Day, a weekly radio show on Youcastr.com.  You can contact him at ALN424@aol.com.

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