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| Los Angeles Kings Fan Site | February 8, 2010 |
| 6-30-06 | |
| On Friday, the Los Angeles Kings exercised their one-year team contract option on left wing Jeff Cowan.
Cowan, 30, scored eight goals and one assist for nine points with 73 penalty minutes in 46 games last season. Cowan misssed 28 games last season with various injuries. | |
| 6-30-06 | |
| The Los Angeles Kings and the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), headed by Philip Anschutz and Tim Leiweke, the entertainment and real estate conglomerate that owns the Kings, sure have a lot of nerve.
On Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Kings will be raising season ticket prices by an average of 7.5% (see Kings To Raise Ticket Prices). Prices for individual game tickets will be announced later this summer, but it is a foregone conclusion that those prices will rise as well. This is yet another mistake by a franchise known for making more than its share of bad decisions over its nearly forty-year history. One example is their trading away one first-round draft pick after another (a practice that for all intents and purposes did not change significantly until 2000), only to see the other team use the pick to select players who would become, at the very least, solid National Hockey League players. The most notable could-have-been-Kings are likely Hall-Of-Fame defenseman Phil Housley and goalie Tom Barrasso. And then there was superstar defenseman Raymond Bourque, who went to Boston with the eighth pick in the 1979 NHL Entry Draft--one that belonged to the Kings--after the Kings traded that pick to the Bruins for goalie Ron Grahame. Speaking of bad decisions, in the 1984 draft, the Kings wasted a fourth-round pick (69th overall) on Major League pitching great Tom Glavine, who had stated that he was a virtual lock to choose baseball over hockey. Even more laughable, the Kings selected him ahead of future Hall-Of-Fame left wing Luc Robitaille, who was a ninth-round pick (171st overall). Without a doubt, the Kings have made quite a few monumental blunders over the years that have hurt them dearly. So much so that they would likely have had much greater success--maybe even winning the Stanley Cup. To be fair, the Kings have made numerous solid player personnel decisions over the years, and they have made good decisions off the ice as well. One of those decisions came last season when the NHL returned after the lockout. As a way of thanking fans for sticking with them and enticing those disgruntled with the NHL and its labor strife, the Kings lowered ticket prices across the board for season seat holders and froze prices on individual game tickets. This was one of the Kings' big announcements at an obviously made-for-television "press conference" that was aimed far more at their fans than the media. "We have the most passionate and loyal fans in the National Hockey League and our goal is to continue to provide them with affordable ticket prices," said then-Kings Chief Executive Officer Tim Leiweke. "We intend to be in the bottom third in ticket prices going forward," said Leiweke. And when the NHL finally returned to the ice, the Kings, like most teams in the league, enjoyed increased attendance figures. Lowering ticket prices for last season clearly was the right move. But now the Kings have gone back into blunder mode. Although it is not on the same level as their biggest blunders, raising ticket prices for the 2006-07 season is another mistake. Indeed, raising ticket prices is the wrong move after a season where the team self-destructed on the ice and off and wound up out of playoff contention for the third consecutive season, once again disappointing their long-suffering fans who had been promised much more by Leiweke prior to the start of the 2005-06 season. And in light of what appears to be rather a dismal outlook for the immediate future, this decision could not be more ill-conceived. To be sure, the Kings are in a major rebuilding mode, as their trade of forward Pavol Demitra, their leading scorer and best player, to the Minnesota Wild indicates. The Kings are cutting salary and it looks like they will be relying mostly on young, inexperienced players with a few veterans and possibly some cheaper unrestricted free agents who they can sign beginning tomorrow (July 1, 2006). That formula certainly does not add up to a playoff team, let alone a Stanley Cup contender in 2006-07. Rather, it adds up to what will likely be another long, disheartening season for Kings' fans. Although the Kings do need to build from the ground up as they are doing in order to build a Cup contender for the long-term, it is fairly obvious that the 2006-07 season is likely to be a struggle, at the very least. The product on the ice will be lacking in terms of skill and talent, and will probably be tough to watch at times. Fans are being asked to pay MORE to watch that? And regarding the message this sends to the Kings' loyal fans, the question is: Do the Kings and AEG really care? Not likely. After all, given the fact that they set new attendance records last season, the Kings and AEG know they can make this move because the fans will continue to fill the seats at Staples Center anyway. Although the Kings under President and General Manager Dean Lombardi are likely making the right moves in terms of rebuilding the on-ice talent, they are clearly making the wrong move in asking Kings' fans to pay more for what is likely to be a lot less. That being the case, unless the Kings make moves to dramatically improve the team this off-season, they certainly do have a lot of nerve. | |
| 6-29-06 | |
| Late Thursday, Kingshockey.com learned that the Los Angeles Kings gave qualifying offers to seven restricted free agents.
