I think we’ll be targeting a lot of bigger bodied prospects that play a solid two-way game. Colangelo fits this mold. Luke Tuch could be another target.
Holloway could very well be the pick at 17 and if he is, I hope we see some serious improvement from him on his puckhandling and shot selection. I think his skating can improve too, but it’s not a problem area. It’s good but not great. I’ve been pretty harsh on Holloway, but it’s not hard to see what people like in him. He’s got good size, plays a good two-way game, and he can skate while also being able to play all 3 forward spots. He wouldn’t be my choice at 17, but I wouldn’t be horribly upset if we took him there. He doesn’t have the highest ceiling, but he’s fairly safe and should make the NHL within a year or two. I think if Wisconsin plays this year, his sophomore season will be very telling on what type of prospect he is. I see a Tanner Pearson-like prospect at the moment but he’s still got time to improve his weaknesses.
The goal long term is a team like the Kings teams that won 2 Cups. Big and strong, tough to play against, and can play multiple styles.
I don’t see us taking a lot of guys under 5’11. Might mean no Marat/Bordeleau. Right now, I’d say Mercer would probably be very high on our draft board with Holloway likely being the back-up plan. I don’t think we target all-offense types like Perrault, either. Jarvis might not be a target either due to his size and tendency to cherry pick a bit. I’m interested to see what out draft looks like but I fully expect at least 3-4 guys 6’0 and over.