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Quinton Byfield

Quinton Byfield, Arthur Kaliyev Sent To AHL

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The Los Angeles Kings have released their 22-player opening night roster and it is noticeably missing second-overall pick Quinton Byfield. The World Junior silver medalist has been sent to the AHL along with fellow top prospect (and WJC gold medal winner) Arthur Kaliyev. Notably, both players were not placed on the taxi squad which had just four of six spots filled—Lias Andersson, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Austin Strand, and Matt Villalta.

Byfield—unlike first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere and third-overall Tim Stuetzle who both seem locked into roster spots in New York and Ottawa respectively— will have to wait to make his NHL debut for the time being. The 18-year-old center doesn’t have a junior team to go back to yet as the OHL hasn’t set a start date for their season or even confirmed that they will have one. Byfield spent the last two seasons with the Sudbury Wolves, dominating the competition to the tune of 82 points in 45 games last year.

Still, he is an unfinished product and the Kings have a tough decision on their hands. Do you put him in the NHL right away, stick with him through any potential struggles and start the clock on his entry-level contract? Or put him in the AHL where he can come along more slowly and allow his ELC to slide forward at least one year?

For now at least, he and Kaliyev—who is armed with an elite shot but has other glaring flaws in his game—will have to wait.

Martin Frk, Kurtis MacDermid, Cal Petersen, Alex Turcotte and Sean Walker have all been designated as injured/non-roster to start the season.

Quinton Byfield Will Not Leave WJC For NHL

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Part of the deal when the Chicago Blackhawks loaned Kirby Dach to Canada’s World Junior selection camp was that if the NHL got up and running before the tournament started, he could potentially be called away from the team and back to his pro organization. The same can’t be said about Los Angeles Kings prospect Quinton Byfield, who told reporters today including Scott Wheeler of The Athletic that he will be playing in the junior tournament regardless of when NHL camps open, returning to the Kings afterward.

Byfield looked somewhat overmatched at the tournament last year when he made the club as a 17-year-old but is expected to play a huge role for Canada at this year’s event. The second-overall pick is coming off an incredible season with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL in which he scored 32 goals and 82 points in 45 games. He still received a gold medal as part of Team Canada but recorded just a single assist and no goals in his seven-game tournament.

This year he’ll be back for another medal and it’ll be his play that could determine Canada’s fate. Byfield was on the first line today between Samuel Poulin and Peyton Krebs for camp Team Red, though that doesn’t mean much this early on.

It is interesting to see the different approaches from teams around the league. Alexis Lafreniere for instance, who is still eligible for the event, is not at the selection camp, instead focusing on the start of his NHL career with the New York Rangers. Detroit Red Wings prospect Moritz Seider, who captained the German squad a year ago, was also not released for the tournament. Byfield is expected to push for an NHL spot immediately, but the Kings obviously believe this event is beneficial to his long-term development.

Hockey Canada Announces 2020 World Junior Selection Camp Roster

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12:10pm: A few hours after this roster was published, Team Canada has gotten a big addition. Kirby Dach will also be attending the camp, loaned by the Chicago Blackhawks to the program. As Darren Dreger of TSN tweets, the young forward would return to the Blackhawks if the NHL starts before the tournament. Dach, 19, didn’t play in the tournament a year ago because he was busy suiting up in the NHL, where he scored 23 points in 64 games and was one of Chicago’s best players in the postseason.

10:15am: The World Junior Championship will be played in a bubble this year, using the same Edmonton locations that the NHL did in their return to play. Since junior and professional leagues in North America are not operating at full capacity right now (if at all), the Team Canada selection camp for the tournament will be an unprecedented 28-day event starting on November 16 in Red Deer, Alberta. 46 players have been named to the selection camp roster, vying for spots on the team that will play in late-December.

