42nd Overall - Francesco Pinelli

[LastWordArmy]

With the 2020-21 OHL season never getting started, NHL Draft prospect Francesco Pinelli went to play his draft year in Slovenia. He joined HDD Jesenice and put up five goals and six assists for 11 points in 13 regular-season games. Pinelli also added a goal in two playoff games as Jesenice won the Slovenian League title. The Hamilton, Ontario native also joined Team Canada for the IIHF Under-18 World Championships. Pinelli put up four goals and seven assists for 11 points in seven tournament games. He also helped Canada bring home the gold medal.

2021 NHL Draft #24: Francesco Pinelli Scouting Report

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[DAkings20]

 

[berlin]

Kids got skill, steal of a pick.

 

[King'sPawn]

LA Kings Select Francesco Pinelli No. 42 – What You Need to Know

 

[DAkings20]

Kid was a first round grade for all major outlets, nice pickup

 

[HughJazz3dg]

I love the way you guys draft. Good pick up.

 

[kilowatt]

Oh shit! This is actually a great snag for LA! 23 on MacKenzie's list, 22 on Smaht Scouting.

NHL Comparison:
A combination of Johnny Gaudreau, Left Wing, Calgary Flames and Joe Pavelski, Center, San Jose Sharks.

Scouting Report: Francesco Pinelli - Smaht Scouting

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Man you guys always get the best faller in the 2nd round it seems, looks like kings are on their way to another fantastic draft

y’all need to stop

granted I absolutely think our pick is a steal

 

[Guitpik]

Some had projected to go in the first round. Played on wing in WC. Has a 200' game, but not a physical player.

 

[funky]

Great move. Kid can score. 1st round talent. Our cupboard is overflowing. Great draft so far.

 

[KopitarFAN]

The Kings may have benefited from their not being an OHL season with this one, as he may have taken a huge step forward in the 20-21 season solidifying himself as a mid-1st.

 

[DAkings20]

Byfield
Vilardi
Turcotte
Kupari
Pinelli

 

[AzKing]

He was one of the top kids on the board last night at the latter half of the first round. Really astute move there to grab him.

 

[Bandit]

Did Kopitar’s dad scout him? Reading his profile on the prospects board, seems like he’s a steal at 42. Once again, the Kings move up to get who they want, but petulant children will continue to claim that Blake is asleep at the wheel.

At the wheel? No. On the surfboard? Maybe.

 

[AzKing]

Scott Wheeler from the Athletic is a guy that I respect and his comments were "I love the pick at 42 for you, one of my BPA's at that slot."

McKeen's had him going at #20 in their mock: Mock Entry Draft: 1.0

 

[cyclones22]

That's the advantage of having accumulated multiple picks. Now there are only so many contracts available because of the overflowing prospect pipeline. Now you can cash in on those extra picks and trade up to get who you really want. Quality over quantity time.

 

[Reaper45]

Only issue is he’s soft. Like the rest of this team.

 

[LAKings88]

Francesco, that’s fun to say.

 

[King'sPawn]

 

[Schrute farms]

Love, love , love this pick. Well done scouts and FO.

Now with our next pick, I really hope we select some big, mean, nasty, prick of a guy (on-the-ice only of course) who has some skill.

 

[Peter James Bond III]

In his OHL draft year, he registered 114 points in 71 games (as well as 14 in seven at the year-end OHL Cup to play himself onto the tournament all-star team), good for third in the GTHL behind Wright and Othmann, the eventual first and second picks in the 2019 OHL draft.
Throughout that year, the Kitchener Rangers took a keen interest in him, ranking him among their top five or six skaters in the draft from the first tournament of his minor midget season right through to the OHL Cup.
“We just really liked his blend of hockey sense, his compete, and his skill level,” said Rangers general manager and head coach Mike McKenzie. “He’s a dual threat. He can score, he’s got a really good shot, but he can also make plays and set guys up. He was the catalyst of that team offensively. He was always the guy.”
They eventually picked him 13th, even though his Red Wings head coach Angelo Catenaro says there were “at least seven teams that would have taken him before that” after his people and his agency, Octagon, made their desire to be in Kitchener (closer to home) clear.
“There were teams that were ready to take him in the top five,” Catenaro said.
In his rookie season in Kitchener, Pinelli earned a top role out of training camp and was quickly slotted onto the Rangers’ first line (he played the majority of his first year, on a talented Kitchener team which won 40 of 63 games, in the Rangers’ top six). When the year was done, he’d produced once more at the top of his age group, with 41 points in 59 games, third among under-17 players behind only 2022 prospect Wright (60 points) and 2021 prospect Mason McTavish (42 points).

 

[AzKing]

Only issue is he’s soft. Like the rest of this team.

Skill players who don't go and punch people in the face on every shift are soft? Fielding a team of Troy Crowders and Matt Johnsons isn't a roadmap to success.

 

[AzKing]

Love, love , love this pick. Well done scouts and FO.

Now with our next pick, I really hope we select some big, mean, nasty, prick of a guy (on-the-ice only of course) who has some skill.

Should be able to find that around the next pick. Just need a guy who can skate, won't embarrass himself on the ice and is mean.

 

[Reaper45]

Soft? Oh ok. We get it, skill players who don't go and punch people in the face on every shift are soft.

I didn’t say anything about punching people. He doesn’t engage physically. That doesn’t have anything to do with fighting. Are you his mom or something?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Only issue is he’s soft. Like the rest of this team.

How many of these kids being drafted today are labeled as tough? Toughness will have to come from elsewhere. They don’t need to reach to draft the next Matt Johnson.