WJC - Byfield Thoughts

Schrute farms

LA Kings: new GM wanted -- inquire within
Jul 7, 2020
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Some of these kids skating around fast and making plays in the WJC will get stomped by the Men in the NHL.

Some people making posts here about Byfield and his career will look dumb 3-5+ years from now.
 

goosh

Registered User
Nov 25, 2010
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Holy overreaction batman. We knew the moment LAK drafted Byfield that he was going to be more of a project compared to Stutzle, who's presently a better player. That's not news. This is also Byfield's second game after a 9-month break. Relax.
 

kingsboy11

Maestro
Dec 14, 2011
11,628
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Why make this thread when we literally have a Byfield thread when you scroll down half a page?????

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Prospect Info: - LAK Draft (2nd, 2020) C Quinton Byfield - Sudbury Wolves, OHL
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Also don't take any bait from opposing fans entering our forum
 

funky

Time for the future. More Byfield and Clarke
Mar 9, 2002
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just observations ... thoughts .. i didnt like the pick to begin with .. but was looking forward to watching him in the tournament ... just saying disappointing when your second overall pick cannot get much ice time let along pick up a point in a 12 plus goal game


I still love the pic. Or a couple months from the draft where it was stated by numerous people that this was a pic based on projection as the kid has all the size, speed, skill and tools to be a difference maker in the NHL. He hasn’t played a hockey game since last February and has grown and put on weight in between. I personally expected a little bit more out of him so far but at the same time I am not worried. Still the youngest guy out there. No give it one year, and I see the same exact player out there, I won’t be worried, I would be pissed
 

Mats26

Vet Movement - What's the Maatta?
Sep 16, 2005
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Some of these kids skating around fast and making plays in the WJC will get stomped by the Men in the NHL.

Some people making posts here about Byfield and his career will look dumb 3-5+ years from now.

This. I said when he was drafted I believe it will take 5 years to reach his NHL potential. This was only his 2nd game as an 18 year old. It will be a bumpy ride along the way.
 
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RocketKing

Registered User
Jul 2, 2017
925
812
He’s a legit major talent with tools you just can’t find. In time when he grows and matures I think he will be a player who will be a handful to deal with in the NHL. Size, speed, agility, youth. I wish he was getting 3 goals a game at WJC but honestly I’m not concerned at all.
 
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bland

Registered User
Jul 1, 2004
7,364
10,539
Don't get upset at the criticism, Byfield is a couple of years away from being the player we hope he will be.

Unrealistic expectations are the only issue around here. The Kings were in a unique position to draft a project with insane upside. They can afford to wait. Vilardi is breaking in now, Turcotte should be here next year. Plenty of time for Byfield. Just think how frustrating it would be if all our hopes were pinned on a 2nd overall pick developing right away.

The Kings have a whole bunch of very good prospects who will be making differences in all aspects of the game, except a top unit PP threat from the point which just so happens to be the strength in the next draft. Its just a couple of years away, so stop projecting Byfield in the NHL in two weeks and everything has a damn good chance at being just fine.
 

LAKings88

First round fodder
Dec 4, 2006
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No one is calling him a bust.

Fanboys with kings colored glasses coming to his defense at any concern tho.

I kept hearing how last year was due to his youth and that this would be his year to shine. Worked out with Roberts and is a beast.

He has not earned the trust of his coach or outplayed others. Could just be a really stacked team. Could be political.

His career is not defined by this but I can admit I was hoping for more at this point in time. Not writing him off by any means tho.
 

KingsFan7824

Registered User
Dec 4, 2003
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This isn't a Jens Karlsson project. Mathieu Biron. He's a potential game breaking type guy. You don't pass on him, or second guess the pick. You take that talent, and whatever happens, happens. If everyone taken after him has a better career, that's the way it goes. If you don't take him at the top of the draft, and he ends up being great, then all it's ever going to be is what if.

Everyone had him at the top of the draft, so they didn't even reach for the project. Yeah, if he was scoring, we'd all love the hype. Since he's not scoring, the narrative is more well let's just wait and see. It's all very predictable, but, good or bad, you really do have to wait and see. Maybe he'll be a bust, who knows. This is why it's always best to temper expectations for any prospect. There's rarely a guarantee. We even hounded Doughty in his earlier days because he wasn't perfect. He wasn't perfect in 11-12 either. We've destroyed Kopitar, even in his prime. Not many players are McDavid.

