KINGS NOTES...
By Gann Matsuda
6-29-00 On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have signed restricted free agent left wing Craig Johnson to a multi-year contract. Financial terms and conditions of the deal were not disclosed. Johnson, 28, scored 9 goals and added 14 assists for 23 points in 76 games in mostly a defensive role for the Kings. In 261 career games with the Kings, he has 42 goals and 54 assists for 96 points to go along with 134 penalty minutes. In 325 career NHL games with the Kings and Blues, Johnson, who was St. Louis' second-round choice (33rd overall) in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, has scored 53 goals and added 64 assists for 117 points and 170 penalty minutes. The 6-2, 197 pound left wing was acquired by the Kings on February 27, 1996, from the St. Louis Blues with Patrice Tardif, Roman Vopat and the Blues first-round choice (Matt Zultek) in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft for Wayne Gretzky. - - - - - - - - Dave Taylor is probably busy at work right now, checking his lists...at least twice, as the next phase of the summer project of improving the Los Angeles Kings begins on Saturday when NHL teams can sign free agents. While rumors abound regarding the Kings' possible interest in Philadelphia Flyers' center Eric Lindros, you can bet a bundle that the Kings will not go after any restricted free agents unless a trade is made, the Kings will probably go after at least one unrestricted free agent. But whom? Given the Kings' needs to upgrade their third and fourth lines, the Kings may be looking at players such as Montreal's Shayne Corson (center), Dallas' Brian Skrudland (center) and New Jersey's Claude Lemieux (right wing). The Kings showed interest in Corson near the trade deadline back in March because of his leadership and grit. He could definitely bring some size and physical play to a third or fourth-line center position. But Corson is trying to reach an agreement to stay in Montreal. "We had a good meeting, said Rick Curran, Corson's agent said about his meeting with the Canadiens. "They gave us some things to think about." "Shayne's got to take some time to think about it and weigh his options," added Curran. "They're expecting us to come back with a response to their proposal before midnight Friday." Skrudland brings a solid resume and has won the Stanley Cup more than once and the same goes for Lemieux, a clutch player in the post-season. All of these players are character players, something the Kings could use more of and would be upgrades from their current third and fourth-liners. Other players who might interest the Kings could be St. Louis left wing Tyson Nash, who would certainly bring a physical presence and a mean streak to any team and New York Rangers' defenseman Kevin Hatcher.6-28-00 On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have exercised their contract option on center Bob Corkum. Terms and conditions of the contract were not disclosed. Corkum, 32, played in 45 games with the Kings last season, scoring five goals and six assists for 11 points and 14 penalty minutes after signing with the club as an unrestricted free agent on December 28, 1999. In a defensive/checking role, Corkum was the Kings' best face-off man last season. A nine-year NHL veteran, the 6-0, 222-pound Corkum has 87 goals and 91 assists for 178 points and 239 penalty minutes in 570 career games with the Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. A four-year letterman while at the University of Maine, Corkum was originally drafted by the Sabres in the third round (47th overall) of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft. 
6-26-00 Late Monday, the Los Angeles Kings issued the following statement as a result of the intense media scrutiny regarding their reported interest in Philadelphia Flyers' center Eric Lindros: "After receiving authorization from the Philadelphia Flyers, I telephoned Eric Lindros today and we had a very good discussion," said Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "While I understand that there is a high degree of media interest in Eric's future, it would be inappropriate for me to make any additional comment, or to provide any further update regarding possible future discussions with Eric, the Lindros Family or the Flyers." 