The Los Angeles Kings drafted winger Arthur Kaliyev with the 33rd overall pick at the 2019 NHL Draft.
Arthur Kaliyev
Position: Left wing
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 190 lbs
Age: 17
Club: Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
Nationality: American
| GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 67 | 51 | 51 | 102 |
(Stats Courtesy: Elite Prospects)
Kaliyev entered the draft as the seventh-ranked North American skater and easily one of the most polarizing prospects available. He's an offensive dynamo, ranking fourth in the OHL last season with 51 goals, but is much younger than those that finished ahead of him. In fact, Kaliyev is the fourth player 18 or younger since 2000 to bag 50 or more goals in a single season, joining John Tavares, Steven Stamkos, Jeff Skinner, and Alex DeBrincat.
Despite his offensive gifts, Kaliyev has some work to do on his path to the NHL. He's not particularly aggressive on either side of the puck for his size and tends to play at a slow pace, which isn't generally conducive to success in the pros.
Still, Kaliyev has world-class upside, and it could pay off big time for the Kings down the road.
What they're saying
"He's not going to go bar down that often, but his shot is an absolute rocket, and if goalies are not in position, they won't have time to adjust once he lets it go. Kaliyev is also a very good playmaker who makes high-end plays. Those 50 goals were complemented with 50 assists. Due to his shot and vision, he's an absolute weapon on the man advantage who can run a unit and pick apart defenses. He's skilled, but Kaliyev isn't a player who can go end-to-end. He skates OK, but the main criticism of his game is his pace and compete (level). Kaliyev can often look like he's not going that hard and will have long stretches of indifference." - The Athletic's Corey Pronman.
Boom, bust, or Vanek: Why Arthur Kaliyev's a wild-card prospect - read about Kaliyev's upside in a feature by theScore's John Matisz.
