DAVIS DREWISKE 
This season: 42 games, 1 goal, 7 assists, 14 penalty minutes, 15:15 average ice time.
The good: After a 17-game stint in 2008-09, Drewiske earned a roster spot coming out of training camp this season and was a regular part of the lineup until he suffered an injury in early January. At his best, Drewiske brings a big body (6-foot-2, 222 pounds) who can play a physical game without taking excessive penalties. The Kings thought enough of him, at the start of the season, to give him a roster spot over some of the higher-profile prospects in the system.
The bad: Drewiske was unable to make an impact after he returned from his shoulder injury and appeared in only four games after Jan. 4. Drewiske doesn’t have much of a puck-moving, offensive game, so if he’s going to make an impact, he has to be physical. In the eyes of coach Terry Murray, Drewiske didn’t do enough of that, which is what got him scratched from the lineup, almost exclusively, for the second half of the season.
Going forward: If there’s one player, in particular, the Kings would like to see dramatic improvement from, it’s probably Drewiske. If he can hold down that role of big-bodied, stay-at-home responsible defenseman, it would make it easier for them to transition away from Sean O’Donnell, or a similar veteran. Even though he’s getting older and slower, O’Donnell still brings significant grit to the game, and that’s what Drewiske needs to show more often.
i voted B….i thought he played very good until the injury…..Then he had a bad game when he came back and the coach buried him….Without knowing all the facts,having Jones instead of Drew was a big downfall..
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Anonymous Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 9:44 am
@neil, I agree. I would have liked to have see what could have been. He was doing great on the third line up until his injury.
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darko25o Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:24 pm
@, On our east coast swing, Davis shut down Gabi, and Kovi, in dominant fashion. This is a dude to keep an eye on. Whiskey with JJ, and Voynov with greene, is a mighty D.
Doughty – “The Piece”
JMFJ – Whiskey(Hamhuis
Greene – Voynov
One hell of a blueline
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The second coming of J Modry (aka the Human Turnover). Effective in the offensive zone, but too afraid of the hit to be effective in his own end. I take a pass to try out Voynov, Teubert, etc.
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I give this guy a solid B. We have enough puck moving guys and need to replace an aging stay at home guy in OD and Jones was the “O” guy and he just was a turnover machine.
Davis isn’t a hard hitting guy or fancy playmaker but he makes the safe, smart play almost every time and can be counted on not to cough up the huge turnovers that Jones and unfortunately OD started doing at the end of the season.
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F from the coaching staff, obviously… C from me… He got screwed royally after his injury, and the mancrush TM has on Jonesy is uncomfortably numbing. Next year there’s a whole new crop of 6′s and 7′s to deal with. I doubt Drewiske will be in the mix when it’s all said and done (unless Terry Murray joins the cast of V and moves on to outer space.)
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mrbrett7 Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 12:57 pm
@Marc Nathan, I agree in regards to the coaching staff.
BUT, your comfortable with a guy who adds nothing on offense, and on defense is as passive as Ghandi?
Sorry, but I disagree with you there. He was OK, prior to the injury, and afterwards looked like Bambi lost out there.
He’s 6’2″/6’3″ about 225lbs…he needs to act like it if he wants an NHL career.
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I think it’s unfair to say that Drewiske doesn’t move the puck well or that he has limited offensive capabilities. Before his injury, I remember him making great breakout passes and even getting some time on the PP. At that point, all he needed was to become more physical. After the injury, the wheels kind of fell off the cart, but I still think he wasn’t given a fair chance to get back into the lineup (especially given that Jones took his place).
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MN14 Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 10:27 am
@Chris,
I agree wholeheartedly. I think his biggest issue was that he would overplay the puck to a fault, as in he’d look for a pass until the last second, putting himself in a position to get murdered. The guy took more big hits than anyone on the team! I thought he was a solid all-around defenseman, and yeah, the biggest issues in his game were foot speed and the aforementioned by TM “contain” game he would play instead of just getting in there and hammering people.
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Sorry if I repost. I posted something but don’t see it
Might be the login system and I forgot to put my info in again…anyway:
I give the kid a solid B.
He’s a strong stay at home guy, the kind we need in there to replace an aging OD or a Jones who is suppoosed to be offensive minded but I’m just offended at his play in his own end.
Davis doesn’t get cute with the puck, just keeps it simple and safe. Also good positioned in his own end. I think he got a raw deal after the injury. I’d like to see him in a solid rotation as a 5 or 6 guy next season.