Forwards Sean Avery, Eric Belanger, Dustin Brown and Michael Cammalleri, along with defensemen Tim Gleason and Mike Weaver, and goalie Mathieu Garon all received qualifying offers. | |
| 6-24-06 | |
| DRAFT DAY: LOMBARDI ERA STARTS WITH A B-O-O-M! (UPDATED 9:30 PM PDT, 06/25/06)
by Gann Matsuda Over the last thirteen years, Las Vegas has seen one new mega-resort after another come up in place of resorts of days long past. Indeed, the Las Vegas Strip has seen the Dunes, Sands, Hacienda, Aladdin, and the Desert Inn fall victim to spectacular implosions, to be replaced by the Bellagio, Venetian, Luxor, the new Aladdin, and the Wynn. Even the venerable Stardust will be blown up sometime after November, 2006 to make room for an even larger meta-resort. Although explosives will not be used, the Los Angeles Kings are unmistakably following the lead of Las Vegas casino owners. No, they will not be imploding Staples Center. But Kings President and General Manager Dean Lombardi has begun the process of blowing up his team and replacing it with a new one. That became all too clear on Saturday, when the National Hockey League held its annual Entry Draft in Vancouver. After the Kings selected Jonathan Bernier, the top-ranked North American goalie in the first round (11th overall), Lombardi sent forward Pavol Demitra, their best player in the 2005-06 season, to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for the 17th pick in Saturday's draft and center prospect Patrick O'Sullivan, the top prospect in the Wild organization. The Kings suffered an implosion of their own in the latter half of the 2005-06 season, plummeting in the standings due to internal problems and other serious issues. They finished their less-than-dismal season out of the playoffs. Knowing that they are not close to being a Stanley Cup contender and having a roster that was very thin up front in terms of legitimate scoring threats going into the 2005-06 season, Lombardi clearly felt that it was time to blow up the team and start over. "This move was made to get younger players in a critical age group that I have feel needs to be upgraded before this franchise gets on solid footing," said Lombardi. "We have evaluated the last couple of days, and this was a decision that was difficult to make, but the reality is that structurally, our reserve list needs to be upgraded in certain areas and we have to make deals like this." "Obviously, we're giving up an established player in Pavol Demitra, a very good player," added Lombardi. "But in order to set this franchise up for being something structurally sound, I felt we had to make a move such as this and acquire more young assets." "We can continue puttering around, trying to be just good enough, or we can make some moves like this which might hurt short term, but hopefully pay off down the road." But the Kings had their eye on specific young assets as well. "In order to make that deal, we had to get the two players we wanted," Lombardi explained. "We weren't making the deal unless we got those two players." Despite the fact that the Kings chose to rebuild, evidently, it was not their first choice. In fact, it appears that they were hoping to add talent to fill the gaping holes in their roster and try to build a team that could be a Cup contender rather quickly. Indeed, over the last week, the Kings were consistently being named as one of the top teams in the running for then-Florida Panthers star goalie Roberto Luongo. The Kings were rumored to be offering wingers Alexander Frolov and Dustin Brown, and goalie Mathieu Garon in exchange. But according to sources, the Kings bowed out of the wheeling and dealing when they determined that there was no way Luongo, who is in the final year of his contract, would sign a new, multi-year deal--he will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2006-07 season. "With what we have to do with this franchise, it would have been impossible for us to take Roberto on a one-year deal," said Lombardi. "So to take that deal, it just didn't make a lot of sense for us considering the direction we want to go." Once the Kings determined that acquiring a franchise goalie was not going to happen, they went ahead with Plan B. Blow it up and rebuild. "It's very difficult, but it depends on your philosophy and where we have to go," said Lombardi. "And that's what the difficult thing the past few weeks has been--to define what we are and how we want to get to the top, and unfortunately, you have to make moves like this and try and get some young players." The Kings used the 17th pick in the draft obtained in the deal to select center Trevor Lewis. "The move that our new GM orchestrated helps us get a guy that we are very excited about," said Kings Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting Grant Sonier. "He's been compared to a Rod Brind'Amour-type player. We like his character and he is a top-end skater." "Obviously, there has been a switch of players with Patrick O'Sullivan coming to us for Pavol Demitra," added Sonier. "Patrick O'Sullivan just came off his rookie season in the American Hockey League, where he scored 47 goals and was third in the league in scoring. To give the fans an idea of what that means, he's outscored Michael Cammalleri in his rookie year. So we've gotten ourselves a good player." The deal also wiped Demitra's $4.5 million salary off the Kings' books for next season, clearing space under the salary cap. "Part of the deal that's attractive is picking up a kid like Patrick O'Sullivan, who is tremendously talented and has already proven that he can play at a high level in the minors," said Lombardi. "His play this year in the minors for a player born in 1985 was pretty special. He's a talented kid and we picked up another first-round choice where we drafted Lewis. Another component of this trade is that we cleared some cap space." One of the key re-building blocks will be O'Sullivan, who was the Wild's second round pick (56th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. O'Sullivan, 21, played for the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League last season, scoring 47 goals and 46 assists good for 93 points in 78 games, earning the AHL's Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award as the Rookie of the Year. Prior to joining the Aeros, O'Sullivan played four seasons for Mississauga of the Ontario Hockey League, leading the Ice Dogs in scoring in three of his four seasons with the team and last season, matching the most points by any AHL rookie since 1994-95. He also