Arthur Kaliyev

May 2023 – A lower-body injury sustained in December kept Kaliyev sidelined for a quarter of the season. Despite this, he still managed to top his rookie point totals with 28 points in 56 appearances. His shot volume and shooting percentage are the biggest factors in his increased offensive production, which put him on a 20-goal pace per 82 games played. While he has already played two full seasons in the NHL he is still just 21-years-old and has plenty of runway to further develop his game as an offensive threat. He has been a versatile player for the Kings, playing with ten different combinations of linemates throughout the season, with very even production on each trio. Sleep on Kaliyev at your own risk. He is still only 21 and possesses elite goal scoring upside and will be relied upon to do that in future seasons as he continues to integrate himself into the long-term plans of the Kings. Be patient if the results fail to translate instantly. Kaliyev should become a consistent 30-35 goal scorer in due time with the potential to reach heights in the 40-50 goal range if he can reach his true potential. Sean Crocker

January 2023 – Kaliyev was on track to set career highs across the board but had his sophomore season interrupted by a trip to the injury reserve. The injury presumably came on a blocked shot on December 20^th, as he left the game and has not appeared in a contest since. When he was in the lineup, Kaliyev was used around the lineup in various roles, but logged most of his minutes alongside Anze Kopitar and Kevin Fiala. Fantasy owners should be patient with a player like Kaliyev, as he has a solid offensive floor if he can find his way back onto the top line upon returning to the lineup. Sean Crocker

March 2022 – After posting one goal in his lone game in 2021, Arthur Kaliyev is starting to give returns to the Kings and fantasy owners alike. Shooting around 2.5 shots per game, the 20-year-old is showcasing his quick release that makes him dangerous and attractive to the Kings in the 2019 NHL Draft. This gives a glimpse into his upside as a high-volume shooter. He has recently been deployed in the top six playing alongside Phil Danault or Anze Kopitar. With this deployment, there may not be much standing in Kaliyev’s way in becoming a 30-goal scorer sooner rather than later. Sean Crocker

December 2020 – Named to the USA World Junior Team, Kaliyev has played top-line minutes alongside Trevor Zegras and future Kings teammate Alex Turcotte. He is up to three points in the team’s three games played but still leaves us wanting more production considering where he is playing in the lineup. Regardless, Kaliyev still has elite scoring potential and will be a great winger for Turcotte in a Kings uniform down the road. If the OHL does not have a season this year the Kings will have to see if they want to burn a year off his entry-level deal to get him experience in the AHL. Julian Mongillo

June 2020 – Although Kaliyev could not finish the 2019-2020 it did not stop him from earning a three-year entry-level deal with the Kings. The Kings add another top end talent to the teams already long list of highly touted prospects. Kaliyev will surely get a chance to make the roster next season and with the Kings lack of goal scoring ability and not many players ahead of him on the depth chart the sniper could force the teams hand into giving him a roster spot. Julian Mongillo

March 2020 – Kaliyev continued tearing up the OHL this season and was on pace to pass his goal and scoring totals from last season had it not been for the cancellation of the 2019-2020 season. In 57 games the dynamic winger has still managed to put up 44 goals and 98 points which were four points back of his previous season total with 11 fewer games played. Still only 18-years-old the forward became the Hamilton Bulldogs franchise goal leader tallying 116 goals and counting. There’s no doubt about the raw offensive talent Kaliyev possesses, and he has proved he can be a prolific goal scorer with 16 of his 44 goals coming on the power-play. The stats are hard to ignore and he is one of the best young one-way players in the game, but he will have to round out his skills to make the jump to the next level. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if the Kings gave him a look early next season at the NHL level before deciding if he should return to Junior for another year. With the right development time and growth Kaliyev could become a lethal offensive threat in the NHL for years to come. Julian Mongillo

July 2019 – After sliding into the second round in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft the Kings selected Kaliyev with the 33rd overall pick. The dynamic winger is exploding with offensive talent and has the potential to grow to be a legitimate scoring threat. He has average speed and skating ability but is very strong on his skates and along the boards. The 18-year-old has progressed well since his first season with the Hamilton Bulldogs and has especially improved by expanding his game to be more of a playmaker than a pure sniper. His quick release, accurate shot and good hands along with his awareness to exploit defensive miscues give him elite level scoring potential. The flaws in Kaliyev’s game lie in his defensive play, work ethic and compete level which will need to improve significantly to allow him to be more of a complete player at the NHL level. Still a young player moving up the ranks having just turned 18 years-old on the 26th of June there is no doubt that his bad tendencies can be ironed out with proper development and patience. Kaliyev will remain with the Hamilton Bulldogs next season where he will likely continue his torrid scoring pace and establish himself as an elite offensive weapon in the entire OHL. With the talent he possesses he could become one of the steals of the 2019 draft and carries top six forward potential at the NHL level. Julian Mongillo

June 2019 – Kaliyev has been drafted 33^rd overall by the Kings.  Jokke Nevalainen

June 2019 – Kaliyev joined an exclusive group of OHLers this past season. By recording 50 goals as a first-time draft-eligible skater, he became just the fifth player to accomplish that feat in the last 20 years, joining Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, Jeff Skinner, and Alex DeBrincat. While he may frustrate with his effort (or lack thereof) he absolutely knows what to do with the puck on his stick. He’ll be an interesting player to watch on draft day as he could go very early, or not at all on day one. Cam Robinson

June 2019 – Kaliyev was officially measured at 6-foot-2 and 194 pounds at the NHL Draft Combine.  Jokke Nevalainen

February 2019 – If you aren’t on the Kaliyev hype train just yet, it might be time to hop on. Kaliyev, has always been a pure goal scorer and has been the top player in that department all year long. He’s not the most well-rounded player, but that might not matter if he can score at the rate he does when he moves up to pro. Kaliyev should be able to finish the regular season with at least 50 goals and 100 points and had nearly 30 more points than the next highest NHL draft prospect in the OHL, Connor McMichael, by the midway point of February. By February 18th, Kaliyev had 19 points, including a five-point night against Kitchener on February 8th (the highest single-game output of his career) in what has been one of the strongest campaigns of anyone in the league. When Kaliyev gets going, the traits you notice the most in his game are the quick bursts to the net that catch defencemen off guard to score in close. He doesn’t engage in puck battles often, but his wrist shot is quick and powerful and can score often with both the forehand and the backhand. Steven Ellis

January 2019 – Kaliyev was the OHL On the Run Player of the Week for the first week of January after recording seven goals and 11 points in a four-game stretch, with three of the games producing multi-goal efforts. Kaliyev also made the NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings as the 11th-ranked North American skater, good for third among OHLers behind Thomas Harley (9th) and Ryan Suzuki (10th). Kaliyev had 13 points in January, including a pair of back-to-backs, but consistency was an issue at points. His lack of interest when it comes to engaging in battles along the boards or in physical bouts can be annoying, but it’s hard to ignore his natural scoring ability. In fact, he should have no issue being one of the top-scoring forwards overall heading into the NHL draft and is far ahead of everyone in the CHL already. Steven Ellis