Building a Team: LA Kings

[Dempsey]

For the second time since the club started a four-year rebuild in 2005, the HFNHL LA Kings returned to the Stanley Cup finals again in 2017. In 2011 they won the HFNHL Stanley Cup. In 2017 they fell short. Yet all of the core remains in-tact, still together after all these years.

Lets take a look at how the Kings were built to get a better understanding of how this contender came together. My hope is that other teams follow suit and post their teams' list.

Forwards

Patrick Kane - Drafted 2nd overall in 2007
Jamie Benn - Drafted 181st overall in 2007
Mark Scheifele - Drafted 10th overall in 2011
Brad Marchand - Drafted 81st overall in 2006
Max Pacioretty - Acquired in eight-player trade with Flyers in 2011
Sean Couturier - Drafted 5th overall in 2011
Ryan Hartman - Drafted 24th overall in 2013
Mattias Janmark - Drafted 86th overall in 2014
Andrew Copp - Drafted 143rd overall in 2013
Chris VandeVelde - Acquired as trade throw-in in 2011
Joe Colborne - Acquired in a cap dump trade in 2016
Drew Miller - Signed as UFA in 2017

Defensemen

Alex Pietrangelo - Drafted 4th overall in 2008
TJ Brodie - Acquired for Brian Rolston in 2011; traded away in Pacioretty deal; re-acquired for Ludvig Bystrom in 2012
Jaccob Slavin - Drafted 115th overall in 2012
Colton Parayko - Drafted 105th overall in 2013
Niklas Hjalmarsson - Drafted 67th overall in 2005
Mark Stuart - Acquired in multi-player trade in 2011

Goaltending

Braden Holtby - Acquired for Dennis Wideman in 2011

Other players have come and gone, but the Kings' core was primarily built years ago through the draft. Each year the salary cap catches up more and more to the Kings. Last year long-time LA King Alex Steen was dealt, along with Datsyuk's retirement. Next year another big name will surely have to go.

So there is the Kings' story of how a team was built. Anyone care to make this a bit of a series and post their team?

Click to read more...

 

[Ohio Jones]

Nice work, Mike - a solid drafting record makes all the difference in building a strong foundation.

 

[Brent Burns Beard]

You have built a great team and I was fortunate to beat you in the finals. The fact you stole Brodie twice probably is probably why you lost though (karma). ;-)

You are stocked at all positions, many teams dont have 1 player of the quality that you have about 10 of. You are a Pre season favourite for certain.

i will submit a similar story when I have time, great idea!

 

[Canuck09]

Pretty crazy that a team this good only has 7 players that didn't come from within. Very impressive draft results. Especially so when considering 7 of those drafted players came outside the top 2 rounds.

I'd be curious to do my own but with a good chunk of my roster being cap filler while waiting on my own group of early picks to pan out it wouldn't have the same impact.

 

[CopperAndBlueGM]

That really is impressive. Kudos on some great drafting mike.