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2018 NHL mock draft: Western Conference teams

By Derek Grochowski

WORCESTER, MA - MARCH 25: Quinn Hughes #43 of the Michigan Wolverines skates the puck against the Boston University Terriers during the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Northeast Regional Championship Final at the DCU Center on March 25, 2018 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Wolverines won 6-3 and advanced to the Frozen Four in Minnesota. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Quinn Hughes
WORCESTER, MA - MARCH 25: Quinn Hughes #43 of the Michigan Wolverines skates the puck against the Boston University Terriers during the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Northeast Regional Championship Final at the DCU Center on March 25, 2018 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The Wolverines won 6-3 and advanced to the Frozen Four in Minnesota. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Quinn Hughes /
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LONDON, ON – NOVEMBER 12: Ryan Merkley #6 of the Guelph Storm skates away from a checking Alex Formenton #80 of the London Knights during an OHL game at Budweiser Gardens on November 12, 2016 in London, Ontario, Canada. The Knights defeated the Storm 4-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
LONDON, ON – NOVEMBER 12: Ryan Merkley #6 of the Guelph Storm skates away from a checking Alex Formenton #80 of the London Knights during an OHL game at Budweiser Gardens on November 12, 2016 in London, Ontario, Canada. The Knights defeated the Storm 4-1. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

20. Los Angeles Kings – Ryan Merkley

The Los Angeles Kings have the opportunity to get one of the most intriguing prospects in the entire draft with Ryan Merkley. He could easily end up being one of the best defensemen in the draft and change the way the Kings look on defense. Or he could become one of the greatest disappointments in this year’s draft. Ryan Merkley has all of the talent in the world. He is an offensive threat every time he is on the ice. The only problem is that he is not reliable. For being a defenseman he struggles in his own zone. His poor decision making often gets himself and his teammates in trouble. There have also been questions about his attitude throughout the draft process.

Merkley does a lot of things well, he can skate, make ridiculous passes and a great shot. Those tools put him in the top tier of defensemen in the draft. Alongside Quinn Hughes, Noah Dobson and Adam Boqvist in that top tier. This is what makes him such a high-risk high reward player. If can smooth out some of his errors, he will be a generational talent. It is hard to tie down a player in the NHL that is comparable. Erik Karlsson is the closest when it comes to offense but Merkley is nowhere close to defensive talent.

The Los Angeles Kings do not have much in the way of defensive prospects in their system. Signing college free agent Daniel Brickley was a nice addition, and Kale Clague is turning into a nice second-round pick. However, the current core is stable and likely not going anywhere too soon. This means they can take things slow with Merkley and develop him properly. As they develop him they will want to tie him down defensively as well as iron out his attitude.

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