With about two weeks remaining until the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, we continue to work our way through a stack of player evaluations, including another forward who could find himself in the Kings’ sightlines. While there is a general expectation Los Angeles will want to fill the cupboards with blueliners on the left side, there are enough talented forwards in the top-15 that some may force the issue.
Even with a prospect pool full of various forwards, LA is likely mindful of the fact they are likely just that — ‘prospects filled with hope and promise.’ As time winds on, through a multitude of differing circumstances and events, some players simply don’t pan out. Because of this unfortunate reality, organizations can’t take their foot off the pedal when trying to accumulate a wide mix of players.
The Kings finished last season fifth-worst in goals for. A further examination of players who could potentially contribute to solving that problem in the future seems more than warranted.
MATTHEW CORONATO
Vitals
Date of Birth: November 14, 2002
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 183 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: Forward
2020-21 Season
Coronato spent the entire 2020-21 season playing for the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League (USHL). He recorded a remarkable 85 points (48 G, 37 A) in 51 games.
Crimson-Tied
As with many promising prospects, Coronato has his major junior rights owned by a CHL team: the Barrie Colts. Though they drafted him in 2018, playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) would make him ineligible to pursue hockey in a more academic setting. Thus, he stayed to play for the Steel in the USHL. Then, starting next season, he will move on to play in the NCAA with the Harvard Crimson.
Ivy leagues have started to churn out more NHL talent recently, including recent notable alum Adam Fox and Alex Killorn. Incidentally, the only Harvard alum to ever lace them up for Los Angeles is Ted Donato.
Mirror Mirror
To contextualize Coronato’s scoring in the USHL this year, there was a pretty impressive point spread in the junior league which matched that of the NHL.
For example, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl led the NHL with 105 and 84 points, respectively. Brad Marchand, the highest-scoring non-Oiler, had 69 points.
In the USHL, fellow Steel player Sean Farrell had 101 points. Coronato was second with 85. There were other teammates who sat third and fourth, yet the highest-scoring skater not on Chicago was Danil Gushchin with 64 points.
For all intents and purposes, the Steel pummeled the rest of the USHL in scoring. A New York native, Coronato was a multi-purpose offensive tool. Keep in mind this isn’t a predictive type of statistic: it more so emphasizes the level of dominant play as well as Coronato’s involvement.
But Wait! There’s More!
Coronato’s offensive output was recognized league-wide with the USHL. On top of winning the 2021 Clark Cup (the league’s championship trophy), this skilled forward also posted the league’s best plus-minus (+37), scored the most goals (48), was named Forward of the Year, as well as joined the First All-Star team.
Seidel Says
Mark Seidel of North American Central Scouting, who was a recent guest on Kings Of The Podcast, had Coronato slotted No. 10 on his final rankings, sandwiched between defensemen Luke Hughes and Simon Edvinsson.
Rankings by Independent Scouting Services
Ranked 23rd by The Draft Analyst. “Nicknamed “The Bison” by Steel announcer extraordinaire Mark Citron, Coronato is one of the hardest workers at getting the puck, keeping the puck, and shooting the puck. Always moving in a zillion directions, the Long Island native and Harvard recruit scored a USHL-best 48 goals but is versatile and creative enough to dominate as a center or wing.”
Ranked 14th by Last Word on Sports. “Coronato is a versatile player. He has been used in all three forward positions for the Steel over the past two years. That versatility will also be a major asset, though he will need to improve his lateral mobility in order to excel at the centre position in the pros. His future may lie on the wing instead. Coronato will need some time, and going to Harvard will give him a reduced schedule and allow him to put on weight in the weight room. He could be a top-six NHL forward. Coronato can play on the power play and penalty kill if he reaches his ceiling. His game is reminiscent of Kyle Palmieri but this is a stylistic comparison only and not one based on skill and ability.”
Ranked 17th by Draft Prospects Hockey. “A skilled winger who plays with a non-stop motor. Constantly plays the game at top speed. Has a bit of a choppy stride but is still relatively efficient, generating excellent speed, with his quick feet. Very elusive skater with explosive speed through the neutral zone, can easily make quick skating adjustments to avoid defenders and find the open space to create an offensive chance. A zone entry machine. Very strong on his skates, which makes him hard to knock off the puck. Has the mitts to pull off some nifty dangles to get past and through defenders in high danger areas. Makes driving to the net look easy. He commands the play while in possession of the puck.”
See For Yourself
Here is a shift-by-shift video of Coronato (No. 27 in black) against the Muskegon Lumberjacks.
Final Comments
Similar to what was discussed in our Carson Lambos report, Coronato would appear to be a player who is more likely to fall into “No Man’s Land” — where picking him eighth is too high, yet he’ll be long gone before the Kings have another pick in the second round.
So, that’s probably the end of the conversation, right?
Not quite.
Coronato has put up a dominant number of points, to the point he could potentially force his way into the conversation. Although he may not be a flashy player, his offensive capabilities cannot be overlooked. Anyone who observes him will pick up on the fact that he doesn’t run players through walls, yet the physical engagement is there. The points are racked up from hard work, effort, and tenacity, not from making the defenders look foolish. He’s not the focal point of play, though the involvement is unquestionable. There’s competency in every forward position, as well as contributions on the power play and the penalty kill.
Conversely, there are two major concerns with Coronato: size and level of competition. At 5-foot-10, there’s the possibility of ‘What you see is what you get.’ Even so, thus far, Caufield is the newest member of the small club who has shown the capability of putting up numbers in the NHL.
As for the competition, the USHL does not consistently churn out top-end scorers. Would he put up a Draisaitl-like season if he were several years older? Not likely.
However, teams will not be looking to draft Coronato to be their top scorer. He fuses a pro-level game, conscientiousness, and work ethic; blended together with a good deal of talent. Every team benefits from the utility-knife type of player.
There are few players as well-balanced and projectable as Coronato. He may seem like a reach at eighth. Considering the volatility of the draft, though, as well as the boxes the Kings are trying to fit, they could benefit greatly from having a plug-and-play type of prospect. There is always the option to trade down. If Rob Blake and Mark Yannetti see their top-tier of players go in the first seven picks, moving down and adding The Bison may be a play they’d consider.
For more Draft Profiles in our 2021 series, please see the links provided below.
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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