scored at least thirty goals in each season, reaching a high of 43 goals in the 2003-04 season. He was also the Canadian Hockey League Rookie of the Year in the 2001-02 season. O'Sullivan, who is 5-11 and weighs 195 pounds, also represented the United States in the World Junior Championships three times, scoring six goals with eight assists good for 14 points in 20 games. "I think he's elevated his game in the AHL," Houston head coach Rob Daum, told minorleaguenews.com. "We need for him to continue to do that. But things will get tougher. He's going to have to continue to excel offensively, but he's going to be consistent and solid defensively, too because your [scoring] numbers are only going to take you so far." Lombardi is hopeful that O'Sullivan is ready to make the jump to the NHL. "I think we got a real good one in Patrick O'Sullivan who might be able to come in and play for us right away." For more information on O'Sullivan, please check out the following: Patrick O'Sullivan Player Profile from Hockeysfuture.com Q & A WIth Patrick O'Sullivan (2004) from Hockeysfuture.com O'Sullivan OK With Playing For Team USA KINGS DRAFT ROUNDUP When the ice chips settled on draft day, the Kings wound up with nine picks and they seemed to be quite pleased with their selections. "Very successful and a actually a little better than we expected to come out," said Kings Director of Amateur Scouting Al Murray. "It's a terrific day for us. We've added some pieces into the organization. A great young goalkeeper, and a tremendous center to come along with Anze Kopitar. So right off the bat, when the first round goes good, the rest of the day seems to roll for you and we thought today rolled pretty good." FIRST ROUND - Jonathan Bernier (11th overall) Goalie 6-0, 177 pounds. Glove Hand: Left. Born: August 7, 1988. Birthplace: Laval, Quebec. Ranked #1 among North American goalies by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau (CSB). Last season, Bernier, 17, played in 54 regular season games for Lewiston of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), earning a 27-26-0 record with a 2.70 goals-against average (GAA), a .908 save percentage and two shutouts. In six playoff games, Bernier was 2-4 with a 2.84 GAA and a .914 save percentage. Bernier also played in the 2006 CHL Top Prospects Game and represented Canada in the 2006 Under-18 World Championships, the 2005 Under-18 World Championships and the 2005 Under-18 Junior World Cup. He also played for Team Quebec in the 2004 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge. "This is an unbelievable goaltender with great skill," said Lewiston head coach Clement Jodoin. "Jonathan was the top-ranked goaltender by us all year long," said Murray. "He started off that way in August, and he carried on that way through the whole season. He was the top-ranked goaltender by Central Scouting all year long." "He's not necessarily a butterfly goalie," added Murray. "He does stand up. I don't want to tell people that he's Martin Brodeur, but think Martin Brodeur when you think style-wise. He's very quick side-to-side and very agile. His biggest strength is that he can get side-to-side and the puck hits him." "We have Bill Ranford who we're talking to. Bill had been a goalie consultant with the Canadian World Junior Under-18 teams, and Bill had a chance to work with him and he spoke very highly of him." CSB on Bernier: "A very strong skater with excellent balance...has both quick reactions and recovery...has very quick feet and pads with excellent, controlled lateral movements...very good post-to-post...does a good job of blocking a pass from behind the net...very good angles and net coverage...challenges at the top of the crease and square to the shooter...good rebound control deflecting shots out of danger with his stick and blocker...uses paddle down technique on wrap around attempts...goes behind the net well to stop the puck on dump ins and is smart at moving it...communicates well with his defense...does a very good job of reading and reacting to the play...has an excellent well balanced butterfly stance...shows excellent determination...very solid and strong in the crease...battles hard for any loose pucks and holds his ground when players cut hard to the net...very quick recovery to get set for a rebound opportunity...very aggressive and competes hard...very confident and doesn't get rattled...capable of making big saves to keep his team in the game or to hold a lead." "I like Bernier and I like putting a good, young goaltender in our system," said Lombardi. "We have some areas on defense that we are working on and a goaltender is a big key to that." "We believed that we need to have more depth at that position and Jonathan has proven to be just an exceptional goaltender within his peer group," said Sonier. "After watching tape of all the games this year, we just think there is great upside to this kid." "Our reserve list lacks depth on defense," said Lombardi. "I like some of the guys we now have in that age group and we can watch them grow together. Putting a top goaltender prospect in the mix with a forward like Anze Kopitar will only help the Kings going forward." For more on Bernier: Top 30 Draft Prospects (scroll down to Bernier) Jonathan Bernier Player Profile from Los Angeles Kings Draft Coverage (scroll down to Bernier) FIRST ROUND - Trevor Lewis (17th overall; from Minnesota) Center. 6-1, 192 pounds. Shoots: Left. Born: January 7, 1987. Birthplace: Salt Lake City, Utah. Ranked #30 among North American skaters by CSB. Lewis, 19, played in 56 regular season games for Des Moines of the United States Hockey League (USHL) this past season, scoring 35 goals and 40 assists for 75 points with 69 penalty minutes. In eleven playoff games, he scored three goals and 13 assists for 16 points with a +9 rating. Lewis also played on the USHL Viking Cup team last season as well as the 2006 USHL All-Star Game. He won three USHL awards, including player and forward of the year. He was also selected to the USHL First All-Star Team in 2006. Lewis will play for the University of Michigan in 2006-07. "For us, getting Trevor Lewis is huge," said Murray. "We like Trevor Lewis a lot. This is a name that not a lot of people know, but all the hockey scouts know. We've had several teams come up to us who would've picked after us in the first round, indicating they were disappointed he wasn't [available]." "He's a terrific skater, he plays a two-way game," added Murray. "I'm not going to say he's Rod Brind'Amour, but if people want to think