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I have no idea what happened to this guy. At the beginning of the year he was playing great, getting noticed by TM and others, etc. Then he took a backseat to the late, great Randy Jones. I wish someone would explain what the heck happened, cuz I have never understood. I would like to see him get another chance next year – seemed like a solid guy with upside to me.
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Old Man Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 7:59 pm
@rick,
I feel TM at times for some reason breaks the spirits of some of these young Kings.Just my view of the games.
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Before Whiskey got hurt he was absolutely our best shut down D-man. He is great at taking the puck off the boards and breaking it out to opposite d-man (drew doughty) or to one of the forwards. He doesn’t “crush you” like Matt Green, he has a game that is more contain and press which earned him a real respectable +/- early on.
I really hope that our team holds on to him and gives him another hard look paired with Doughty. He will make a big impact given some more time and his game although not blatantly physical is much more controlled and suited for shutting down top players.
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It amazes me how he has received any letters grades above a D. It seemed like every shift by Drewiske resulted in a big hit, on Drewiske.
He just can’t handle physical play well, same applies for Peter Harrold. Two collegiate defensemen who are not made for a physical game. Those two made Jaroslav Modry look like Marty McSorley.
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I liked him in the beginning of the year. Hope to see him improve & be part of the team next year. I’m sure he is well aware of his so called lack of toughness & will come back next year with more of an edge.
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How can Peter not handle the physical game? He played 2 playoff games replacing Jones, and we won those 2 playoff games.
Which games were you watching Ziggy?
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Dan H. Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 10:01 am
@Harry,
some people see not running out of your way to crush people every shift as a bad thing.
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Marc Nathan Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 11:18 am
@Dan H., I’m a pretty objective hockey fan, and while I used to laugh at the fact that in his first year with the team, Harrold recorded no hits, (hence my nickname No Hit Harrold) but what it’s come to (for me) at this point is that he loses ALL the battles in the corners… he’s out manned, out muscled and usually out played. It makes for a bad situation defensively. His offensive instincts are good. (Though, he is not a forward.)
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I could say TM never really gave him a chance after returning from injury, but the fact is that every single game is another chance; And that all season long you really are fighting for your job against other players, just like in training camp. I think he’s got it in him if he wants it bad enough… hopefully he can learn how to be a bit more gritty from OD… time will tell…
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You honestly believe the Kings winning those two games was a result of Harrold’s play? How about that lovely defensive positioning by Harrold that led to Vancouver’s first goal in Game 3… the guy also got hurt from a check against the boards. He is also prone to getting crushed out there, and as we witnessed in the playoffs, he got leveled and hurt.
Drewiske doesn’t know how to use his size to his benefit and is prone to making mistakes due to his timidness. They don’t have to run out of their way to crush an opponent, but look at how Vancouver stepped up their physicality. Edler, who is not known to be a physical defenseman, was crushing Kings forwards. Take a look and see which team is golfing and which team is three wins away from the Conference Finals. If you don’t think the Kings need to beef up their blueline with more physical defenders then you are clearly out of your element.
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puck73 Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 3:58 pm
@Ziggy Stardust, …Bringing in Volchenkov or Willie Mitchell will make us forget about the mediocrity of Drewiske or Harold.
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I think either you have the desire/ability to be physical or you don’t. We tried that experiment with Brian Boyle – a “waste” of a big body.
I would LOVE to see Drewiske become that guy that TM wants. I hope he pulls a “Richardson” and comes into camp and bring it. Give him one more chance.
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I have him a C….
DD2 has good skating and puck handling skills, not much of a shooter, a decent stay at home defenseman but where’s the physical??? I totally agree with TM, until DD2 steps up and starts using his size to battle along the boards and inside, his long term status with the team will be in jeopardy.
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Rich…I like that….Got him “starched” from the line-up…I think that was a pretty good description!
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Rich Hammond Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 11:30 am
@Moondoggie,
Ha! Hence the problem with a beautiful new iMac. Its auto-correct isn’t programmed for hockey terms. It shall be corrected…
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i thought RICH’s analysis was spot-on…
i wanted to give him a low-c, but i gave him a “d+”…and it’s really because he was invisible during the second half…he went from starter to last defeseman on the depth chart…he was able to comeback from the injury, but seemed like he was a different player, albeit, limited by his use from tm…
i’m not sure what to make of davis…i’m not sure he is gonna be able to do enough to stay with the kings, let alone, the major league level…with a player who doesn’t have too many dimensions to their game, when the one thing they are suppose to do well suffers, it’s hard to justify in keeping them around…
if he needed motivation this summer, all he needs to do is watch his fellow monarchs play…i’m sure there are a few down there chomping at the bit to be the davis drewiske of next year’s training camp…
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Dan H. Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 10:37 am
@variable,
Uh Variable he was invisible after the injury because he was scratched. lol. Hard to make an impression if you’re not playing!