6-25-00 On Sunday, the NHL completed rounds four through nine of the 200 Entry Draft and the Los Angeles Kings had a busy day, selecting eight players and making a trade. In the fourth round, the Kings selected defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky (118th overall). Visnovsky, 23, played in 52 games last season with Bratislava of the Slovakian Elite League. The 5-10, 180-pounder from Topolcany, Slovakia, registered 21 goals and 24 assists for 45 points and 38 penalty minutes. According to the EUROREPORT, "Lubomir Visnovsky has been the most productive defenseman in the Slovak Extraleague over the last few seasons," and "Visnovsky has blossomed into a dangerous two-way defenseman." The EUROREPORT has an interview with Visnovsky at: http://www.euroreport.com/9900slovakia/0403visn.html (Thanks to Brent Fung for that URL). "Visnovsky is a smaller, skilled defenseman who played on the Championship team this year in Bratislava," Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor said. "He has good skating ability, he moves the puck well and he likes to jump into the offense." Sounds like another Frantisek Kaberle... The following are the Kings remaining selections: Fifth Round: Nathan Marsters, Goalie (165th overall pick); 6-4, 195 pounds; played at Chilliwack (BCHL). In fifteen games (825 minutes), he had a 3.65 GAA. Sixth Round: No selection Seventh Round: Evgeni Fedorov, center (201st overall) from Molot Perm (Russian Elite League). 5-10, 187 pounds. In 37 games, he scored five goals and five assists for ten points; Tim Eriksson, center (206th overall) from Frolunda (Swedish Junior League). 5-9, 161 pounds. In 36 games, he scored 16 goals and added 25 assists for 41 points; Craig Olynick, defenseman (218th overall), from Seattle (WHL). 6-1, 185 pounds. In 65 games, he scored a goal and 9 assists for ten points while racking up 120 penalty minutes. Eighth Round: Dan Welch, right wing (245th overall) from the University of Minnesota (WCHA). 5-11, 195 pounds. In 36 games, he scored 6 goals and 8 assists for 14 points; Slavien Conne, center (250th overall) from Fribourg-Gotteron (Swiss National League). 5-10, 176 pounds. In 44 games, he scored 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points. Ninth Round: Carl Grahn, goalie (282nd overall) from Kalpa (Finnish Juniors). 5-10, 176 pounds. In 20 games, he had a 3.35 GAA. In addition to the above draft picks, the Kings were involved in some trades. The Kings sent two of their four, fifth round picks (156th and 157th overall) to the Ottawa Senators for Ottawa's fourth-round choice (118th overall, which was used to pick Visnovsky. One of the Kings' two, fifth round picks (157th overall) was a compensatory draft pick from the Vancouver Canucks for their signing of defenseman Doug Bodger last summer. A third, fifth round pick for the Kings (151st overall) was sent to the Washington Capitals for two seventh-round picks (201st and 206th overall), which the Kings used to select Fedorov and Erikkson, respectively. The draft choice the Kings sent to Washington was a compensatory pick from the Atlanta Thrashers for their signing of center Ray Ferraro last summer. Also, the Chicago Blackhawks exercised their option on the Kings' fourth round pick (117th overall) to complete their May 1 trade in which the Kings acquired goalie Steve Passmore. The Kings' selection of Masters (165th overall) in the fourth round completes their March 23, 1999 trade with the Philadelphia Flyers that sent defenseman Steve Duchesne to the Flyers and defenseman Dave Babych to the Kings. The Kings' selection of Welch in the eighth round concludes their trade with Buffalo that sent winger Vladimir Tsyplakov to the Sabres on January 24, 2000. The Kings had no sixth round selection because it was traded to Detroit for goalie Ryan Bach on October 22, 1998. 6-24-00 The Los Angeles Kings selected two forwards and a defenseman in the first three round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft at Calgary on Saturday. In the first round, the Kings had the twentieth selection and picked left wing Alexander Frolov. Frolov, who turned 18 on Sunday, is 6-3 and weighs 191 pounds. He ranked seventh among Europeans in the Central Scouting Bureau's final rankings. CSB says that Frolov is an excellent skater with very good straight-away speed. He has very strong puck handling skills and is very effective controlling the puck along the boards and in the offensive zone. Frolov is reportedly a strong competitor and a natural scorer with good hockey sense. He is a finesse player and a good two-way player who is aware of his defensive responsibilities. Frolov played in the under-18 World Championships this season, helping Russia win the SIlver Medal with five goals and an assist in six games. Frolov also recorded three goals in four games in the Five Nations Tournament. Frolov appeared in 36 games last year with Yaroslavl 