Kings prospect Arthur Kaliyev can score lots of goals in the NHL right now
https://theathletic.com/1520313/2020...nhl-right-now/
By Jordan Samuels-Thomas
How Arthur Kaliyev slid to the Kings in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, I will never know. Its easy to say that after his world juniors performance, but hes also in the middle of an OHL season that cant be ignored.
Each of the other 30 teams passed over Kaliyev during last Junes draft. Some did so twice. Time will ultimately tell, but theres a solid case to be made that at least 15 of them made a mistake in passing on Kaliyev. In a tournament in which fellow Team USA sniper Cole Caufield received all the attention going in, Kaliyevs scoring made a lasting impression.
Similar to his world juniors running mate Trevor Zegras, Kaliyev was slotted in a bottom-six role to begin the tournament. He was the 13th man to be exact, meaning he wasnt technically on a line but dressed as the extra skater, which is allowed per international rules. Kaliyev played fewer than nine minutes in the first game and just over 10 minutes in the second game.
Kailiyev made good use of his ice time in those games, with a goal and an assist in under 20 minutes of work. Both Kaliyev and Zegras then received an increase in ice time and opportunity. The preliminary round of this years world juniors will forever be remembered for the Trevor Zegras Experience, and understandably so, but there are no assists without a goal being scored, and scoring goals is what Kaliyev does. He had four goals and six points in five games at the WJC.
A lot of noise was made regarding Kaliyevs power-play goal against Russia. Most of the attention was focused on the bullet seam pass Zegras threaded through the Russian penalty-killers, but this sequence would not have resulted in a goal if Kaliyev didnt have the hands to make this play.
Like Zegras said in an intermission interview during the fourth game, you need great teammates to get assists. Kaliyev was that teammate for Team USA. As good as that pass was from Zegras, it was difficult to convert to a goal based on the velocity of the pass. Zegras sent a fastball to Kaliyev, who skillfully and intentionally dropped his lower hand down the shaft of his stick to increase stability. Kaliyev also dropped to a knee upon receiving the pass, not only to secure strong contact with the puck but to have leverage on his blade, in placing and elevating the puck where he wanted it to go.
The knee-drop on Kaliyevs one-timer was crucial, and is a shooting form that a lot of top players use in similar situations. Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos and Alex DeBrincat are just a few of the NHLs top shooters who drop to a knee when receiving a hard pass for a one-timer. Taking one-timers this way provides a consistent and strong shot on goal, regardless of the difficulty level of the pass being received.
We see the same shooting motion from Kaliyev on his first goal of the tournament. This one-time feed he received from Zegras was far easier to handle than the one just discussed, but its clear Kaliyev didnt take any scoring opportunity for granted. He again bears down and puts the puck in the goal.
For Kings fans, a player with Kaliyevs skill set has to be a welcome sight. General manager Rob Blake recently spoke with The Athletics Lisa Dillman regarding the lack of finishers on the Kings roster, and Kaliyevs picture could be placed next to the definition of finisher in the hockey dictionary. Blake also spoke about a need to greatly improve the teams power play and special teams overall. In that context, Kaliyev could make a difference for the Kings right now.
Kaliyev is too good for junior hockey. Hes notched 31 goals and 31 assists in 33 games for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL this season. This is not hyperbole; its an absolutely huge stat line that should earn him an entry-level contract whenever he decides he wants to see a signing bonus hit his account.
Hes toying with the league.
Again, most of the attention from the world juniors went to the passes Zegras sent Kaliyev, but Kaliyev also returned the favor on one occasion by taking a routine zone exit up the ice for a goal off the rush.
Kaliyev showed strong skating through the neutral zone, not skating straight up the ice but using a series of crossovers each way to create space for himself in transition. After crossing the blue line, he used the defender as a screen as he shot through him and the goalie for an impressive goal from distance.
Similar to how you see NBA players shooting the ball a step early or a step late to catch a defender off guard, Kaliyev didnt pull the puck to shoot after his first stickhandle, like 95 percent of players would do in this situation. Rather, after the first stickhandle over the blue line, he extended his hands even further away from his body for a second stickhandle, which caused an even greater puck-angle change for the goalie to deal with.
Im not sure if the above play is something he normally does, but it was a great play and a great wrinkle to create more space to get a shot off.
In the future, Kaliyev is the most-likely answer in terms of scoring support within L.A.s system. The Kings have steadily stockpiled a group of promising prospects, including Rasmus Kupari, Tobias Bjornfot, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Akil Thomas and Alex Turcotte, but Kaliyevs skill set particularly his goal-scoring could make the most immediate impact for the Kings in their biggest area of need.
I recently dove into the Kings underlying numbers from the first half of the season, which painted a very positive picture because of the shot quality and the amount of offense the Kings consistently have been creating so far this season. Despite having the fewest points in the Western Conference entering Thursday, the Kings are among the leagues best in expected goal shares.
However, games are won with actual goals, not expected goals, and the Kings have performed well below their goal expectations this season. Thats why Kaliyevs continued development is so crucial for the teams future. Theres no doubt that the Kings will attempt to address goal scoring at some point, but a smooth transition of Kaliyevs game to the professional ranks would do more than just help the Kings in scoring.
If Kaliyevs game is able to translate to the NHL level within the next couple years, the Kings would possess a sniper with an entry-level salary-cap hit (Kaliyev is still unsigned). Having a productive ELC on the NHL roster frees up cap space for veteran free-agent additions and pending restricted free agents.
For now, its hard not to have Kaliyev at the top of the Kings prospect list, after his world juniors and his performance in the first half of the OHL season. Even dating back to last season, when Kaliyev registered 51 goals and 51 assists in 63 games, hes proven to be one of the most balanced and lethal NHL prospects in the world.
