Kings’ future is Madden-ing
John Gardner still laughs when describing his first impression of Tyler Madden:
“A skinny little kid,” the Connecticut prep hockey coach says.
That was five years ago, when Madden arrived at Avon Old Farms boarding school — where Gardner coaches — as a newly enrolled ninth-grader on the junior varsity team, even smaller than his current 5foot-11, 155-pound size.
His stature, however, was deceiving.
Madden quickly built up his own pedigree, making his once-uncertain long-term potential immediately clear.
“I could see his talent,” said Gardner, who once coached Kings goalie Jonathan Quick at Avon. “We put him on the varsity team at the end of the season. He was tearing up the junior varsity team.”
Thus began a path that reached a major milestone last week, when Madden, now 20 years old and counted among hockey’s most promising prospects, had his rights traded to the Kings from the Vancouver Canucks.
In the last five years, the puck-possessing, play-making centerman became the captain at Avon and excelled in the U.S. Hockey League. He was picked by the Canucks in the third round of the 2018 NHL draft and represented the U.S. in the World Junior Championships that winter. He has spent the past two seasons starring at Northeastern, tied for fourth nationally in goals this season before being sidelined by a recent thumb injury.
With the Kings, who lost to the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 on Sunday despite Anze Kopitar’s team-leading 18th goal, Madden is the newest potential piece of the franchise’s future, the biggest prospect the Kings acquired in their series of trades leading up to today’s deadline.
“[He was] upbeat, positive, excited about the opportunity with L.A.,” said Northeastern coach Jim Madigan. “He had some good conversations with L.A. leading into the draft [in 2018], so to him it made sense.”
Gardner and Madigan each lauded Madden’s trademark puck skills, but were equally impressed with the two-way development of the son of former Selke Trophy winner John Madden.
“He was always a work in progress,” Gardner said.
“The good thing about him was, there was a lot of progress. He loved the game, and he worked at it. He’s one of those guys who really wanted to be on the ice all the time.”
It’s too soon to know if Madden will sign a contract this offseason with the Kings, who entered deadline day having already completed their major moves.
Trevor Lewis and Derek Forbort are rumored as the two most-likely Kings who could be dealt. But it’s doubtful either will demand a prospect as promising as Madden in return.
“He’ll adjust to the NHL game,” said Madigan, who compared Madden to Canucks forward Adam Gaudette, a former Hobey Baker Award winner at Northeastern. “Certainly the offensive part is his calling card, but he’ll adjust to being more thorough — and he’s thorough already for us — but he’ll understand he’s not going to have that latitude that we give him. He’ll adapt his game.”