style, that's the style he can play. He's very good offensively in addition to defense." CSB on Lewis: "Has excellent acceleration and quickness and can intimidate defensemen with his ability to change direction at top speed...can shoot the puck on the fly, and does not hesitate to pull the trigger every chance he gets...has good puck skills and maneuvers very quickly in traffic...a good passer...scores big goals...makes big plays and has been a 'go to guy' for his coach playing in all situations last season...good on face-offs...very effective when forechecking, forcing turnovers that create scoring opportunities...comes to play with a lot of energy and grit...takes the body well and stands up to a challenge...plays a solid all-around game and comes back hard to cover his man...supports his defensemen down low in his own zone...has very good poise...is a team player with good leadership qualities." "[Lewis] won just about every award he possibly could win in the USHL," said Sonier. "He tallied 75 points in 56 games, won MVP of the league, was named Forward of the Year, was a first team All-Star and even won the Humanitarian Award. He's going to Michigan and its been told by the Michigan coaches that they believe they haven't had a player like this in a long, long time." For more on Lewis: Top 30 Draft Prospects (scroll down to Lewis) Trevor Lewis Player Profile 2006 Prospects: Q & A With Trevor Lewis USHL Top 30 Prospects For The 2006 Entry Draft Los Angeles Kings Draft Coverage (scroll down to Lewis) SECOND ROUND - Joe Ryan (48th overall; compensatory pick for not signing 2001 first round pick Jens Karlsson) Defenseman. 6-1, 189 pounds. Shoots: Right. Born: October 19, 1987. Birthplace: Winchester, Massachusetts. Ranked #31 among North American skaters by CSB. Ryan, 18, played in 61 regular season games for the Memorial Cup Champion Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL last season, scoring six goals with eighteen assists for 24 points. He is reported to be a strong skater and not afraid to play a physical game, as his 202 penalty minutes last season would seem to indicate. "I'm going to play tough, protect my teammates if I have to," added Ryan. "I'm going to keep my game the way it is." "Joey is a Boston boy, playing up in the Quebec junior league," said Murray. "Not a lot of American players come up to major junior hockey, but Joey knew that was the place for him." "He's in your face, he's rugged, he's a very good skater for a guy who plays his style," added Murray. "And he fights all comers. In the Quebec junior league, people don't mess around with anybody on the Quebec Remparts because Joey Ryan takes it upon himself to be the policeman." "He was in their top three defenseman on the team that won the Memorial Cup playing for Patrick Roy." The Kings felt they were fortunate that Ryan was still available to them. "We were a little surprised that Joey Ryan slid as far as he did," said Sonier. "Joey is a kid that is from the Boston area and not very typically do those kids leave and go play in the Quebec Major Junior League." "As a 17-year-old, he helped lead his team to win the Memorial Cup, the QMJHL championship. He's a 6-foot-2, very good skating defenseman, who has got lots and lots of jam, to the point where he was told to calm down and not to be fighting as much as he was. He's a really gritty kid that we're really excited to get." For more on Ryan: Top 30 Draft Prospects - Honorable Mentions Joe Ryan Player Profile 2006 Prospects: Q & A With Joey Ryan Los Angeles Kings Draft Coverage (scroll down to Ryan) THIRD ROUND - Jeff Zatkoff (74th overall) Goalie. 6-1, 150 pounds. Glove hand: Left. Born: June 9, 1987. Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan. Ranked #3 among North American goalies by CSB. Zatkoff played in twenty games for Miami (Ohio) University, earning a 14-5-1 record, a 2.82 GAA, a .928 save percentage and two shutouts. For more on Zatkoff: Jeff Zatkoff Player Profile Los Angeles Kings Draft Coverage (scroll down to Zatkoff) THIRD ROUND - Bud Holloway (86th overall; from Philadelphia as part of the August 4, 2005 trade that brought Jeremy Roenick to the Kings) Center/Right Wing. 6-0, 190 pounds. Shoots: Right. Born: March 1, 1988. Birthplace: Wapella, Saskatchewan. Ranked #40 among North American skaters by CSB. In 72 regular season games with Seattle of the Western Hockey League (WHL), Holloway scored 21 goals (second on the team) and 13 assists for 34 points with 18 penalty minutes. In seven playoff games, Holloway scored three goals and added two assists for five points. "Bud plays a real intense style," said Murray. "He's a good skater who plays with a lot of passion. He's in the other team's face." "We didn't think of Bud as much of a scorer, but he scored twenty-one goals this year, so Bud has some offensive ability," added Murray. "He's going to be a good two-way player. Right now, he probably projects more as a third or fourth line player than as a top two line forward." "A solid pick in the third round," Sonier said about Holloway. "Bud is a kid out of Seattle who came on really strong late in the year. He scored 21 goals in his rookie season in the WHL." For more on Holloway: Bud Holloway Player Profile Los Angeles Kings Draft Coverage (scroll down to Holloway) The Kings then traded their fourth round pick (104th overall) to the New York Rangers in exchange for the Rangers' fourth round pick (114th overall) and their fifth round pick (144th overall). FOURTH ROUND - Niclas Andersen (114th overall; from the New York Rangers) Defenseman. 6-1, 207 pounds. Shoots: Left. Born: April 28, 1988. Birthplace: Grums, Sweden. Ranked #41 among European skaters by CSB. In eight regular season games with Leksand of the Swedish Elite League, Andersen did not record a point and had eight penalty minutes. In 36 games with Leksand Jr. of the Swedish Junior League, he scored five goals with six assists for eleven points while racking up 214 penalty minutes. With Team Sweden in the 2006 World Junior Championships, Andersen scored a goal and added an assist for two points with twelve penalty minutes in six games. He also played for Sweden's Under-18 team in the 2005 World Junior Championships. "He's another rugged guy," said Murray. "If you think size and build, think Matty Norstrom. He had 217 penalty minutes in the Swedish junior league. That's a lot of minutes in any league. But they don't come much tougher than Niclas Andersen. He's in your face, he plays rea good gaps. Players have a difficult time beating him one-on-one. He doesn't put up a lot of points, but he's a real solid defensive defenseman with some bite to him." "[Andersen is] kind of a poor man's Matty Norstrom," said Sonier. "He skates well and is very physical. Over 200 penalty minutes in the Swedish League is almost unheard of." For more on Andersen: Niclas Andersen Player Profile FIFTH ROUND - David Meckler (134th overall) Center. 