2 of the Russian Division 2 League, where he recorded 27 goals and 13 assists for 40 points and 30 penalty minutes. "Alexander Frolov brings a little bit of everything to the table," said Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "He has very good size, he is a good skater and he has scoring ability when he gets in tight around the net. He also has a good long reach and he sees the ice well. We really like the complete package that we see in Alexander." HOCKEYSFUTURE.COM says that Frolov is "...a natural goal scorer who can put up some great numbers...solid pick!" This would appear to be an excellent pick for the Kings, especially with the twentieth pick in the draft. In the second round, the Kings selected defenseman Andreas Lilja 54th overall. Lilja played at Malmo in the Swedish Elite League. Lilja, 24, is 6-3 and weighs 215 pounds. In 49 games last season, he scored eight goals and eleven assists for 19 points to go along with 88 penalty minutes. "Andreas Lilja is a little bit of an older player at 24 about to turn 25, and he has good size and he is physical," Taylor explained. "He also moves the puck well and has a chance to crack our lineup next year." With their third round pick, the Kings selected center Yanick Lehoux, who played at Drakkar de Baie-Comeau in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; 86th overall pick). Lehoux, 18, is a shade over 5-11 and weighs 170 pounds. He is a right-hand shot. "Yanick Lehoux brings a lot of speed and skill," Taylor said. "He is a strong forward prospect for our organization." Lehoux was ranked 35th by CSB. CSB Scouting Report: "A natural skater with a smooth stride...impressive agility and acceleration...an excellent puck handler when in motion...has very strong passing skills...a creative playmaker who makes good use of his linemates...has a quick, accurate wrist shot...always an offensive threat... ery effective on the power play and has been increasingly used on the penalty-kill...possesses good on-ice leadership qualities...needs to be more involved in the physical game." HOCKEYSFUTURE.COM reports that Lehoux participated in the 2000 NHL/CHL Top Prospects Game, tallying an assist for Team Cherry and finished third in scoring for Baie-Comeau (27th in the league). He also won a Silver Medal with Team Quebec in the 1999 Canada Games and won the Guy Lafleur Trophy for outstanding on-ice and scholastic achievement. HOCKEYSFUTURE.COM has a detailed profile and background information on Lehoux at: http://www.hockeysfuture.com/2000DraftCenter/2000Yanick Lehoux.html HOCKEYSFUTURE.COM's synopsis regarding Lehoux: "Yanick Lehoux is a pure offensive center who's defensive game is improving. He could survive on a bigger, stronger hockey level like the NHL, but if he wants to do more than just survive and be really effective, Lehoux will have to keep filling up his 6-0 frame and especially try to improve his upper-body strength. Lehoux was weighting 152 pounds when Baie-Comeau drafted him in 98, and now he's 168, but its still not enough for him to impose himself in the NHL. However, there are no doubts that he has the talent to produce offensive numbers at a higher level. He's a dangerous combination of speed and instinct. When carrying the puck, he has a sort of head-first attitude, a bit like Pavel Bure, that'll allow him to pierce the opponent's defense and take a shot or pass to an open linemate. Wither or not Lehoux can shine in the NHL resides in his ability to improve his strength and adapt to bigger, more mobile defensemen that are less likely to give him room to skate freely. Lehoux will also have to learn to be more patient and temper his impulsiveness. If Lehoux can improve those aspects of his game, he'll surely be an offensive threat in the NHL." Lehoux's stats: Year Team GM G A PTS PIM ---------------------------------------------- 1998-99 Baie-Comeau 63 10 20 30 31 1999-00 Baie-Comeau 67 31 61 92 14 Round 4-9 will be completed on Sunday. 