Jordan Weal should get a chance to play on the 1st line.
The Kings have been very patient with the way they have handled Jordan Weal. Drafted by Lombardi in the 3rd round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft up, Weal put up very impressive numbers during his time in the WHL:
| SEASON | TEAM | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | SH | ||||
| 2007-2008 | VANCOUVER NW GIANTS-BCMML | 40 | 39 | 61 | 100 | 44 | |||||||
| 2008-2009 | REGINA PATS-WHL | 65 | 16 | 54 | 70 | -10 | 26 | 7 | 0 | ||||
| 2009-2010 | REGINA PATS-WHL | 72 | 35 | 67 | 102 | 3 | 54 | 15 | 0 | ||||
| 2009-2010 | CANADA-World Junior under 18-A | 6 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 30 | |||||||
| DRAFTED BY KINGS | |||||||||||||
| 2010-2011 | REGINA PATS-WHL | 72 | 43 | 53 | 96 | 13 | 70 | 12 | 1 | ||||
| 2011-2012 | REGINA PATS-WHL | 70 | 41 | 75 | 116 | 31 | 36 | 9 | 6 | ||||
After making the jump, full time, to the AHL in 2012 his numbers continued to impress.
| SEASON | TEAM | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | SH | GW | S | S% |
| 2012-2013 | MANCHESTER MONARCHS-AHL | 63 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 8 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 103 | 14.6 |
| 2013-2014 | MANCHESTER MONARCHS-AHL | 76 | 23 | 47 | 70 | 28 | 42 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 187 | 12.3 |
| 2014-2015 | MANCHESTER MONARCHS-AHL | 73 | 20 | 49 | 69 | 11 | 56 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 183 | 10.9 |
There was talk that he was too small for the Kings system and rumors flew that he would be traded before he ever got a real shot at the big club. Now 14 games into the 2015 campaign Weal has only made two appearances, logging 6:57 (min:sec) in a second game of the season shellacking by the Coyotes followed by 7:38 worth of playing time when the Kings blanked the Blues.
In both of these contest Weal has found himself playing in an unfamiliar roll, in the bottom 6. This was a surprise to no one, the Kings System usually dictates that a player must earn his time and work his way up, not only to the team, but then to earn quality ice time. Players like Lewis, Nolan and King have thrived under this system, learning to use their abilities to be forces in their own zone and have scoring be a secondary part of their game.
Weal is a bit different then the usual Kings’ youngster, at 5’10, 180lbs, he is blessed with quick hands and solid skating ability and not a big body or intimidating frame. Though the Kings have played exponentially better since starting off the season 0 and 3, first line scoring has been an issue. Marian Gaborik (1 goal) has started the season off very slow and while Brown has played hard he has zero goals. Kopitar has turned on the red light 5 times but his 1 assist reflects the inability of the first unit to put the puck in the back of the net.
Adding the skill of a player like Weal to a line with Kopi may be an opportunity to see really what the kid can do with a center who can create room and it may just be what Kopitar needs in a line-mate. If anything, it is definitely worth a shot before Dwight King returns and the Kings forward situation gets a little more crowded.
See you in the cheap seats.
-JD Dorfman
PuckTheDucks 