6-1, 184 pounds. Shoots: Right. Born: July 9, 1988. Birthplace: Highland Park, Illinois. Ranked #205 among North American skaters by CSB. Last season, Meckler played in 31 games for Yale University, scoring seven goals with three assists for ten points with 28 penalty minutes. His seven goals led all freshmen on the team in goal scoring. In 2004-05, Meckler played with Waterloo of the USHL (junior hockey), and was third in the league with 30 goals and 15 assists for 45 points and was a USHL All-Star in 2005. "David is a center, but we think he can be just as good a right winger as he can a center," said Murray. "David had over thirty goals in the US junior hockey league which is a real accomplishment. [There are] very few thirty-goal scorers in the US junior hockey league." "David went to Yale this year and had an off-season, but he was playing the whole year with a broken wrist," added Murray. "The biggest thing he does is that he's a shooter. And if you've got a broken wrist, it's pretty hard to be a shooter." "His coaches and the staff [at Yale] kept that quiet all year to protect him from further injury," Murray elaborated. "But we think he might really blossom next year. He's one of those guys, if he comes back to the style of player that we saw as a US junior hockey league player, we're going to have a good shooter and a good finisher there." "[Meckler] was a thirty-goal scorer in the USHL who went undrafted last year," said Sonier. "We think there is some tremendous upside in him. David has a cannon of a shot, which is a real asset with him." For more on Meckler: NCAA Top 40 Prospects For The 2006 Entry Draft FIFTH ROUND - Martin Nolet (144th overall; from the New York Rangers) Defenseman. 6-3, 209 pounds. Shoots: Right. Born: October 2, 1986. Birthplace: Quebec City. Quebec. Ranked #100 among North American skaters by CSB. In 19 games with Champlain in the Quebec AAA Junior Hockey League, Nolet scored five goals and seven assists for twelve points with 26 penalty minutes. Nolet, who is reported to be a good skater, will play for the University of Massachusetts, Amherst next season, joining Kings' goalie prospect Jonathan Quick. "Very good skater," said Murray. "I'm not sure how much offense is in him yet, but he is a good guy. He's going to be four-year guy in college and has a lot of time to develop his offensive game. He's a very easy skater." For more on Nolet: Six To Join UMass Hockey In Fall Of 2006 SIXTH ROUND - Constantin Braun (164th overall) Left Wing. 6-3, 198 pounds. Shoots: Left. Born: March 11, 1988. Birthplace: Lampertheim, Germany. Ranked #132 among European skaters by CSB. Braun played for the Berlin Junior Polar Bears of the German Junior League last season, scoring 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points in 24 regular season games. He also played in six games with the Berlin Polar Bears of the German Elite League. "He's a very good skater and another guy who can really shoot the puck and plays a physical style," said Murray. "Constantine has a lot of upside. He's a little time away yet, but we think he's a good prospect to have in the system." For more on Braun: Constantin Braun Profile The Kings traded their seventh round pick (194th overall) to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a seventh round selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. | |
| 6-19-06 | |
| On Monday, the Los Angeles Kings hired former Boston Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell as a pro scout and player development consultant.
O'Connell, 50, was the Bruins' Vice President and General Manager for the last six seasons. In his twenty years in the National Hockey League, he played for 13 years as a defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks, the Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings. In 860 regular season games, O'Connell scored 105 goals with 335 assists for 440 points while racking up 605 penalty minutes. In 82 playoff games, he scored eight goals with 24 assists for 32 points and 64 penalty minutes. O'Connell also served as the head coach of the Providence Bruins (Boston's AHL affiliate) for two seasons from 1992-94, and then re-joined the parent club in 1994 as assistant general manager, a post he held for six seasons before being named as Boston's general manager on November 1, 2000. "Mike brings us a strong presence on the East Coast where scouting and development are critical to our franchise," said Kings President and General Manager Dean Lombardi. "As a former general manager, he brings a broad perspective that allows him to see the present as well as the future." "Mike did an outstanding job with the Bruins as he guided his club to the best record in the Eastern Conference in 2003-04, while putting in place a solid nucleus of young talent," added Lombardi. "Additionally, he recently demonstrated under tough conditions at the trade deadline that he always puts the health of the franchise first by not trading his young players or top draft picks." | |
| 6-17-06 | |
| On Saturday, the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League (the Los Angeles Kings' primary minor league affiliate), announced that they have fired head coach Jim Hughes and assistant coach Derek Clancey.
"We certainly wish Jim and Derek the best in their future endeavors," said Kings assistant general manager and Monarchs general manager Ron Hextall." However, coming into the situation recently and evaluating it, I, though it was a difficult decision to make, felt we needed to make this change to help strengthen the franchise going forward." "Winning and the development of our top prospects remains the goal here with the Monarchs," added Hextall. "The search for a new coaching staff begins immediately." | |
| 6-13-06 | |
| As Kingshockey.com reported last week, the Los Angeles Kings have named Ron Hextall as their new Assistant General Manager. He will also serve as the General Manager for the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, the Kings' primary minor league affiliate. Kingshockey.com has also learned that the Kings are talking to former Boston Bruins general manager Mike O'Connell about joining their staff..