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variable Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 11:06 am
@Dan H.,
if he was constantly getting scratched and not playing well enough during practices to unseat the likes of randy jones, peter harrold and even sean o’d, what does that tell you about his game…?
i don’t think tm would hold anyone out that could have helped this team…and i don’t buy the fact that there were any other dynamics other than davis was not playing well enough to help the kings…
davis returned from injury…and i don’t think the coaching staff would allow him to comeback early if he wasn’t ready…
he healed…he came back…and he wasn’t the same…
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wavesinair Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 11:59 am
“he healed…he came back…and he wasn’t the same…”
ahh, you must be talking about JW, who got start after start after start to find his former self, which he never did! (yet still started the last game of the season…)
…you know, because TM said a player won’t lose his starting status because of an injury…
…so how exactly was Whiskey supposed to regain his form in just 4 appearances? (and of those, how many were actually starts?)
Frankly, I think he got shafted. There is no possible way anyone can say he got enough of an opportunity to find his game in real-game situations. Forget about practice.
Also, just a point about “helping the team” or “putting the best team on the ice”… it is never that simple. Many Kings teams were iced this year knowing full well that players were given opportunities, which were not necessarily in the teams’ best interest that particular night.
Whiskey should have been given that same opportunity imo.
mrbrett7 Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:01 pm
@Dan H., He was scratched for a reason.
If the only dimension you bring to the table is size, and you don’t use that size, what use is there for you?
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Late in the regular season, TM decided to get the usually scratched forwards into a game just to get some of the rust off before the playoffs. In retrospect, too bad he didn’t do the same thing with Drewiske. After Harrold’s injury I’m sure TM didn’t want to insert Drewiske into the lineup despite Jones’ poor play. Watching Jones in the playoffs was aggravating. Unlike Jones, Drewiske could be part of the solution for improving the defense this Summer.
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mrbrett7 Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:02 pm
@Bruce, THIS I agree with. TM made a big mistake here.
Before his injury, Drewiske showed flashes. Although not brilliant, I would have been much happier to have seen him in the lineup over Jones or Harrold.
BUT, only if he used his size. Without that, he doesn’t have much to offer.
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I think Rich is spot on, DL and TM’s belief in Drew dictates if OD is begged back or not. Hopefully he gets it together, I gave him a C for functioning when in, but man do I view him as a 5-6 D pair for only a few years.
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He HAD good start… I remember him being one of our top +/- guys for some time!
Rich I think you also made an “article” here about that! He was quiet, but effective!
I say C+. I like what I saw from him first half of the season. After the injury, sadly he didn’t showed up a lot of times in the lineup – how much of that is his own fault – that i cannot say.
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When DD got in games LAST year, i was excited about what he brought… poise, smarts, great positioning, good breakout passes, just overall solid… but minus the nastiness.
It carried over well for him in THIS year…the thing that lacked was that EDGE, and as he got comfortable in this league, you could see him bringing that aspect to his game. I’m a big time DD44 fan so i’ve watched him very closely, and i know a lot of you don’t remember but he WAS being physical and edgy right before he got hurt. I thought his game was rounding out quite nicely and then the shoulder injury happened and all was lost.
The TM love for randy jones will be something i will never understand. I would have liked DD to have played more games down the stretch to get in game shape just to even be a replacement for OD in the playoffs.. and we all know that OD got burned and didn’t have a good series.
I gave drewiske a solid B. I hope he gets a real shot in the line-up… He’s got a stay at home mentality but i think a lot of people are underrating his offensive skills, and i he CAN be physical. He just needs to some effin ice time so we at least know what we got.
randy jones.. why god why.
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Yeah, but he has one of the nicest autographs on the team!
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Off topic here, but since we’re exclusively player eval’s right now, I’m gonna post my thoughts:
there was a fresh Kovy to Kings rumor today, and I have to say, the more I think about it, the more it becomes the wrong move. We have 2 glaring needs this offseason: a top 4 blue-liner & a top 6 forward. The biggest problem with Ilya is his contract (min. $8.5 mil/yr., more likely $10mil) is the same as adding 2 young, elite talents.