6-23-00 Hold onto your hats, folks...here comes a bit of a shocker... On Friday, the NHL held the expansion draft to stock the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild expansion clubs who will join the league in the 2000-2001 season. As expected, the Los Angeles Kings lost defenseman Sean O'Donnell, who was selected by Minnesota. But here's the shocker...the Wild also selected left wing Steve McKenna, who did little more than take up a roster spot last season in Los Angeles. The Kings will miss O'Donnell on the blue line, along with his fighting ability. The Kings also lose McKenna's size, but he has always been a player who did not play as "big" as he is. Many speculated that left wing Craig Johnson would be selected by Minnesota, because Johnson is from that state and has good speed. Johnson's stock rose a bit during the playoffs, when he played his best games of the season. Los Angeles Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor held a telephone news conference regarding the NHL Expansion Draft late Friday. Fortunately, it was pushed back to 4:00 PM PDT, so I was able to listen in. Taylor said that Kings were disappointed about losing defenseman Sean O'Donnell and left wing Steve McKenna to the Minnesota Wild. "We're disappointed," he said. "Both players are excellent character players, but they will be welcome additions to the Wild. It's disappointing when you lose players who have been with you for so many years." "O'Donnell has been with us for six years and we hate to see him move on. He brought a lot of character and physical play to our team. He also brought leadership to our club. But we will have an opportunity to replace him." The Kings did try to make deals with both Minnesota and the Columbus Blue Jackets in an attempt to protect O'Donnell. "Without getting into the specifics, we made offers to both teams in an effort to protect O'Donnell," Taylor said. "We made pretty fair offers to both teams, but they decided to go in different directions." With the loss of O'Donnell, the Kings have a hole in their defensive corps to fill. "It leaves us with some holes on defense," Taylor explained. "But we will have Phillipe Boucher back at 100% for training camp and Jaroslav Modry played very well in a limited role last year. But we will look at our options in the amateur draft, free agency and possibly a trade." Taylor also commented on O'Donnell's character and leadership. "Because [O'Donnell] had been with the Kings for so long and particularly with some of our core players, when players spend as many years together as these guys have, they become close friends," Taylor added. "But those guys are professionals. We have a lot of character in our locker room, so I don't think that will be a problem for us. We have a lot of quality people in our room, so I don't think that will be a problem." The Kings may also need to bring in a tough guy, either from their prospects or via free agency or a trade. "We'll certainly be discussing this in the next few weeks and in the free agent market, they should be some players available," Taylor said. "I think the game is moving towards speed and skill," Taylor added, deemphasizing the need for an enforcer. "At the same time, it's nice to have that physical presence in your lineup. But if we feel that we need more toughness in the lineup, we can certainly address that." The Kings made the decision quite some time ago to protect both of their goalies, Stephane Fiset and Jamie Storr, forcing them to leave O'Donnell unprotected. "We made that decision early on," Taylor said. "Goaltending is such an important position. We have a couple of quality goaltenders who are in their prime. Jamie Storr still has a very good upside. Once we made that decision, we could only protect three defensemen. We're fortunate that Jere Karalahti is a first-year pro, so he was exempt." Taylor explained that keeping Storr and Fiset was their primary goal for the expansion draft. "It leaves us very strong in net without question," Taylor said. "Acquiring Steve Passmore gave us the ability to protect both Jamie Storr and Stephane Fiset, so we accomplished what we wanted in the expansion draft, which was to come through it with our goaltending intact." Taylor was surprised that McKenna was selected. "I thought we had some pretty good forwards exposed, some players with skill, some players with speed," Taylor explained. "But when you look at the draft list, some teams are looking for toughness and character. Those are qualities that Steve McKenna brings to the table and he has an affordable contract." Taylor was also mildly surprised that forward prospect Pavel Rosa was not selected. "[I was] a little bit [surprised]," Taylor said. "Pavel has had some pretty good seasons down in Long Beach. He's very close to playing in the NHL." As for this weekend's amateur draft, Taylor told reporters that he feels that the Kings are in good shape. "We have a pick in [each of the first three rounds]," Taylor said. We also have a couple of compensatory picks in the fifth round and that gives us four selections in the fifth round overall. We also have picks in the fourth, seventh and two in the eighth round. Eleven picks total." Chicago has the option on the Kings' fourth round pick