Hextall, 42, has served as the Director of Pro Hockey Personnel for the Philadelphia Flyers for the last four years after joining the Flyers' front office as a Pro Scout in 1999. Hextall's responsibilities will include assisting Kings President and General Manager Dean Lombardi in all facets of the Kings' Hockey Operations department, including contract negotiations and player personnel, and overseeing the organization's top prospects. "I am honored and extremely excited to be a part of the Los Angeles Kings organization," said Hextall. "I look forward to working closely with Dean Lombardi and the entire Kings staff toward the ultimate goal of bringing a Stanley Cup to Los Angeles." "It was a difficult decision considering my history with the Flyers organization, but moving forward with my career I thought it was the best move for myself and my family." In a thirteen-year National Hockey League career with the Flyers, New York Islanders and the Quebec Nordiques, Hextall won the Georges Vezina Trophy in 1986-87, his rookie season, and went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy that same season as the Most Valuable Player in the Stanley Cup Finals, despite the fact that the Edmonton Oilers went on to win the Stanley Cup that year. At the time, Hextall was just the fourth player in the 23-year history of the Conn Smythe Trophy to win the award while being a member of the losing team in the Finals. In 1987, Hextall became the first NHL goalie to score a goal by shooting the puck into the net, and in 1989, he became the first goalie to score a goal in an NHL playoff game. In 608 regular season games, Hextall earned a 296-214-69 record, a 2.97 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .895 save percentage with 23 shutouts. In 93 playoff games he had a 47-43 record with a 3.04 GAA, a .897 save percentage and two shutouts. Hextall's playing experience and his time working with Lombardi with the Flyers were key factors in him being courted by the Kings. "Having worked with Ron the last few years in Philadelphia, I am extremely pleased that he is joining us here in Los Angeles," said Lombardi. "He was an integral part of the Flyers' success the past several seasons, and we expect him to be a leader in our efforts with the Kings as we build a strong and successful franchise here for years to come." "Ron represents a unique blend of a former player who excelled at a high level and in his post-playing career has shown a tireless commitment toward learning the personnel and operations functions of a franchise," added Lombardi. "Most importantly, he has a sharp mind and there is no doubt in my mind that he is a rising star in the management field." Unlike when the Kings hired Lombardi away from the Flyers, no compensation went to the Flyers for hiring Hextall. Sources close to the Kings are saying that O'Connell, who was fired by the Bruins late in the 2005-06 season, is being considered for the Director of Hockey Operations position. | |
| 6-8-06 | |
| Early Thursday, Kingshockey.com learned that the Los Angeles Kings will name former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ron Hextall as their new assistant general manager, as soon as early next week.
Hextall has served as the Flyers' Director of Pro Hockey Personnel, and has been talking with Kings' President and General Manager Dean Lombardi about joining the Kings. Flyers General Manager Bobby Clarke confirmed that Hextall was going to the Kings. "We didn't want to lose Hexy, but I think it's a move in the right direction in his career," said Clarke. "He was very important to us, but he was also in our organization behind [assistant general manager] Paul Holmgren." "I think it's good for his career," added Clarke. "He came to us and wanted to try for the assistant position in Los Angeles, we gave him permission and Dean Lombardi hired him. We wish him the best. He was a good man for us and we hate to lose him, but if it's best for his family and his life then I think he's got to do it." Clarke also praised Hextall's abilities as a front office executive. "He is the type of guy that you want working in your organization because the things that are important on a club and to a club, he has," added Clarke. "He helped us find players, he helped Paul, and he helped our scouting staff and was the head of the pro scouts. He was very important to us." At press time, the Kings had not yet announced the hiring, and there has been no word regarding compensation going to the Flyers, in similar fashion to how the Flyers demanded compensation when the Kings hired Lombardi, who was a Flyers' scout. | |
| 6-1-06 | |
| On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings signed forward prospect Ned Lukacevic and goalie prospect Daniel Taylor to multi-year, entry-level contracts. In other news, the Kings also announced that tickets for Frozen Fury 9, their annual pre-season game in Las Vegas, will go on sale on Saturday.
Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. Lukecevic, 20, played for the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season, scoring 25 goals and 28 assists for 53 points in 63 games, leading the Broncos in goals, assists and points. The 6-1, 205-pound native of Podgorica, Serbia also scored a goal in seven playoff games with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, the Kings' primary minor league affiliate, last season. In 238 regular season games in the WHL, Lukacevic has scored 63 goals with 74 assists for 137 points. Lukacevic was selected by the Kings in the fourth round (110th overall) of the 2004 National Hockey League Entry Draft. Taylor, 20, played in 57 games for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League last season, earning a 32-15-6 record with a 3.11 goals-against average (GAA), a .911 save percentage and three shutouts. In five playoff games, Taylor, who is 5-11 and weighs 186 pounds, was 2-3 with a 2.80 GAA, a .918 save percentage and one shutout. The Plymouth, England native was selected by the Kings in the seventh round (221st overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. In 114 regular season games with the OHL's Frontenacs and Guelph Storm, Taylor has a 61-33-12 record, five shutouts, a 2.89 GAA and a .909 save percentage. The Kings will host the Colorado Avalanche in Frozen Fury 9, the Kings annual pre-season game in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, September 23, 2006. Tichets for the game, which will be played at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at the MGM Grand Hotel, will go on sale this Saturday, June 3, 2006, at 10:00 AM PDT. Tickets are priced at $68.25, $36.25 and $26.25, and can be purchased at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office or by calling the Kings at (888) 546-4752. Tickets can also be purchased at select Las Vegas TicketMaster locations (Tower Records/WOW!, Smith's Food and Drug Centers, Ritmo Latino and Robinson's May stores). To charge by phone, call Las Vegas TicketMaster at (702) 474-4000. Tickets can also be purchased online at the MGM Grand web site, and at the TicketMaster web site. There is a limit of eight tickets per person. | |
| 5-22-06 | |
| As Kingshockey.com reported on May 19, on Monday, the Los Angeles Kings named Marc Crawford as their new head coach.
