Inside the war room
The Kings gave me the unique opportunity today to sit in for a while as Dean Lombardi and his staff continued the process of evaluating prospects for next month's entry draft.
It's a fascinating process, the scope of which is hugely complicated but yet somehow seems very orderly and organized. As part of the agreement to let me sit in, I agreed to not reveal certain details, such as specifics about how players are evaluated and which players are being discussed. That certainly made sense to me, as I can understand why the Kings wouldn't want to reveal their tactics and thought process to other teams.
But in general, I'll do my best to give you a picture of how it went...
By the time I arrived, the group had already been at work for a few hours in the morning, seated around a table in a big conference room, evaluating prospects. During the time I sat in, they were discussing players who are considered later-round prospects. In particular, they were discussing two junior-level forwards. One player was discussed, his merits and weaknesses listed and debated, then the same for the other player. Then the two players were compared head-to-head and a determination was made about where to rank each of them. The ``draft list'' is an ever-evolving process.
While Lombardi is clearly the leader of the group, there's a good amount of debate and give-and-take between everyone in room. Involved in the discussions were Lombardi, special assistant to the general manager Jack Ferreira, co-directors of amateur scouting Mark Yannetti and Michael Futa, amateur scouts Brent McEwen, Tony Gasparini, Pertti Hasanen and Denis Fugere and scouting coordinator Lee Callans.
The discussions seemed loose and open but productive, and even the most meticulous details of the players' games were discussed and debated. Lombardi's staff clearly respects him but also isn't afraid to speak up and even, at times, offer contrary opinions. A player's work ethic and attitude are two areas that seem to get significant attention.
After the player evaluation, I got a chance to sit down for 45 minutes with Yannetti and Futa for a great, wide-ranging discussion about their jobs, the upcoming draft, what it's like to work for Lombardi and the progress they believe the franchise is making. This weekend, I'll start the process of posting all those quotes, which I think you'll find enlightening and interesting. My thanks to Lombardi and the Kings for the ability to observe a fascinating process and get a better insight into the organization.
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About Rich Hammond
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.
Great Job Rich. You are probably the only reporter to get this type of insight.
Does this mean the Kings have the final draft list done already?
Nice job Rich. Perhaps after the draft they'll let you reveal some of those details.
Did the Q word come up by chance?
I agreed to not reveal certain details, such as specifics about how players are evaluated and which players are being discussed.
Don't think of me as ungrateful, but isn't that really the only part of this that interests us?
Rich,
When you say "later round prospects", do you mean late-first round guys or potential 3-4-5 guys?
Thank you Rich. Your work is greatly appreciated.
Keep it up, we all enjoy reading your work.
Thanks for sharing this bit of info. Rich.
I'm glad to see DL and his staff doin the necessary work and prepare for this up coming draft.
I believe this year's draft is critical for the teams success. Almost a "make it or break" thing for the Kongs and Lombardi. Foe 2 reasons:
-which players to select
-the necessary trade that needs to made for a D-Man
Although I believe his scouts will be making the proper suggestions. Ultimately, I think DL will do what he wants. And nothing else. He just comes across as arrogant and cocky. Like his sh_t doesn't stink.
Hopefully, this time he won't waste our pick and select a player ranked 23rd.
On another note, how do you guys feel about Dallas' pick being dropped to 27th at best.
First we lose Stamkos after spending more than half the season in the last place.
Then Dallas gets hot - and we move from #22 to either #27, #28, #29, 0r #30.
This team must be cursed.
I wonder how many Russians are on the list...Tikhonov especially... Transfer agreement or none...I'd like to see him in the Kings organization...
Looking forward to hearing more, Rich. Thanks.
Did you get the impression the Kings staff are in agreement on whom they will pick at #2, whomever that may be?