and they could use it this year or next. If they don't, the Kings will have twelve picks in the draft. "We like a number of players that are higher than 20th (the Kings select 20th) and we feel pretty confident that some of them could fall back to us in the 20th spot," Taylor said. "There doesn't seem to be a lot of consensus here about the top end of the prospect list this year." Late Friday, the Los Angeles Kings released the following statement regarding the loss of defenseman Sean O'Donnell and left wing Steve McKenna to the Minnesota Wild in the NHL Expansion Draft: "We wish the best of luck to both Sean and Steve," Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor said. "We feel that they are both quality players and individuals who brought a lot of character and leadership to our club. Expansion and the expansion draft are a part of the process, and in terms of making a deal we felt that we made both teams fair offers, but they elected to go in a different direction. We made the decision to protect two goalies a while ago. Therefore, we accomplished our primary goal in coming through the draft with having our goaltending, with both Stephane Fiset and Jamie Storr in particular, still intact." 6-22-00 SPORTSTICKER is reporting today that Anschutz Properties, owners of the Los Angeles Kings, along with SMG, a Philadelphia-based facility management company, has purchased an expansion team in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The team will play at the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania and will be one of three expansion teams that will join the ECHL in the 2001-2002 season. There has been no word on the role this minor league team might play in the Kings' development of young prospects. 6-15-00 On Thursday, the Hockey Hall of Fame named Los Angeles Kings' television play-by-play announcer Bob Miller as the 2000 recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award. This award, which is selected by the NHL Professional Broadcaster's Association, recognizes those members of the radio and television industry who have made outstanding contributions to their profession and the game during their career in hockey broadcasting. Miller, the long-time "Voice of the Kings," has broadcast more than 2,300 Kings' games since 1973 and will enter his 28th season this fall. Miller has received numerous accolades in recent years, most notably on January 31, 1998, when he was honored for 25 years of service to the Kings. He was given a lifetime contract with the Kings and was honored by fellow Los Angeles broadcasting legends, Vin Scully and Chick Hearn. The press box at Staples Center is also named after Miller, who is also one of the six inaugural members of the Kings Hall of Fame. Way to go, Bob! 6-14-00 On Wednesday, the American Hockey League (AHL) announced that the NHL's Los Angeles Kings have purchased an AHL franchise that will play in Manchester, New Hampshire. This franchise previously owned by Manchester Hockey Group LLC, a group led by Howard Baldwin. The Manchester team will play at the Manchester Civic Center, which is currently under construction and will seat 10,000 fans. "We are proud to welcome the Los Angeles Kings as a partner in our League," said David Andrews, AHL President and CEO. "The City of Manchester and its outstanding new arena will be strong additions to the American Hockey League and their partnership with the Kings assures New Hampshire hockey fans of a high standard of play, outstanding management, and a strong commitment to the community." Manchester will be the Kings' primary development team in the 2001-2002 season, when they will begin play. "We view the AHL as the top developmental League for NHL prospects," said Dave Taylor, Kings Senior Vice President and General Manger. "The level of play and competitive environment is the perfect training ground for our young developing talent. More as I hear it... Sacha Terrill reports on www.faceoff.com that the Kings offered defenseman Garry Galley a $1 million contract for next season but that Galley, who earned $1.8 million this past season, turned it down. Galley, who will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, is likely to test the free agent market. Various reports indicate that Kings' assistant coach Dave Tippett is among those who have been (or will be) interviewed for the head coaching jobs with the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild. Others in the running: Detroit Red Wings assistant Dave Lewis, Buffalo Sabres assistant Don Lever, New York Rangers assistant John Tortorella, Colorado Avalanche assistant Bryan Trottier, former Calgary head coach Dave King and former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Kevin Constantine. 