When the Los Angeles Kings drafted Arthur Kaliyev with the thirty-third overall pick at the 2019 NHL Draft, NHL experts and Kings fans alike thought this pick was a steal, given that many presumed he would be taken in the first round. Many Kings fans were originally disappointed when they selected Tobias Björnfot over Kaliyev with the twenty-second overall pick that same year. However, time has proven that Rob Blake and the scouting staff carefully selected their picks, as the Kings were still able to claim Kaliyev.

As he was entering the NHL draft there was a strong consensus amongst scouts: he was an offensive machine who completely lacked defensive abilities. On most scouts’ lists, he was placed at the end of the first round as he had significant potential, but there was also a risk of him being a bust due to his lack of defense. He was a pure goal scorer at the junior level. In his first season with the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, Kaliyev posted and impressive 48 points (31+17=48) en route to an OHL championship.

In his second season, also his draft season, Kaliyev defied expectations with his offensive production: he had 102 points (51+51=102). With these numbers he became only the thirteenth player to score 50 goals at age 17. The last person before him to complete this feat was Steven Stamkos, so it is needless to say that he is joining good company.

While these offensive stats are virtually impeccable, there is a reason that he slipped to the second round. His skating was not impressive and he simply could not play defense. The OHL is a more offensively focused league but, although he posted extremely impressive offensive stats, Kaliyev had a plus/minus of -13 in his draft year.

That brings us to the 2019 NHL draft. Although there was a consensus amongst scouts and NHL experts regarding his strengths and weaknesses, there was absolutely no consensus on when in the draft he would be picked. Some thought he would go in the middle of he first round, whilst others believed he would be chosen at the end of the first round or the beginning of the second round. The latter was true as the Los Angeles selected him with the thirty-third overall pick in the second round. This was an exciting pick: he has the ability to become a pure goal scorer at the NHL level.

It has now been approximately one year since Kaliyev was first drafted. He had another stellar season with the Hamilton Bulldogs, scoring 98 points (44+54=98) in the shortened season. The increase of assists demonstrates that he can also play a passing position, instead of being a pure goal scorer. His plus/minus also improved significantly: he was at a -7. This is not great, but it is a significant improvement from his prior season, especially when considering how offensively minded the OHL is. Kaliyev was awarded the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the top-scoring right winger in the OHL this year. He has also been named a finalist for the Red Tilson Trophy which is awarded to the OHL’s most outstanding player.

Some highlights of this season include Kaliyev’s four-goal game and him setting the Bulldog’s all-time record of goals (126) and points (248). He also represented the United States at the IIHF World Juniors tournament scoring 6 points (4+2=6) in 5 games. He had a plus/minus of 4, which is extremely uplifting news to Kings fans. The World Juniors tournament is a better replication the style of NHL play than major juniors as it is only the best of the best. There is hope that his defensive abilities will be sufficient at the NHL level.

Last week, the Los Angeles Kings signed Kaliyev to a three-year, entry-level contract, making him eligible to play with the team next season. However, Kaliyev is still extremely young as he is only 18. He can still play another full season with Hamilton without causing them to use one of their three “overage” players (those who are 20 or older). In addition, it would allow the Kings to not waste a year of his contract with him still developing and probably only playing part time in the NHL as he would not be eligible to play in the AHL. He is promising enough where he will probably be able to jump straight to the NHL, especially with a young Kings team, upon completing another season in the OHL.

Personally, I believe that he has already demonstrated growth defensively, although possibly not enough to be ready to play in the NHL. I think his lack of defense at the time of his draft can be attributed to his age: he was only 17 when he was drafted. There was and is still a lot room for him to grow and acquire a better defensive game and he has already demonstrated improvement. It is entirely possible that he receives a 10 game try-out at the NHL level next season in order to see how he fares before completing one more year in the OHL to fully prepare for an NHL role in the 2021-2022 season.

He has the opportunity to be a pure goal-scorer at the NHL level and this is something that the Kings have completely lacked in the past decade. Although his defense may pose a problem, I do not believe that it will stifle him to the point where he cannot be an effective NHL player, even potentially a star, if he reaches his ceiling. He will likely play significant time on the power play, utilizing his amazing shot, and in 5-on-5 situations where the team is looking for a go-ahead or an insurance goal at the beginning of his career and this position will hopefully evolve over time into him becoming a core player.

Kaliyev is one of the prospects that I am the most excited about. I look forward to seeing what his offensive ability can do in order to help a team that has been historically starved for goals.