AHL: Monarchs Take Flight

Including two AHL-All Stars, the Los Angeles Kings have to be pleased with the depth of talented prospects that their AHL affiliate Manchester Monarchs possess. McKeen's correspondent Max Giese looks at their top prospects including former first-round picks Trevor Lewis and Brian Boyle, as well as Peter Harrold, David Meckler, Brady Murray and Rob Zeiler.

Brian Boyle (LA), C, Manchester Monarchs

Monstrous winger with an overpowering shot and promising two-way game .. commanding skater for a player of his size despite his stiff appearance .. has a prosperous first step and quick foot speed to give him good in-tight closing speed and the strong stride to excel in the open ice .. dangerous goal scorer from in tight and far range, as he produces heavy velocity and good accuracy with his quickly released shots .. owns impressive finesse skills with supple hands and a gigantic wingspan .. sees the ice adequately with the puck and does a fine job identifying the open seams near the net .. a terror for opposition defenders to handle down low, as his amazing size and strength allows him to carry guys with him to the net .. experimented previously at defense and it shows, Boyle is effective on the penalty kill, as he is a hard working and aware two-way player .. better suited at center than defense, as his straight-line mobility is much stronger than his pivoting ability and his phenomenal strength and high-end skill makes him an offensive force that is capable of carrying a line.

Trevor Lewis (LA), C, Manchester Monarchs

Cerebral, playmaking center with a smart two-way game .. is not reliant on speed to generate offense, as he lacks the explosiveness to burn past anyone, but he incisively uses his great patience and presence with the puck to allow open seams to develop before using his skill and vision to exploit them .. crafty playmaker with the vision to identify miniscule lanes in heavy traffic and the touch to thread the needle with a pass through them tape-to-tape .. has that innate sense for becoming open with the puck in goal scoring territory to finish with his fast release .. his mature defensive game is fully displayed by the coach's trust in him as the first man over the boards to kill penalties while down five-on-three .. has great hockey sense, as he does all the little things it takes to play in the NHL such as winning key faceoffs .. main issue is his physical immaturity, as he goes into traffic but lacks the strength to outmuscle anyone and some added leg strength would give him an improved burst of speed .. has all the talent and smarts but still is a year or two away.

Peter Harrold (LA), D, Manchester Monarchs

Recently named to the AHL All-Star Game, Peter Harold is an offensive defenseman with quick acceleration and leads his team in assists .. utilizes his fast feet and powerful acceleration out of his crossovers to elude the oncoming forecheck .. skilled puckcarrier that can really skate with the puck up the ice to gain the offensive zone on his own to set up the powerplay .. does a fine job distributing the puck from the point, as he sees the ice well and creatively uses fake shot passes to hit his man backdoor while quarterbacking the powerplay .. plays on the penalty kill but his defensive game is his weak spot, as he relies too much on his mobility to out skate everyone because his slender frame allows him to be manhandled down low around his net by larger opponents .. not dynamic enough to be a powerplay specialist and two small to be reliable defensively, Harrold may struggle to stay in the NHL permanently.

David Meckler (LA), LW, Manchester Monarchs

Strong goal-scoring winger with an improving defensive game and mobility .. long knocked for his skating, Meckler lacks a separation gear but shows improvement in this department, as his quicker foot speed allows him to accelerate adequately .. hasn't wasted any time displaying his goal-scoring exploits, as he's on pace to net over 20 in his rookie season thanks to his quick snapshot that produces heavy velocity .. displays great power moves to the net, as he possesses soft hands with strong wrists and tremendous strength on his feet to give him superb puck protection .. adequate two-way player that competes but you would like to see him use his broad shouldered and thick build to become a physical player .. projects as a potential third/fourth liner if his defensive awareness, quickness, and physicality continue to be upgraded.

Brady Murray (LA), C, Manchester Monarchs

The son of St. Louis Blues coach Andy Murray is not a scorer but also not a checker, as he'll likely just end up being a "tweener" that can hack it in the AHL but can't find a role in the NHL .. type of player that actually is faster with the puck than he is without it, as he can summon quick bursts of lateral speed to beat the defender one-on-one .. generates his fair share of offensive opportunities utilizing his speed and by making quick passes while at full speed coming down the wing .. has a good motor but needs to involve himself more on the defensive side of the puck to get a second shot at the NHL.

John Zeiler (LA), RW, Manchester Monarchs

Always told that he was not big or skilled enough, Zeiler is a good story that used his speed and hard work to make the Kings out of camp and begin the season in the NHL dressing in 34 games .. plays bigger than his size, as he is ultra-competitive and greasy in the corners, allowing him to come out of scrums with the puck .. lively and quick skater but you wish his hands were as good as his feet .. the offense he generates is through sheer, hard work, as he plays a simple dump-and-chase game when gets the puck on his stick .. can provide a fourth line with constant energy and spunk.