Crawford, 45, was signed to a multi-year contract. Terms of his contract were not disclosed. He was introduced to the media at a press conference on Monday morning. Due to time constraints, Kingshockey.com was unable to attend Monday's press conference, so please see the following for more detailed coverage: Daily Breeze: Kings Put Credible Crawford In Control Daily News: Crawford Is Chosen To Rebuild Hockey Kingdom Orange County Register: Kings Hire Crawford To Find Answers Los Angeles Times: Crawford Is Prepared To Make A Mark NHL.com: Plenty To "Crow" About Sportsnet.ca: Finding The Formula TSN.ca: Kings Name Crawford As New Head Coach | |
| 5-5-06 | |
| On Friday, the Hockey Canada announced that Los Angeles Kings center Michael Cammalleri has been selected to represent Canada at the 2006 World Championships in Riga, Latvia, May 5 - 21, 2006.
Cammalleri, 23, has played for Canada in the 2002 World Junior Championships (Silver Medal), where he scored seven goals and four assists for eleven points in seven games. The 5-9, 185-pound native of Richmond Hill, Ontario also represented Silver Medal-winning Canada at the 2001 World Junior Championships where he led the tournament in goals and points with four goals and two assists for six points in seven games. | |
| 6-30-04 | |
| On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Kings signed star left wing Luc Robitaille and veteran defenseman Stephane Quintal to one-year contracts.
Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed, although Robitaille is believed to have signed a $1.5 million deal. It is also believed that Quintal signed a contract that is worth considerably less than the $1.5 million (US) he earned last season. Robitaille, 38, led the Kings in overall scoring with 51 points on 22 goals and 29 assists in 80 games. He also led the team with four game-winning goals and twelve power play goals, and he co-led the team in assists. He was selected by his teammates as the Kings' Most Inspirational Player. "I am both happy and excited to return to the Kings," said Robitaille. "This is where I started my career and this is where I believe I will end my career. This is where I belong. This is my home." In 18 NHL seasons, Robitaille has scored 653 goals and 717 assists for 1,370 points in 1,366 regular season games. In the post-season, Robitaille has played in 159 games, scoring 58 goals and 69 assists for 127 points. He won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002. Robitaille, who is now in his third stint with the Kings, holds NHL career records among left wingers for goals (653) and points (1,370). He also holds the NHL records for most goals and points scored in a season by a left winger with 125 points (63 goals, 62 assists in the 1992-93 season). Robitaille is also an eight-time NHL All-Star, and he won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the Year in 1987. In his 13 seasons with the Kings, Robitaille is second all-time with 1,012 games played, second in goals with 542, second in points with 1,130 and fourth in assists with 588. Last season, Robitaille set a number of milestones. He became the highest-scoring left winger in NHL history on March 22, played in his 1,000th NHL regular season game on March 13, scoring his 20th goal of the season to become the sixth active player to score 20 or more goals in 16 NHL seasons on March 10, and he scored his 650th goal on March 9. Robitaille is just eight goals behind Kings' all-time great and Hall of Fame center Marcel Dionne for the most goals scored in Kings history. He is also 99 games behind current Kings Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor in games played. "We are pleased that Luc has re-signed with the Kings," said Taylor. "He had a tremendous year for us last year and he remains one of the most popular players ever to wear a Kings jersey. He has always represented the Kings in a first-class manner and we have always considered him to be a King at heart. We hope that he eventually retires in a Kings uniform." Quintal, 35 was acquired by the Kings on June 27, in exchange for future considerations, believed to be a conditional draft pick, from the Montreal Canadiens. Quintal, who is 6-3 and weighs 233 pounds, played in 73 games last season for the Canadiens, scoring three goals with five assists for eight points while racking up 82 penalty minutes. Quintal played in 73 games for the Habs last season, scoring three goals with five assists for eight points while racking up 82 penalty minutes. He averaged 20:38 in ice time, and played in his 1,000th NHL game on January 6. Quintal also had a +10 rating, second-best among Habs defensemen. Quintal, who is 6-3 and weighs 233 pounds, also played in four playoff games for the Canadiens last season before suffering an injury. Originally drafted by the Boston Bruins in the first round (14th overall) of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, Quintal has played in 1,037 NHL games the St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, and two stints each with Boston and Montreal, He has scored 63 goals and 180 assists for 234 points with 1,320 penalty minutes. In 52 NHL playoff games, Quintal has two goals and ten assists for 12 points. | |
| 6-30-04 | |
| On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have made qualifying offers so that they will retain their rights to a number of their players (restricted free agents), and they also named players who will not be receiving qualifying offers.