Thanks so much for providing good info during this time. It'll be interesting to see if they do indeed draft either of the players that they were discussing. Great job.
anonymous.... you're probably one of those who continues to criticize DL and the staff but then only cares about specifics. You are exactly what we don't need as a fan base. This is a process not a crap shoot or a decision made by one individual - even DL himself anthony. Don't be idiots.
hanks again for giving us a taste - we're still going to stink, but at least this gives us hope.
Question: Did the question of whether to trade down ever come up?
Rich,
Has DL ever made any comments about the various published rankings? Does the org use them in their own evals? I guess, does DL think that they are an accurate and useful tool at all? If they are useful, to what extent are they used? If he's never said anything about it, maybe this can be one of the quesitons for your next interview with him.
DO NOT PICK DOUBTY PICK SCHENN PLEASE!!!
This is sort of related to this thread....
I was listening to an interesting interview last night with the head of NHL Central Scouting on XM radio. He was discussing many of the top prospects, player by player, and talking specifics.
About Drew Doughty he said "he's the most ready to play in the NHL of any of the defenseman, and I have no doubt he will do so." He compared Doughty to Jack Johnson, Erik Johnson, Jay Bouwmeester, and yes, Chris Pronger.
Regarding Tyler Meyers, he compared him to Zdeno Chara. Yes, he has Chara's size, and the comparison was "his game is a bit awkward right now, just like Chara was when he was in juniors." 6 foot 7 and 204 pounds on the Kings blue line and it's not Brian Boyle. I like the sound of that!
Regarding Kyle Beech, he said Beech plays with a lot of grit and has a real nasty streak. Some teams may want to get him to continue to play nasty, others may not. He said Beech would be a Rod Brind'Amour type.
Regarding Mikkel Boedker, he said he may be the most ready to play in the NHL of all the fowards after Stamkos. Also said if Boedker continues to play well in the Canadian junior playoffs and the Memorial Cup next month, his stock will continue to rise.
He also talked about Jared Staal, the 4th Staal brother. Said he could be just as good as the other 3, but he's not that far along in his game yet. But he still thought Jared will be very good, especially if he gets some "training" from his brothers.
Unfortunately I didn't hear his specific comments about guys like Bogosian, Schenn, Filatov, or Pietrangelo. I only heard part of the show. I'm hoping they replay it at some point. If I do hear more, I'll post it.
Rich you say; "By the time I arrived, the group had already been at work for a few hours in the morning..." Does this mean they told you what time to arrive, and that time was after they had discussed the first few rounds, and of course the #2pick? You say they talked about latter rounds. Was that intentional on their/your part? Thanks,
You work is always great and I just wish their was someone who did half as well with a Blackhawks bloff. Gene
. . . . Rich. You are probably the only reporter to get this type of insight.
Really?
http://www.amazon.com/Future-Greats-Heartbreaks-Undercover-Secret/dp/0385664400/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210531695&sr=8-1
Truth is, we're seeing more and more of this 'behind the scenes' stuff as the NHL continues it's marketing battle to regain relevency in the sports world.
That must have been very cool being in there with DL and the boys. Though I would obviously love to know the details, I find it insightful and hopeful to know that DL doesn't lead with an iron fist and offers his staff the opportunity to speak up.
Rich, fantastic work as usual. Inside The Kings is number one on my list of places to find current info on the Kings! I, and I think a lot of people, really respect you and the work you do. As well, I think we all value your opinion greatly.
What I am really curious to know, is that after all the reporting you've done since the DL era began, and especially after this recent meeting you attended (very jealous:), in your opinion, do you think the Kings are headed in the right direction? Considering not only the players, but the entire team staff, does this organization have what it takes to produce a consistently competitive team for the foreseeable future?
I'm as interested as the next guy to know who they're going to take in the draft. But the most important thing is, are the people in charge willing to do what it takes, and spend what is required, to produce a Stanley Cup contender. Do you think they are willing?
Keep up the great work!
What kind of food did they serve there Rich? Did they offer you coffee or anything?