So, instead of Kovi, imagine that the Kings use that cap space to sign 2 other players who are rumored to be leaving their squads come July 1, namely: Dan Hamhuis and Bobby Ryan. Bobby, according to this rumor, “just wants to get to July 1 to become a UFA and test the market”. The Ducks probably don’t have the cap room for him if they want to re-sign Niedermayer, Selanne, etc. So, offer Bobby a $5.25mil/yr. deal (same as Getzlaf & Perry), and then sign Hamhuis at $4mil/yr. (too much for the Preds apparently) and we’re spending the same as we would on Kovy, but now we’ve addressed both need areas (not to mention we stole a great young player away from the Disney Quacks)!
Kovy/Kopi looks great (and is fun to say!), but wouldn’t you take Bobby Ryan instead if it meant you could pair JJ with Hamhuis instead of JJ&OD? Kovy is a great player, but he’s not more valuable to this club than those two.
-DD99
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mrbrett7 Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:05 pm
@Doughty99, As much as I would love Bobby Ryan on this team…I see no way on God’s Green Earth that the Ducks would let him walk in favor of Neidermeyer (who will probably retire) and Sellaner (who will probably retire).
File that one under the most likely not going to ever happen pile.
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Does anyone think Joe Corvo would be a good fit? He’s a UFA
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Dan H. Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 12:44 pm
@friarking,
I loved Corvo as a King. Probably improve our shootout options as well. He’s got sick stickhandling skills.
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mrbrett7 Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:06 pm
@friarking, Never say never, but NO. Lombardi let him walk the first time for a reason.
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friarking Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:06 pm
@mrbrett7,
True, I forgot about that. I wonder why. I liked his shot from the point on the PP.
Tim Gleason would also be a nice tough Dman to have back.
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TradedForAPick Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 4:45 pm
@friarking,
Thank you for mentioning Tim Gleason. Guy would make a huge impact on defense since he’s younger and better (in my opinion only) than Rob Scuderi. Plays physical also. I have a large feeling though the top 4 defender we are getting will be Voynov
BringBackTheShieldJersey Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:01 pm
@friarking, I didn’t mind Corvo, but I think he was the first guy out the door under DL’s reign, and at the time, there was talk about “improving the locker-room”.
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Completely agree with Rich’s comments…
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I gave Drewiske a D+
He wasn’t close to the same player we saw last year.
I understand he was injured early, but not to be able to crack the lineup when OD was playing crazy minutes and the way Jones was playing makes me think there’s more here than meets the eye.
Please don’t give me the TM bias BS. I’m not Oliver Stone. For a conspiracy theory to have some relevance, their needs to be some kind of solid eveidence to back it up. There’s none here.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Drewiske moved during the summer.
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wavesinair Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:12 pm
@nykingfan, I’m not giving this as evidence of a bias toward Jones, but only allowing a player 4 “appearances” after an injury goes against what TM has said many times in the past. That is, a player doesn’t lose his starting job due to injury. You can’t make that determination after only 4 appearances. Either Whiskey was mishandled after his injury OR there was more going on we don’t know about, i.e. personal stuff.
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nykingfan Reply:
May 5th, 2010 at 9:48 am
@wavesinair,
I don’t know if Drewiske ever got to that point of being a “regular” part of the lineup.
What we saw freom his last year was pretty good, but I kind of put him in the category of a 4th line player. Those guys aren’t guaranteed a spot when they get back. At least not the same as guys playing on the top lines.
I’m jsut not sure that we saw enough of him to considr him as one of the solid 6. Having said that, neither is Jones.
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“If there’s one player, in particular, the Kings would like to see dramatic improvement from, it’s probably Drewiske.”
I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. I would’ve loved to see Drewiske in the lineup over Jones but I don’t put this all on Murray. The blame for not getting in the lineup after his shoulder injury healed is all on Drewiske. The criticism of him is valid. He’s way too passive for a man his size. It’s not that he wasn’t overly aggressive & didn’t go out of his way to physically dominate. It’s that he lost nearly every physical battle. He’s got a lot of good traits. He’s big, he’s a good skater for his size, & he plays a simple no frills game. If he can work on being more physical he should be able to get back in the lineup.
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Although restricted, Kings should make a play to get Kyle Quincey back from Colorado. He made $550k last year! He’s a freakin steal even at $2mil, if that were the case.
Did anyone notice that Randy Jones made $3mil last season! Makes me wanna puke. Almost as much as Doughty, Johnson and O’D COMBINED!!!!
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TradedForAPick Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 10:04 am
@Dean Youngblood,
Wouldn’t mind that move at all, but Colorado is keeping him on with their abundance of cap space and the good year he had. If they didn’t, I’d be shocked
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nykingfan Reply:
May 4th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
@TradedForAPick,
Remember, we have guys coming up for RFA in the next year or 2..I wouldn’t want teams with cap space like Colorado poaching our guys.
Best to tread carefully in the RFA market.
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