To me, the Kings made the right pick, no matter what happens. He's the talent you take a risk with. If he goes scoreless in this tournament, and doesn't play a second for the Kings this year because he's lazy in practice or whatever, it was still the right call. There's no reason to try to be too clever.
 

LAKings88

First round fodder
Dec 4, 2006
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It’s not so much the points as the toi for me. I want him to have a prominent role and be a factor.

Still time.

Again his career isn’t riding on this crazy ass pandemic year WJC.
 
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Sparky206

Registered User
Nov 13, 2019
519
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everything i saw today just shows his IQ is off the charts. Early on there was a play where the puck went to the corner and he was at the dot, he read the play, sprinted to the halfboard and pinned himself against it just as the defender threw the puck up the boards. There were a few other puck retrievals where he did it with his brain rather than size.

We know he can score and pass, the worry with someone at his level is that hes a meathead who can't think but in his case hes one of the smartest guys out there
 

Rooks

Registered User
Apr 16, 2019
43
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I'm pretty disappointed in his ice time tbh. But he was amazing in the faceoff circle and looked decent out there. I'm really not sure why he's been on the 4th and 3rd line from the start.. I think he's less likely to get a good feel with low ice time after that much time off. So all in all I think it's hard to say he's had a terrible wjc because he's had low opportunity
 

Eagle Fang

Less Defending, More Offending
Oct 12, 2005
3,241
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No one is calling him a bust.

Fanboys with kings colored glasses coming to his defense at any concern tho.

I kept hearing how last year was due to his youth and that this would be his year to shine. Worked out with Roberts and is a beast.

He has not earned the trust of his coach or outplayed others. Could just be a really stacked team. Could be political.

His career is not defined by this but I can admit I was hoping for more at this point in time. Not writing him off by any means tho.

100% truth

I don't think anyone is calling him a bust, but all the excuses in the world don't change the simple fact that he doesn't quite look like a player taken 2nd overall and who some where saying is closer to Laf than Stutzle. He's already gaining a rep for being a non-factor in big stage games. At last years WJCs his poor showing was in part attributed to his age and that this years WJCs would be his equivalent of Laf's WJCs last year in terms of similar stages of development. Well, Canada's #1 center is out and Byfield is on the 3rd line getting limited minutes vs a shorthanded German team. It's pretty interesting that the coach was saying he was the best player in practice the last few days or whatever...

I've watched both streamed scrimmages and both CAN WJC games so far. Byfield skates well and has power to his game. What he's not showing are any puck skills or offensive instincts. He handles the puck like a grenade. Also one of the knocks pre-draft was his hockey IQ which was pretty big source of debate. Having seen him live now, I can understand and see where those criticisms came from. He makes some really weird decisions especially on the cycle.

Again, I don't think anyone is calling him a bust, but seeing him play does raise a bit of an eyebrow.
 

KingPuckChoo

Go kinGs Go !
Jun 24, 2007
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But they're still throwing at the same board.

don't know what that means, but look it would be nice for once if Kings had an easy route
that's all
it would have been nice to have Byfield score a few on the 16... 16 mind you... 16! We're talking about a guy that many tout him as a franchise player... 16!
but i think we all fully understand that one game doesn't define a career, but anyway... it's the long road ahead for the kings, as usual, which is fine...they always take the long road to get where they need to be at
 

King'sPawn

Enjoy the chaos
Jul 1, 2003
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Byfield is being called Andy Andreoff in the other thread, so the "nobody's calling him a bust" narrative is not accurate.

His ice time is disappointing. I was texting Hoven and my criticism isn't so much the quality of hisplay, but more of his style.

A lot of Team Canada was trying to establish space with Germany. Byfield was playing more up close with Germany. He had to work harder to keep the puck away.

That said, prior to Pelletier's goal, I don't think anyone on Byfield's line had a shot on goal. Can't put all that on Byfield. The line itself doesn't have good cohesion.
 
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