Today’s Kings picks

Soon, I’ll have some extensive quotes from Kings co-director of amateur scouting Michael Futa, talking about the draft, but first, here’s a recap of today’s picks, as copied from the Kings’ news release. It contains relevant biographical info, stats and some quotes from today’s picks: center Tyler Toffoli (second round, 47th overall), center Jordan Weal (third round, 70th overall), defenseman Kevin Gravel (fifth round, 148th overall) and winger Maxim Kitsyn (sixth round, 158th overall).

With first-round pick Derek Forbort added, the Kings’ draft class of five players is the smallest since 1977, when the Kings took four players and didn’t have their initial pick until the fourth round.

Here’s the info on today’s picks…

Toffoli, 18, played the last two seasons for the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League.  In 65 regular season games in 2009-10, he had 79 points (37-42=79) and 54 penalty minutes.  His 79 points was tied for 17th in the OHL, while his 37 goals were tied for 14th.  In 12 playoff games, the 6-0, 178-pound native of Toronto , Ontario recorded 13 points (7-6=13) and 10 penalty minutes.  Toffoli also participated in the 2010 OHL All-Star Classic and recorded five assists in the game. 
 
In 2008-09 he recorded 46 points (17-29=46) and 16 penalty minutes in 54 regular season games and eight points (2-6=8) and four penalty minutes in seven playoff games.  He finished 12th in rookie scoring and was named to the OHL All-Rookie Team.  Toffoli also earned a gold medal for Team Canada at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Tournament, finishing second in team scoring (3-5=8) in four games.
 
Said Futa, “We are going to have to wait and see how things play out with the kid.  With the development team we have and the program that Dean Lombardi has put together, this kid is tailor-made to come into our system.”
 
“I’m really excited and I heard that there’s a [development] camp this week, so I’m really excited to get back here with all my gear and show the Kings what I can really do,” said Toffoli from STAPLES Center.  “It’s definitely tough waiting overnight [after the first round] and it’s something you think about.  Obviously you want to go as a first-round-pick and eventually someone was going to want me.  Fortunately for me it was the Kings and I’m really excited.”
 
Weal, 18, played parts of the last three seasons with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League.  In 72 games in 2009-10, he had 102 points (35-67=102) and 54 penalty minutes.  His 102 points was third in the WHL, while his 67 assists ranked second and 35 goals were tied for 20th.  Weal, who turned 18 on April 15, was the first 17-year-old to surpass 100 points in more than a decade in the WHL.  He is only the fifth player in major junior hockey in the last 10 years to record 100 points in his second season of junior eligibility. 
 
In 2008-09, the 5-10, 162-pound native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan recorded 70 points (16-54=70) and 26 penalty minutes in 65 games en route to being named a finalist for the 2009 WHL Rookie of the Year Award.  He began his junior career in 2007-08 with Regina and had one assist in three games.  Weal earned a gold medal for Team Canada at the 2009 U-18 Ivan Hlinka Tournament and represented Canada at the 2010 U-18 World Championships. 
 
 “I’m small and quick with great offensive abilities,” said Weal from STAPLES Center .  “I really take pride in my defensive game as well.  I’m really shifty and I see the ice really well and I feel like I make the players around me a lot better.
 
“The Kings have a great young team coming up and I get to see them play a lot.  Being from Vancouver I get to see the Kings play the Canucks a lot and they had that great playoff series this year.  They have great young defensemen in [Jack] Johnson and [Drew] Doughty, but I feel I could bring a little more offense and energy to the lineup.”
 
In the fifth round the Kings selected defenseman Kevin Gravel (148th overall).  Gravel, 18, spent the 2009-10 season with the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League.  In 53 games he recorded six points (3-3=6) and 36 penalty minutes and participated in the 2010 USHL All-Star Game.  In 2008-09 the 6-4, the 185-pound native of Marquette , Mich. played with the Marquette Rangers of the North American Hockey League, recording 14 points (3-11=14) and 29 penalty minutes in 58 games.  Gravel was a member of Team USA at the 2009 Ivan Hlinka Tournament.
 
In the sixth round the Kings selected left-winger Maxim Kitsyn (158th overall).  Los Angeles received the 158th overall selection from Atlanta in exchange for the 169th and 199th overall picks.
 
Kitsyn, 18, spent the last two seasons playing for the Novokuznetsk Metallurg of the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia .  In 21 games in 2009-10 Kitsyn recorded two points (1-1=2) and 12 penalty minutes.  In 2008-09 he recorded seven points (5-2=7) and 26 penalty minutes in 31 games.  The 6-2, 194-pound native of Novokuznetsk , Russia represented his native country at the 2010 World Junior Championships, recording three assists in six games.  He earned a silver medal for Russia at the 2009 World U-18 Championships, recording eight points (4-4=8) in seven games.  Kitsyn also represented Russia at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Tournament.  Among European skaters, NHL Central Scouting ranked Kitsyn sixth.
 
Last night the Kings selected Forbort (defenseman) in the first round (15th overall).  Forbort, 18, played the last two seasons in the U.S. National Development Program and was the highest rated USHL skater in the final rankings of NHL Central Scouting.
 
Kings Trade Tracker:
Last night:
-Kings trade 19th and 59th overall picks to Florida for 15th overall pick
Today:
-Kings trade 49th and 109th overall picks to Colorado for 47th overall pick
-Kings trade 79th overall pick to Toronto for a third-round selection in 2012 NHL Entry Draft
-Kings trade 169th and 199th overall picks to Atlanta for 158th overall pick