Most of our articles presented for the draft so far have been likely first round picks. However, it’s important to realize the draft is seven rounds deep.
The @NHL has announced the order of selection for the 2021 #NHLDraft.
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— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 14, 2021
A gauge for a successful draft is bringing in 2-3 NHLers each year. Thus, Los Angeles has to look beyond the first 32 picks, as they currently only have the eighth overall in that range. Due to their trade with Nashville for Viktor Arvidsson, the Kings are currently slated to pick 49th overall next.
Jack Peart
Vitals
Date of Birth: May 15, 2003
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 181 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Defense
2020-21 Season
Peart saw his season split between playing at the high school level as well as the USHL for Fargo Force. For Fargo, he tallied 15 points (1 G, 14 A) in 24 games.
Don’t They Get Him By Default?
Peart has something in common with a lot of Kings prospects: he is committed to playing for St. Cloud State in college. For the past two decades, Los Angeles almost always has at least one player associated with the Huskies, including: Jonny Brodzinski, Blake Lizotte, Dávid Hrenák, Nic Dowd, Mikey Eyssimont, Kevin Gravel, Mark Parrish, Jack Poehling (in Ontario), Nick Poehling (in Ontario), Garrett Roe.
Inter-league Exceptionalism
The native of Grand Rapids opened a lot of scouts’ eyes wherever he played. He won Mr. Hockey, awarded to Minnesota’s best high school player. Some of the more notable winners of said award include Ryan McDonaugh and Nick Bjugstad.
However, Peart was not done yet. He returned to the USHL. After two dozen games, the multi-faceted defender made the USHL All-Rookie Second Team.
Feasting And Streaking
While not anointed as a high-end scorer, Peart earned the majority of his points going on a hot streak right after Thanksgiving. From November 27 – Dec 12, he scored almost half of his USHL points (7 assists) in five games.
Seidel Says
Mark Seidel of North American Central Scouting, who was a recent guest on Kings Of The Podcast, had Peart slotted No. 104 on his final rankings. That would normally project him to be taken in the late third or early fourth round. Yet, for a comparison, Seidel lists Josh Doan, Josh at No. 92 and we’re hearing he’s going in the second round. Thus, this year’s Draft is really shaping up as a wild ride.
Rankings by Independent Scouting Services
Ranked 68th by The Draft Analyst. “A highly-intelligent minute eater from the blue line who seamlessly transitioned from Grand Rapids High School to the USHL’s Fargo Force, where he led the latter to the Clark Cup Final as their No. 1 defenseman. Peart won Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey Award and was the first defenseman to receive the honor since New York Islanders’ rearguard Nick Leddy in 2009. He’s committed to St. Cloud State.”
Ranked 29th by Elite Prospects. “He played nearly perfect hockey, outmanoeuvring opponents in transition, and out-smarting them in the defensive zone. Daniel Gee, who scouts the American high school circuit for Elite Prospects, wrote of one Peart performance in January that he’d played ‘one of the most efficient game [he’d] seen from a defender in this draft.’”
Ranked 44th by Hockey Prospect. “Another very important quality within Peart’s hockey sense that should help him translate is regarding his adaptability when he makes mistakes out on the ice. Don’t get us wrong, just because his hockey sense is graded at an excellent level, doesn’t mean he’s not prone to errors occasionally, especially when factoring in that he’s playing thirty-minutes a night at times. We’ve seen him mis assess where he should be positioned during 2-on-1 defensive sequences, yet show a positional adjustment in how he defends a similar 2-on-1 within a couple of shifts. This is paramount to how we view his long-term development curve. Some players can get benched for full games, then come out and make the same error the very next game that got them benched in the first place. Jack is the exact opposite, showing an adjustment immediately within the same game after making a defensive error. This level of adjustment must continue for him to be able to compensate for his tools.”
See For Yourself
Here is a shift-by-shift video of Peart (No. 4 in black) from earlier this year.
Final Comments
There are two major question marks with Peart, and unfortunately, they are never favorable when mentioned in unison: size and skating. At 5-foot-10, the steady defender doesn’t have a very imposing frame or have a lot of reach. The skating, while not bad, is not dominant enough to make up for the smaller than average size. Because of these two factors, he has been projected anywhere from a late-first round pick to somewhere in the fourth round.
Keep in mind, though, that smaller defenders with less-than-amazing skating don’t usually get projected to be a potential top prospect. So, what’s so special about Peart? His hockey sense and poise are off the charts. The St. Cloud commit demonstrated game-controlling abilities at a lower level and transitioned seamlessly with increased competition. When challenged by forecheckers, he showed a high panic threshold and capability to push pace to his teammates.
Peart’s rankings have increased exponentially, especially after earning end-of-the-season accolades. The fast rise, early projections in the second round, and combination of skill and sense would remind a lot of Kings fans of Brock Faber.
With Los Angeles, picking him up on day two of the Draft would provide some additional depth to the pipeline. As we have mentioned before, the Kings are hoping to stock up on left shot blueliners. While not an elite offensive powerhouse, he would be a steadying force defensively. The St. Cloud system has done a good job contributing to the development of prospects into NHL-caliber talent. Ontario Reign bench boss John Wroblewski also coached Peart prior to joining LA, so there is already an established relationship on the developmental front.
NOTE: David Hofreiter was the lead contributor in the gathering of information used in this article. You can find him on Twitter @Davidenkness to talk more hockey.
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