In a first round stocked with centers, the Los Angeles Kings selected center Gabriel Vilardi of the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires with the No. 11 overall pick. It’s a good bit of fortune for the Kings, as Vilardi was widely considered a top-10 player in the draft class.
NHL draft 2017: Los Angeles Kings select center Gabriel Vilardi with No. 11 pick
Vilardi’s stock rose throughout the Memorial Cup.
Photo by Dennis Pajot/Getty Images
The 6’3, 200-pound forward just capped off a terrific run with Windsor to the Memorial Cup, where he played at a point-per-game pace. He immediately joins Adrian Kempe and Kale Clague among the top prospects in the Kings’ system.
TSN’s Bob McKenzie rated him No. 5 among all prospects, and ESPN’s Corey Pronman rated him No. 3. Los Angeles has to be thrilled he fell to No. 11.
No center in the draft plays as well as Vilardi below the faceoff dots, making him a possession monster for both himself and his teammates. He scored 29 goals and 61 points in the regular season and six points in seven playoff games.
Vilardi is one of the younger players in the draft, but also closer to NHL-ready than most due to his size and his ability to use that size to his advantage. He instantly makes the Kings’ center depth better and should be an offensive catalyst for them in a year or two.
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