EL SEGUNDO, CA AND LAS VEGAS, NV — Those who follow the National Hockey League Draft know that beyond the top ten picks—in leaner years, maybe beyond the top five—the draft is one big crapshoot.
To be sure, NHL scouts have their lists, ranking available prospects and sometimes, they find those later-round gems who, sooner or later, turn into bona fide NHL players, if not stars.
In the 2017 NHL Draft, the Los Angeles Kings selected highly-touted center Gabe Vilardi with their first round pick. Ranked fourth overall, selecting Vilardi was quite the coup for the Kings, who picked 11th.