Moller signs
The Kings have signed Oscar Moller to a standard three-year, entry-level contract. Here's the release from the team:
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KINGS SIGN FORWARD OSCAR MOLLER
TO A MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT
KINGS' SECOND-ROUND CHOICE IN THE 2007 NHL ENTRY DRAFT
AGREES TO A THREE-YEAR ENTRY-LEVEL CONTRACT
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms on a three-year entry-level contract with forward Oscar Moller, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced today. Moller was the club's second-round selection (52nd overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.
Moller, 19, recently finished his second season with the Western Hockey League's Chilliwack Bruins, recording 82 points (39-43=82) and 42 penalty minutes in 63 regular season games and three points (1-2=3) and four penalty minutes in four playoff games. His 39 goals were seventh in the WHL, while his 82 points were tied for 10th in the league. He was tied for fourth in the league with 16 power-play goals and tied for fifth with 28 power-play assists. Moller was named a WHL First-Team All-Star, the only European player recognized by the WHL in either All-Star selections or award nominations.
The 5-11, 179-pound native of Stockholm, Sweden also this season played in two playoff games with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, where he had one assist. He was a member of Team Sweden at the 2008 World Junior Championship and he recorded five points (3-2=5) and was a plus-3 in six games, helping Team Sweden to the silver medal.
In 2006-07, Moller netted 69 points for Chilliwack (32-37=69) in 68 games. His 32 goals led Chilliwack and were tied for third among WHL rookies, while his 69 points was fifth among league freshman. In addition, he was named co-winner of the Bruins Rookie of the Year award.
Moller also captained Team Sweden to a bronze medal at the Under-18 World Championship last summer.
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Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar. A native of Los Angeles, Rich has worked at the Daily News since 1999 and also serves as the paper's deputy sports editor. E-mail Rich at rich.hammond@dailynews.com.
Jill Painter joined the Daily News in 2000 and during the last eight years she's covered the Dodgers, Cal State Northridge, UCLA, Kings, golf and everything in between. Even though she's from Colorado, she still freezes in the Staples Center press box but always manages to thaw her fingers in time to make deadline. E-mail Jill at jill.painter@dailynews.com.
WOW, DL is on a signing spree. Or spending spree.
Whichever you prefer.
I hope there's enough room for everyone in the system.
I can't wait to get a look at this kid.
you gotta remember that next year the kings are adding a new minor league team....so im guessing the prospect signings are not done yet.
Just got back from Manchester, where I got to watch the two disappointing home overtime losses, and Oscar Moller made a few terrific plays in a sea of mediocrity. I can't begin to tell you how disappointing most of the Monarchs looked, but Moller and Brady Murray had very respectable games.
Marc Nathan,
Who do you see making the jump next season.
Any D-men catch your attention.
What about the goaltending.
Just because he signed, does not mean that he is leaving his junior team. Technically he could still play juniors next season, it just means his contract won't kick in right away.
This has nothing to do with the Ontario franchise. If Moller is as good as he is suppose to be, he will never play in the ECHL. There will probably be fewer than 5 or 6 'King players' on the Reign and two of those are likely to be goalies. The rest will be filled with ECHL scrubs which is typical.
this might sound a little ignorant, but where is Manchester by the way?
Tell me about this new minor league team Shaun.
I thought the Ontario Reign was taking over the spot for Reading Royals? So are the Kings going to have 2 affiliates in the ECHL?
yes the kings will have 2 ECHL affiliates.
Manchester is in New Hampshire. Also, Moller is "maybe" a year away from NHL. I wouldn't be surprised to see him in Manchester especially if they lose Boyle, Purcell, et al to the Kings next season. Moller is something special. For Burke to mention him is something in itself. Say what you may about Burke (most of it is true) but he knows hockey and talent.
Moller can't play in Manchester next season or in any ECHL affiliate. His age makes him ineligible under the CHL-NHL transfer agreement. He'll play in the WHL again, bc i can't see him making the kings out of training camp at this point.
Scooter, I agree with you on Burke's talents but didn't he have 2 chances to pick Moller before the Kings grabbed him?
obviously there are many intangibles in making selections: need/depth, type of player, etc. I think Moller may have been off the Duck's radar for some reason (e.g. playing in Sweden) because Burke's comments about him seemed almost out of surprise rather than anything else. Kind of like "Whoa! How did we miss this?" Followed by "If he plays for the Kings I won't be a fan of his" - typical comment by Brian "I've got something rather large lodged in my butt" Burke.
Moller cannot play in the AHL/ECHL next year, he is too young. Just like the situation with Bernier earlier this season. Therefore it is either the NHL or Juniors for Moller.
I believe he will be back in juniors after they get a good look at him at prospect camp/training camp.
Yes, I think, "Whoa! How did we miss this?", sums it up best.
To hear DL talk about getting Oscar with the 52nd overall pick in the draft is rather amusing. It is almost as if he picking Hickey, which, "sent the draft boards of the next few organizations into a frenzy trying to re-adjust their boards as players like Karl Alzner, Sam Gagner and Jakub Voracek began to fall into their laps"*, was a calculated gamble.
"'It's (picking Moller) kind of the same as Hickey,' Lombardi said. 'It looks out of whack. We take Hickey and they say it's a reach. Then this other guy looks like a steal. If Hickey is out of whack, then I guess so is this guy."**
I think the ripples caused by picking Hickey also helped them get Dwight King, Josh Kidd and Matt Fillier, all who were picked-up well below their projected slots.
* from Hockeys Future
** From Rich Hammond's June 23rd blog
If Burke has an eye for talent it certainly does
not show when he drafts.
How is Bobby Ryan doing
these days? Just look at
his track record in Van.
bust after bust with the
exception of the overated
Sedin twins. For that matter check out the last
3 DL drafts in San Jose.
2 NHL players in 3 years
Clowe and Douglas Murray
(8th round)-not exactly
inspiring. Burke can build
a team but drafting is not
exactly a strength for him.
He is way overated as a GM.
"I think Moller may have been off the Duck's radar for some reason (e.g. playing in Sweden) because Burke's comments about him seemed almost out of surprise rather than anything else."
Burke is a co-owner of Chilliwack, Moller's team this year and last, so I'm sure he was aware of him going into the draft.