The Kings have a good one on their hands who could be great in the not-so-distant future.
By Jordan Samuels-Thomas
How Arthur Kaliyev slid to the Kings in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, I will never know. Its easy to say that after his world juniors performance, but hes also in the middle of an OHL season that cant be ignored.
Each of the other 30 teams passed over Kaliyev during last Junes draft. Some did so twice. Time will ultimately tell, but theres a solid case to be made that at least 15 of them made a mistake in passing on Kaliyev. In a tournament in which fellow Team USA sniper Cole Caufield received all the attention going in, Kaliyevs scoring made a lasting impression.
Similar to his world juniors running mate Trevor Zegras, Kaliyev was slotted in a bottom-six role to begin the tournament. He was the 13th man to be exact, meaning he wasnt technically on a line but dressed as the extra skater, which is allowed per international rules. Kaliyev played fewer than nine minutes in the first game and just over 10 minutes in the second game.
Kailiyev made good use of his ice time in those games, with a goal and an assist in under 20 minutes of work. Both Kaliyev and Zegras then received an increase in ice time and opportunity. The preliminary round of this years world juniors will forever be remembered for the Trevor Zegras Experience, and understandably so, but there are no assists without a goal being scored, and scoring goals is what Kaliyev does. He had four goals and six points in five games at the WJC.
A lot of noise was made regarding Kaliyevs power-play goal against Russia. Most of the attention was focused on the bullet seam pass Zegras threaded through the Russian penalty-killers, but this sequence would not have resulted in a goal if Kaliyev didnt have the hands to make this play.
Like Zegras said in an intermission interview during the fourth game, you need great teammates to get assists. Kaliyev was that teammate for Team USA. As good as that pass was from Zegras, it was difficult to convert to a goal based on the velocity of the pass. Zegras sent a fastball to Kaliyev, who skillfully and intentionally dropped his lower hand down the shaft of his stick to increase stability. Kaliyev also dropped to a knee upon receiving the pass, not only to secure strong contact with the puck but to have leverage on his blade, in placing and elevating the puck where he wanted it to go.
The knee-drop on Kaliyevs one-timer was crucial, and is a shooting form that a lot of top players use in similar situations. Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos and Alex DeBrincat are just a few of the NHLs top shooters who drop to a knee when receiving a hard pass for a one-timer. Taking one-timers this way provides a consistent and strong shot on goal, regardless of the difficulty level of the pass being received.
We see the same shooting motion from Kaliyev on his first goal of the tournament. This one-time feed he received from Zegras was far easier to handle than the one just discussed, but its clear Kaliyev didnt take any scoring opportunity for granted. He again bears down and puts the puck in the goal.
For Kings fans, a player with Kaliyevs skill set has to be a welcome sight. General manager Rob Blake recently spoke with The Athletics Lisa Dillman regarding the lack of finishers on the Kings roster, and Kaliyevs picture could be placed next to the definition of finisher in the hockey dictionary. Blake also spoke about a need to greatly improve the teams power play and special teams overall. In that context, Kaliyev could make a difference for the Kings right now.
Kaliyev is too good for junior hockey. Hes notched 31 goals and 31 assists in 33 games for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL this season. This is not hyperbole; its an absolutely huge stat line that should earn him an entry-level contract whenever he decides he wants to see a signing bonus hit his account.
Hes toying with the league.
Again, most of the attention from the world juniors went to the passes Zegras sent Kaliyev, but Kaliyev also returned the favor on one occasion by taking a routine zone exit up the ice for a goal off the rush.
Kaliyev showed strong skating through the neutral zone, not skating straight up the ice but using a series of crossovers each way to create space for himself in transition. After crossing the blue line, he used the defender as a screen as he shot through him and the goalie for an impressive goal from distance.
Similar to how you see NBA players shooting the ball a step early or a step late to catch a defender off guard, Kaliyev didnt pull the puck to shoot after his first stickhandle, like 95 percent of players would do in this situation. Rather, after the first stickhandle over the blue line, he extended his hands even further away from his body for a second stickhandle, which caused an even greater puck-angle change for the goalie to deal with.
Im not sure if the above play is something he normally does, but it was a great play and a great wrinkle to create more space to get a shot off.
In the future, Kaliyev is the most-likely answer in terms of scoring support within L.A.s system. The Kings have steadily stockpiled a group of promising prospects, including Rasmus Kupari, Tobias Bjornfot, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Akil Thomas and Alex Turcotte, but Kaliyevs skill set particularly his goal-scoring could make the most immediate impact for the Kings in their biggest area of need.
I recently dove into the Kings underlying numbers from the first half of the season, which painted a very positive picture because of the shot quality and the amount of offense the Kings consistently have been creating so far this season. Despite having the fewest points in the Western Conference entering Thursday, the Kings are among the leagues best in expected goal shares.
However, games are won with actual goals, not expected goals, and the Kings have performed well below their goal expectations this season. Thats why Kaliyevs continued development is so crucial for the teams future. Theres no doubt that the Kings will attempt to address goal scoring at some point, but a smooth transition of Kaliyevs game to the professional ranks would do more than just help the Kings in scoring.
If Kaliyevs game is able to translate to the NHL level within the next couple years, the Kings would possess a sniper with an entry-level salary-cap hit (Kaliyev is still unsigned). Having a productive ELC on the NHL roster frees up cap space for veteran free-agent additions and pending restricted free agents.
For now, its hard not to have Kaliyev at the top of the Kings prospect list, after his world juniors and his performance in the first half of the OHL season. Even dating back to last season, when Kaliyev registered 51 goals and 51 assists in 63 games, hes proven to be one of the most balanced and lethal NHL prospects in the world.
The Kings have a good one on their hands who could be great in the not-so-distant future.