How Arthur Kaliyev slid to the Kings in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, I will never know. It’s easy to say that after his world juniors performance, but he’s also in the middle of an OHL season that can’t be ignored.



Each of the other 30 teams passed over Kaliyev during last June’s draft. Some did so twice. Time will ultimately tell, but there’s a solid case to be made that at least 15 of them made a mistake in passing on Kaliyev. In a tournament in which fellow Team USA sniper Cole Caufield received all the attention going in, Kaliyev’s scoring made a lasting impression.



Similar to his world juniors running mate Trevor Zegras, Kaliyev was slotted in a bottom-six role to begin the tournament. He was the 13th man to be exact, meaning he wasn’t technically on a line but dressed as the extra skater, which is allowed per international rules. Kaliyev played fewer than nine minutes in the first game and just over 10 minutes...