6-13-00 On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Kings released their protected/unprotected lists for the NHL Expansion Draft on June 23. PROTECTED ========= Kelly Buchberger - F Ian Laperriere - F Glen Murray - F Zigmund Palffy - F Luc Robitaille - F Bryan Smolinski - F Jozef Stumpel - F Aki Berg - D Rob Blake - D Mattias Norstrom - D Stephane Fiset - G Jamie Storr - G UNPROTECTED =========== Eric Belanger - F Dan Bylsma - F Bob Corkum - F Allan Egeland - F Nelson Emerson - F Craig Johnson - F Nathan Lafayette - F Steve McKenna - F Igor Melyakov - F Jason Morgan - F Jason Podollan - F Pavel Rosa - F Mikael Simons - F John Thomas - F Jukka Tiilikainen - F Marko Tuomainen - F Juha Vuorivirta - F Magnus Wernblom - F Philippe Boucher - D Rich Brennan - D Garry Galley - D Dave MacIsaac - D Jaroslav Modry - D Jan Nemecek - D Sean O'Donnell - D Martin Strebak - D Marcel Cousineau - G Michael O'Neill - G Steve Passmore - G Travis Scott - G Defenseman Jere Karalahti, left wing Jason Blake and right wing Brad Chartrand have not been in the pros long enough to require protection for the expansion draft. 6.12.00 On Monday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have signed left wing Tomas Vlasak to a contract. Terms and conditions of the contract were not disclosed. Vlasak, 25, was the Kings' 5th round selection (120th overall) in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Vlasak, who is 5-11 and weighs 185-pounds, played in 48 games during the 1999-00 season with HPK of the Finnish Elite League where he scored 24 goals and added 39 assists for 63 points, which was the fourth best in the League. He is expected to report to the Kings training camp in September. 6.8.00 On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have signed restricted free agent defenseman Joe Corvo to a two-year contract. Terms and conditions of the contract were not disclosed. Corvo, 22, failed to reach an agreement with the Kings on a contract last season and did not play this season. In the 1998-99 season, Corvo, who is 6-1 and weighs 205 pounds, scored five goals and added 15 assists for 20 points and 32 penalty munites in 50 games with the Springfield Falcons of the AHL. Last season was Corvo's first pro season after playing NCAA hockey at Western Michigan University. The Kings also announced that they have exercised team contract options on left wing Steve McKenna and defenseman Jaroslav Modry. 6.7.00 Various reports state that Los Angeles Kings' defenseman Jan Nemecek, who played last season with the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the IHL, aside from one game with the Kings, has signed a contract with the Nuremberg Ice Tigers in the top hockey league in Germany, the DEL. Nemecek, 24, was drafted by the Kings in 1994 (seventh choice in the ninth round, 215th overall), has appeared in just seven games in the Kings' uniform. Nemecek's contract with the Ice Tigers will allow him to return to the NHL if he gets an acceptable offer from an NHL team prior to July 30. 6.1.00 Late Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have signed junior hockey prospects Kip Brennan and Joe Rullier to multi-year contracts. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. Brennan, 19, played in 55 games with the Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League. The left winger scored 16 goals and added 16 assists for 32 points and led the team with 228 penalty minutes (third in the OHL). Brennan, who is 6-4 and weighs 196 pounds, was drafted by the Kings in the fourth round (103rd overall) in the 1998 draft. In 142 OHL games, Brennan has 25 goals and 38 assists for 63 points and 578 penalty minutes. Rullier, 20, played for the Rimouski Oceanics in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the 2000 Memorial Cup Champion. The 6-3, 200 pound defenseman scored three goals and contributed 32 assists for 35 points while racking up 161 penalty minutes in 49 regular season games. In 11 Memorial Cup Tournament games, Rullier scored two goals and added three assists for five points and 24 penalty minutes. He led his team in +/- ratings with a plus 12. In three seasons at Rimouski, Rullier has 13 goals and 69 assists for 82 points and 563 penalty minutes in 199 games. Rullier was drafted by the Kings in the fifth round (133rd overall) of the 1998 draft. The Kings also announced that their 2000 training camp will open on September 4, 2000 at the HealthSouth Training Center in El Segundo.
