LA Kings Prospect Report: Kale Clague

Since being drafted by the Los Angeles Kings, he has quickly established himself as one of the top defensive prospects in the game. Better yet, while Kale Clague began his junior career as an offensive defenseman, he has since strengthened his defensive game, evolving into a solid two-way blueliner. This has helped his Brandon Wheat Kings achieve great success, which includes a WHL Championship victory in 2016.

Recently, I spoke with Wheat Kings head coach David Anning regarding Clague’s development. Specifically, we discussed Clague’s strengths, his overall impact on the Wheat Kings, his attitude and his improvement since representing Canada at last winter’s World Juniors and which areas he could continue to improve upon.

As of Dec 7, the Wheat Kings are off to an impressive 20-7-0 start — good enough for third in the WHL’s East Division — and Clague has been integral towards said success.

“[Clague has] obviously had a good start to the year,” Anning told me. “I think he has a lot of confidence in his game right now.”

A good start, indeed.

Through 26 games, Clague already has 10 goals and 32 assists for 42 points, leading all Brandon blueliners in each category. However, while the offensive side of his game has been paramount, Clague, as previously mentioned, has taken tremendous strides in his defensive game.

“He’s playing a high level, but he’s taking a big step on the defensive side which has allowed him to produce more offensively,” Anning continued. “He’s done a good job defending through the neutral zone.

“I think that he’s really created a lot of turnovers by being in the right spots through the neutral zone. He’s got such a good stick that he’s able to create those turnovers and then think attack and transition right away onto offense.”

As gifted as he is on both sides of the puck, Clague’s hockey IQ should not be overlooked.

“He’s such an elite player in terms of his skill set that once he gets those opportunities in the offensive zone, he makes very good decisions, very good reads,” Anning noted. “He can generate a lot of opportunities both for him and the other guys on the ice with him.”

Brandon’s head coach continued.

“When he came to our organization, we expected him to be an offensive defenseman with a lot of skill and I think that he’s really found his stride here this year where he’s able to take control in the offensive zone by making strong plays and he’s been able to produce.”

A Natural Leader

While an injury-plagued rookie season of 2014-15 limited Clague to just 20 games, the native of Lloydminster, Alta., bounced back as he led both on the ice and in the lockerroom.

Like most players, experience has added an element to Clague’s persona, and it is something that has rubbed off on the younger Wheat Kings.

“[Clague is] somebody that’s been with our organization for four years, so he’s a guy we rely on for a leadership role,” Anning said. “He understands the expectations of our organization in terms of how we want to handle ourselves, how we want to behave both on and off the ice, how we carry ourselves and how we want to play, so he’s a big part of our dressing room.

“He’s somebody who all of his back-end certainly looks up to as the leader of our D-core. Then, in the bigger spectrum, he’s somebody that is part of the leadership group, he’s somebody that has the ability to lead by example on the ice and he’s also a good person. He’s somebody that our players respect and enjoy being around and look up to.”

Canadian Pride

Last December, Kale Clague received the greatest honour any hockey-playing Canadian boy can receive: representing his native country at the World Juniors.

While Clague wasn’t initially expected to have a big role, the then-18-year-old took on more responsibility thanks to a teammate’s injury. Clague helped lead Canada to the gold-medal game only to fall short to Team USA in the shootout.

This year, Clague, who has recently returned to Canada’s selection camp, is expected to make the team once again as his country looks to avenge last year’s painful loss.

I asked Coach Anning what, if anything, changed in Clague’s game after last year’s tournament whether it was in terms of performance or his attitude.

“I think that whenever you play against the best players in the world in your age group, it certainly helps,” Anning noted. “He’s somebody that went to [the World Juniors] and played quite well. Also, based on how the tournament went — an injury for Team Canada — he was able to take on more responsibility and you have to give him a lot of credit. He was ready to take on that responsibility. So, when the opportunity came, he made the most of it.

“He played very well at that tournament and it allowed him to fully realize his ability and his potential to play against the best players in the world and when he came back, I think it really added to his game. It made him recognize what it’s going to take for him to play at a very high level against good players night-in and night-out, and I think that it allowed him to be a lot more consistent. You could see he took a step in his maturity and how he prepared for games and for practices, and it certainly allowed him to grow as an individual.”

Moving Forward

From speed and creativity to his overall hockey IQ, there is no denying Kale Clague’s potential. In fact, Clague, who turns 20 next June, it could be argued, is making the most of what could very well be his final season in the junior ranks.

For the 6-foot, 177-pound defenseman, he has already doubled his career-high in goals from five to 10. In 2015-16, Clague needed 71 games to accomplish his then-career-high. This season, Clague has doubled that in just 26 games. He’s also just one point behind his career-high of 43, accomplished in the same season en route to the aforementioned WHL Championship.

Still, as strong as Clague’s game is, there are areas that could continue to see some improvement. This certainly isn’t a detriment to Clague or his game but rather ensuring that the young blueliner maximizes his game to the fullest before moving on to the next level.

Anning agrees.

“He’s somebody that we wanted to see grow his game at both ends of the ice,” Anning said. “Defensively, he’s somebody that we wanted to make sure understood he had to play hard and play physical in his own end, and that’s an area that we’ve been focusing on.”

So, where specifically will Clague be looking to improve?

“Just working on defending well and using his attributes, using his lower-body strength to close on guys, having a good stick while defending and creating turnovers,” Anning responded. “I think over the last number of seasons, he’s definitely improved in those areas. That’s still an area where we want to keep focusing on where he’s quick to close on guys, he defends fast and hard, gets the puck back and gets going on offense. So, he’s definitely made progress and we want to keep making sure that he continues to develop.”

In a few weeks time, local fans of the Los Angeles Kings may not be necessarily cheering for him — especially when he’s up against Team USA — but that will only be temporary.

If all goes well, Kale Clague will earn the admiration of Kings fans, whether it be with the big club or in Ontario with the AHL’s Reign. Either way, Clague has shown that he has the makings to be an integral part of a team’s defensive corps. His skills on the ice and his attitude off the ice attest to this.

So, even though the Los Angeles Kings are enjoying their own success right now, emphasis on the club’s future is no less important. Kale Clague is one of the most prominent figures of said future and if you can’t see it now, it will become apparent soon — very, very soon.

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