The roster includes:

G Brett Brochu (2021 draft eligible)
G Dylan Garand (NYR)
G Taylor Gauthier (2021 draft eligible)
G Tristan Lennox (2021 draft eligible)
G Devon Levi (FLA)

D Justin Barron (COL)
D Bowen Byram (COL)
D Lukas Cormier (VGK)
D Jamie Drysdale (ANA)
D Kaiden Guhle (MTL)
D Thomas Harley (DAL)
D Daemon Hunt (MIN)
D Kaedan Korczak (VGK)
D Mason Millman (PHI)
D Ryan O’Rourke (MIN)
D Owen Power (2021 draft eligible)
D Matthew Robertson (NYR)
D Braden Schneider (NYR)
D Donovan Sebrango (DET)
D Jordan Spence (LAK)

F Adam Beckman (MIN)
F Mavrik Bourque (DAL)
F Quinton Byfield (LAK)
F Graeme Clarke (NJD)
F Dylan Cozens (BUF)
F Tyson Foerster (PHI)
F Gage Goncalves (TBL)
F Ridly Greig (OTT)
F Dylan Holloway (EDM)
F Seth Jarvis (CAR)
F Peyton Krebs (VGK)
F Hendrix Lapierre (WSH)
F Connor McMichael (WSH)
F Dawson Mercer (NJD)
F Alex Newhook (COL)
F Jakob Pelletier (CGY)
F Cole Perfetti (WPG)
F Samuel Poulin (PIT)
F Jack Quinn (BUF)
F Jamieson Rees (CAR)
F Cole Schwindt (FLA)
F Xavier Simoneau (2021 draft eligible)
F Ryan Suzuki (CAR)
F Philip Tomasino (NSH)
F Shane Wright (2022 draft eligible)
F Connor Zary (CGY)

Obviously, the biggest omission here would be top draft pick Alexis Lafreniere, but given his previous comments about wanting to focus on the New York Rangers and making the transition to the NHL, it shouldn’t be too surprising. Hockey Canada could add him to the group at any point should NHL training camps be delayed further, but at this point, it appears as though the tournament will not feature the first-overall pick.

On the other side of that coin however is Byfield’s inclusion, giving the Canadians a superstar talent to build their forward group around. Byfield would be one of several returning players to the tournament and could be part of an outstanding offensive attack. One of the biggest stories will be whether that attack includes Shane Wright, the youngest player invited and one of the next great Canadian prospects. The 16-year-old center was granted exceptional status to enter the OHL a year early and ended up winning the CHL Rookie of the Year award by putting up 39 goals and 66 points in 58 games for the Kingston Frontenacs.

Quinton Byfield Signs Entry-Level Contract

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The second pick of the 2020 NHL Draft has his first professional contract. Quinton Byfield has inked his three-year, entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings and will wear No. 55 for the team.

Byfield, a 6’4″ center that has received comparisons to Anze Kopitar and Evgeni Malkin because of his powerful frame paired with top offensive talent, trailed only Alexis Lafreniere in the draft. Having only turned 18 in August he is ten months younger than the first overall pick, but similarly dominated the CHL this season.

In 45 games for the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL, Byfield recorded 32 goals and 82 points. It was his World Junior performance that led to some doubt (if you can even call it that) about his prospect status, as he looked overmatched at times in the U20 tournament. Tim Stuetzle, the German forward with incredible skating ability, ended up pushing him for the second spot but ultimately the Kings went for the true center that could anchor their forward group for the next decade-plus.

By signing, Byfield joins one of the best prospect groups in the NHL. The team finally got Gabe Vilardi—the 11th overall pick in 2017—on the ice last season and he’ll soon be joined by names like Alex Turcotte (5th in 2019), Rasmus Kupari (20th in 2018) and Tobias Bjornfot (22nd in 2019) among many others. Both the high-end ability and depth of the Kings system is outstanding, with Byfield taking his spot right at the top of the prospect chart.

The next question will be whether Byfield steps directly into the NHL, one that is complicated by the status of the CHL this season. The OHL hasn’t yet started their year, while the QMJHL has already had to pause much of their action thanks to COVID-19 concerns. Byfield is not allowed to play in the AHL, though perhaps special circumstances would be made this year if the major junior leagues aren’t able to make a season work. (For that matter, the AHL’s schedule is still uncertain.)

Depending on when NHL training camps begin, Byfield could potentially suit up for Canada again at this year’s World Juniors. The tournament will be held in an Edmonton bubble similar to the one the NHL used to complete their playoffs and could host an incredible group of talented youngsters depending on the status of other leagues. Byfield, a year older and stronger, would be expected to make a much greater impact this time around.

