Impressions after first 3 games...
I've been watching the Monarchs play on ahllive.com, and I'm very impressed by a lot of the kids down there.
I felt that the Monarchs dominated every game so far, and their team-play fluidity is much stronger than I would have anticipated--especially with the rosters changing each night. The power play is very creative and mobile, and even strength play is mostly in the other team's zone.
Toffoli, Pearson and Prokhorkin all seem destined to become top 6 forwards in the next few years, and I bet Vey ends up on some team's top six during his career. Loktionov looks like a different animal in the AHL and would stick in the NHL for sure if he played with the confidence he shows in Manchester. Bodnarchuck is a great D pickup (physical and can move the puck well), and Kolomatis isn't anyone to be overlooked either. Deslaurier and Muzzin still look the most ready, but they're no longer the only people who might get a crack at the NHL on the D end.
The one clear negative so far has been Martin Jones. His size and conservative movement give him a very good chance to make the first save, but his rebound control and visual puck tracking skills need a lot of work. He doesn't project much urgency when the puck is loose, and he'll barely be an average backup at best if he doesn't pick up his mental game. He still has lots of potential as long as he works on these areas, but he's still at least a full season away from being a candidate for LA's back up position.
All in all, I'm pretty stoked to see how good most of our kids are, and the future is still very bright--hell, the present is too!!! Has there ever been a better time to be a Kings fan?
