Quinton Byfield Drafted No. 2 Overall by Los Angeles Kings in 2020 NHL Draft

The Los Angeles Kings selected Quinton Byfield with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NHL entry draft.

Alexis Lafreniere is widely viewed as the top player in this year's draft class, with Byfield and Tim Stutzle vying for the title of second-best.

The 17-year-old center had a strong 2018-19 season with the Sudbury Wolves, scoring 29 goals and racking up 32 assists. He was on his way to a massive 2019-20 campaign before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the remainder of the season. He had 32 goals and 50 assists through 45 games.

Byfield also helped Canada claim its second world junior title in January, finishing with one assist in seven games. Lafreniere was the tournament's MVP after collecting 10 points in five appearances.

Byfield's production was somewhat underwhelming but shouldn't obscure his obvious potential. The Athletic's Corey Pronman offered his evaluation of the Canadian teenager in April and found he hits all the necessary player traits:

"Byfield is a player who is easy to get excited about. He checks off all the boxes you want in a top NHL prospect. Excellent skater? Check. Elite skill? Check. Great vision? Check. Can score goals? Check. A physically imposing player who competes? Check. A very impressive statistical track record? Check.

"You are talking about a 6-foot-4 center who projects to be above, if not well above NHL average in terms of speed, skill and playmaking."

In October, The Hockey Writers' Bryan Mills compared Byfield to Eric Lindros, which is high praise given how great Lindros was before concussions derailed his career. The Hall of Famer had size (6'4", 240 lbs) and the speed to match, making him a terror for opposing teams.

When Mills drew the parallel, Byfield was still early into his second year with the Wolves. His performance over the course of the season only strengthened the notion he could be on a path that mimics that of Lindros.

In his final mock draft for B/R, Lyle Richardson projected Byfield to land with the Kings: "With Anze Kopitar having turned 33 on Aug. 24 and Jeff Carter in the twilight of his career, the Kings must find eventual replacements for their top two centers. Byfield has the skills to become the successor."

Kings fans didn't have a lot to get excited about as the team collected the second-fewest points in the Western Conference. Landing Byfield at least makes all of that losing somewhat worth it.