Draft Notes: Perfetti, Sanderson, Rossi

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Several of the top-rated prospects for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, coming up on October 6-7, spoke to the media today and there was no shortage of interesting quotes, courtesy of OHL insider Mark Scheig. Saginaw forward Cole Perfetti was certainly confident and didn’t mince his words when discussing his ideal NHL landing spot. “If I was under a head coach where I had to dump the puck in every time I go out over the red line and get on the forecheck, it would be frustrating and I wouldn’t be able to express how I really am as a player,” Perfetti stated. While many NHL teams have abandoned the dump-and-chase offense, it might not have been the best idea for the young forward to state so emphatically that he could have issues in a system different from the one he is used to. NHL GM’s probably would have preferred to hear him say that he is willing to work at fitting in to any offensive structure and that his ability can adapt to new systems. Although Perfetti’s talent will be the final determinant of his draft slot, he may have rubbed some interested executives the wrong way with his bold statement. We will find out for sure come draft day if the potential top-five pick falls down the draft board.

  • Defenseman Jake Sanderson has flown up draft boards since the start of this season to the point that he is now considered a consensus top-10 or at least top-15 pick. That of course means that the U.S. National Team Development Program product has slipped past the realm of possibility for the Columbus Blue Jackets at No. 21 overall. Jake’s father, Geoff Sanderson, was an inaugural member of the Blue Jackets and played four seasons with the team, during which time Jake was born. Sanderson told the media today that he has indeed met with  Columbus and there is a lot of familiarity still with the organization and the city. To make this pairing a reality, the Blue Jackets would absolutely need to trade up in the first round. However, they will likely wait until the draft has begun to see if such a move is even worth it. Sanderson revealed that he has also met with the New Jersey Devils twice and the cost for Columbus to move ahead of them at No. 7 is likely too high. If he does slip by the Devils, the race could be on for Columbus to move up the draft board.
  • Have the Detroit Red Wings tipped their hand as to their selection at No. 4 overall? With Alexis Lafreniere locked in as the No. 1 pick to the New York Rangers and Quinton Byfield and Tim Stutzle going in some order at No. 2 and No. 3, the first real draft order question comes with Detroit’s pick. However, it seems like the mystery may have already been solved. Amidst existing rumors that the Red Wings had keyed in on OHL forward Marco Rossi as their selection, the Red Wings loaned one of their top prospects, Michael Rasmussen, to the Graz 99ers, the same team that Rossi is currently training with. Then today, Rossi reported that he has talked with the Red Wings not once or twice but three times. And while other prospects have noted that Detroit GM Steve Yzerman has merely been listening in on video calls with his computer screen off, Rossi stated that he has had several “good” chats directly with Yzerman. This is far from an absolute confirmation that the Red Wings will go Rossi at fourth overall, there is certainly enough evidence to make a strong case.

Snapshots: NHLPA Executive Board Approves CBA, DEL, LeBlanc, Stutzle

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The NHL and NHLPA have crossed another hurdle to ratifying their CBA extension, the NHLPA announced. The NHL’s Executive Board has approved of the extended CBA and sent it to the NHLPA membership for a vote. The full body of NHL players still needs to cast their ballots, which is expected to take place sometime over the next 48 hours. Only a simple majority is needed to pass, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. As we await the final vote, let’s check-in elsewhere around the NHL…

  • Former Chicago Blackhawks prospect Drew LeBlanc signed a two-year extension to stay with Augsburger Panther of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, per NHL.com’s Brandon Cain. LeBlanc appeared in two games with the Blackhawks in 2012-2013 and last appeared stateside with the AHL’s Ice Hogs in 2014-2015. He’s carved out a role in Germany over the last five years, scoring exactly 11 goals in the last four. He posted a career-high 49 points last season for Augsburger.
  • Speaking of the DEL, top draft prospect Tim Stutzle put up 34 points (7 goals, 27 assists) for Adler Mannheim last season, a strong enough showing to put him in the running to become the highest-drafted German prospect ever (Leon Draisaitl went number 3 overall to the Oilers in 2014). As a consensus top-5 prospect, Stutzle – who has drawn comparisons to Patrick Kane for his offensive creativity – could go as high as number two to the Los Angeles Kings, who may understand Stutzle’s path better than most, writes The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman.
  • Kings’ assistant coach Marco Sturm took a similar path on his way to the San Jose Sharks in 1997-1998. Sturm ought to be able to help connect the Kings’ to whatever intel they need on Stutzle. Most pundits suggest the Kings’ choice will come down to Stutzle or Quinton Byfield, though Jamie Drysdale could be in the running as well, which Dillman wrote about in-depth here.

 

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