Kings Prospects Show Promise in OHL Playoff Run

By Jeff Duarte
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Updated: May 13, 2017

After having the worst team record in the entire Ontario Hockey League back in December, with 6-14-3-3, Los Angeles Kings’ prospects, forward Spencer Watson and defenseman Jacob Moverare and their Mississauga Steelheads, turned things around and went on a roll by going 28-7-3-4 for the rest of the regular season. That led to a playoff run to remember for the young Kings’ prospects, who helped lead the Steelheads all the way to the OHL Championship final, to compete for the J.Ross Robertson Cup and attempt to gain an opportunity to compete for the prestigious Memorial Cup.

Entering the playoffs as underdogs with strong momentum, the Steelheads got even stronger with each playoff round, defeating teams such as the Ottawa 67’s in 6 games, the Oshawa Generals in 5 games, and a 4 game sweep of the Peterborough Petes in the eastern conference final, to reach the Cup final. There, they faced off and lost to the mighty Erie Otters in 5 hard-fought games, who had the best overall record in the OHL with 50-15-2-1, and were led by the 3rd overall pick (by the Arizona Coyotes), in the 2015 NHL entry draft, Dylan Strome. Still, despite the loss in the final, Watson and Moverare gained valuable experience in these nerve-wracking and intense playoff games and proudly held their own.

Spencer Watson, from London, Ontario, (aka, the same hometown as Drew Doughty and Jeff Carter), was drafted by the Kings 209th, (7th round), in the 2014 NHL entry draft, (or aka, the Adrian Kempe draft), finished the playoffs tied as it’s leading scorer, (with Erie’s Anthony Cirelli), with 15 goals, which was one more goal than the more highly touted Strome had. Though short on size, (billed as 5’11” but really just 5’8″ or 5’9″), Watson’s skating ability, hustle and will power made it very difficult for the opposing teams to cover him at all times. For example, due to his size and the taller height and heavier bodies of his opponents, Watson would sometimes be easily knocked off the puck, but he was never deterred by this. He would skate back, back check and somehow regain the puck again to make another attacking run at the opposing net. This determination and perseverance allowed Watson to be successful in these playoffs, and show off his very capable scoring skills and his nose for the net.

Now overage to continue in the OHL next season, look for Watson to join either the Kings’ AHL affiliate Ontario Reign, or the ECHL’s Manchester Monarchs. Using his smaller frame to success at the junior level is one thing, but to use it successfully at the next level is another, and this will give everyone in the Kingdom a better assessment if Watson can possibly be a Johnny “Hockey” Gradreau, Brendan Gallagher and Theo Fleury type player, short but quick, (not Jonathan), and feisty, or if his size disadvantage will be a weakness against a higher, stronger and meaner caliber of talented hockey players. Time will tell.

Jacob Moverare, (who I have covered before here for CaliSports News), 6’2″, from Östersund, Sweden and drafted by the Kings 112th overall, (4th round) in the 2016 NHL entry draft, showed lots of promise in this playoff run by showcasing his developmental strides of improvement in his overall game. Still lacking strong offensive numbers and skating, Moverare, (pronounced as MOVA-RARE-REE), was solid defensively overall, (though nervously shaky at times in the final against Erie), and with better skating skills than from the last time I saw him. His game really improved after he was embarrassingly cut from the Swedish World Junior National team a day before the tournament started last December, (and with his parents already on their way on a plane from Sweden, just so they can watch him play for his country), Moverare took matters into his own hands, and worked even harder at improving his skills and the results were positively noticeable. He finished these playoffs with 7 points in 20 games and was a solid plus-15.

Only 19 years of age, another season or two at the junior level would only benefit the young man’s development, and help him work further on his lateral and backward skating abilities, his offensive potential and further help him adjust even more to the North American style of play.

Losing in the OHL championship finals against the Erie Otters might be a tough pill to swallow for these proud LA Kings’ prospects, but there is no shame in losing to one of the best teams in the junior hockey world. Instead, Watson and Moverare can look back at these playoffs as their welcoming party and introduction to the world. A playoff run that they can look back on and think of it as the beginning of something more and special in their young careers. They made the Kingdom proud with their strong performances and I am excited to see both of them take things to a higher level, and maybe one day, some day, see them skate onto the ice of the Staples Center, wearing their Los Angeles Kings’ armor! (Unless of course, general manager Rob Blake ends us trading these prospects to other teams before then, DOH!). The future so far looks bright for them both and I will continue to keep taps on their progress in the season(s) to come.

So STAY TUNED!!!

Side-note – Two teammates of Watson and Moverare on the Mississauga Steelheads are forward Owen Tippett, (apparently NO relation to CRY-oytes head coach and former LA Kings’ assistant coach Dave Tippett), who is 6’2″ and 200 pounds, …

… and defenseman Nicolas Hague, who is 6’6″, 210 pounds, …

… who could both be selected in the first round of this year’s NHL entry draft. Tippett was dynamic as Mississauga’s best offensive player in the OHL final against Erie and Hague is a rugged and mean, stay at home type defenseman, (think Matt Greene, but taller and when he wasn’t injury prone), and the Kings could be interested in selecting one of these two players, who already have experience and chemistry with two Kings’ prospects, with their 11th overall pick. With Kings’ GM Rob Blake about to go into his first ever draft as the Kings’ main man, it will be interesting in what type of players, he and Team President Luc Robitaille and assistant GM Mike Futa are interested in. If Dean Lombardi was still the GM, I have no doubt that Hague, (who was Moverare’s defensive partner), fits the bill perfectly in what Deano was usually looking for in a player, but with Blake at the helm, he could go in an entirely different direction. Either way, it’ll be interestingly regardless to find out what Blake and company’s vision of the future will be.

GO KINGS GO!!!

*Special thanks to Ryan Cowley, Mario Hicks, Faye Walsh, Theresa Walsh-Duarte, the Mississauga Steelheads and the staff at the Hershey Centre for all of their help with this article.

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