Players receiving qualifying offers are: Sean Avery - Center Scott Barney - Center Eric Belanger - Center Noah Clarke - Left Wing Joe Corvo - Defenseman Jeff Cowan - Left Wing Ryan Flinn - Left Wing Steve Kelly - Center Ian Laperriere - Center/Right Wing Bryan Muir - Defenseman Joe Rullier - Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky - Defenseman Tomas Zizka - Defenseman The Kings will not make qualifying offers to the following players who will become unrestricted free agents on July 1, 2004: Jason Allison - Center Adam Deadmarsh - Right Wing Anson Carter - Right Wing Brad Chartrand - Right Wing/Left Wing Mathieu Chouinard - Goaltender Maxim Kuznetsov - Defenseman | |
| 6-27-04 | |
| On Sunday, the National Hockey League completed their 2004 NHL Entry Draft, as teams selected players in rounds four through nine, and the Los Angeles Kings selected seven players and made two minor draft-day trades.
As they did on Saturday, the Kings were involved in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens, this time, acquring veteran defenseman Stephane Quintal in exchange for future considerations. Quintal, 36, played in 73 games for the Habs last season, scoring three goals with five assists for eight points wihle racking up 82 penalty minutes. He averaged 20:38 in ice time, and played in his 1,000th NHL game on January 6. Quintal, who is 6-3 and weighs 233 pounds, also played in four playoff games for the Canadiens last season before suffering an injury. Originally drafted by the Boston Bruins in the first round (14th overall) of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, Quintal has played in 1,037 NHL games the St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, and two stints each with Boston and Montreal, He has scored 63 goals and 180 assists for 234 points with 1,320 penalty minutes. In 52 NHL playoff games, Quintal has two goals and ten assists for 12 points. The Canadiens recently announced that they would not offer Quintal a contract, even though he was reported to be willing to take a pay cut. This deal allowed Montreal to dump salary and get whatever they could in return for losing Quintal. The Kings are expected to quickly sign Quintal to a one-year contract for considerably less than the $1.5 million (US) he earned last season. "We feel he'd be a good fit with some of the more mobile and offensive-minded guys we've got on our blue line," said Kings Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "We just wanted more help," added Taylor. "But when you look at [Kings defenseman Aaron Miller's] injuries the past few years, there is always a concern." The Kings also traded their second selection in the ninth round (271st overall) to the Columbus Blue Jackets for an eighth-round selection in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. The Kings began their day by choosing left wing Ned Lukacevic in the fourth round (110th overall). Lukacevic, an 18-year-old, 6-0 185-pound winger, played for Spokane of the Western Hockey League last season, scoring 19 goals with 14 assists for 33 points and 65 penalty minutes in 72 games. Lukacevic, who was ranked 107th among North American skaters by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau, is from Serbia. He also played for Team British Columbia in the 2003 Canada Winter Games. "Ned Lukacevic has good size, speed and top offensive ability," said Kings Director of Amateur Scouting Al Murray. 19-year-old right wing Eric Neilson was the Kings' fifth-round selection (143rd overall), from Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Neilson, who is 6-1 and weighs 201 pounds, is an enforcer. Last season, he scored four goals and contributed eleven assists while racking up 194 penalty minutes in 50 games. In nine playoff games, he did not record a point, but had 28 penalty minutes. Forward Scott Parse was selected by the Kings in the sixth round (174th overall). The 6-1, 185-pounder was ranked 127th overall among North American skaters by CSB, and was ranked 19th among NCAA prospects by hockeysfuture.com. In his first season of college hockey at Nebraska-Omaha of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), Parse led the team in rookie scoring with 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points in 39 games, which also ranked hiim fourth in the NCAA in rookie scoring. Parse also led his team with seven power play goals, and was named as a CCHA All-Rookie Team Honorable Mention. For more information on Parse, check out: HOCKEYSFUTURE.COM: Player's Profile: Scott Parse In the seventh round, the Kings selected right wing John Curry (205th overall) from Sioux City of the United States Hockey League. Curry, 19, is 6-3 and weighs 190 pounds. He was ranked 178th overall among North American skaters by CSB. In 60 games with Sioux City, Curry scored 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points with 119 penalty minutes. Also in the seventh round, the Kings selected 18-year-old goalie Daniel Taylor (221st overall). The 5-11, 179 pound goalie from Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League played in 26 games last season (1,462 minutes), earning a 2.71 goals-against average (GAA) and .901 save percentage. Taylor was ranked 11th among North American goalie by CSB. In the eighth round, the Kings looked to Japan when they chose goalie Yutaka Fukufuji, who played for Japan's national team. Fukufuji played in nine games for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the East Coast Hockey league in the 2002-03 season, earning a 4-3-0 record with a 3.13 GAA and a .915 save percentage. On a relatively weak Japanese team, Fukufuji was 0-3-2 with a 3.61 GAA and a .893 save percentage. Center Valtteri Tenkanen rounded out the Kings 2004 draft picks in the ninth round (264th overall). Tenkanen, 19, is 5-11 and weighs 183 pounds. He was ranked 137th overall by CSB during their mid-term rankings, but jumped all the way up to 62nd in their final rankings. He is considered to be a sniper who plays with some grit. Tenkanan played in 25 for Jyvaskyla in Finland, scored a goal with three assists for four points with two penalty minutes. More information can be found in Ryan Woodlief's (Red Line Report) report on forwards available in last year's draft: USATODAY.COM: Deep Class Of Forwards In This Year's Draft The Kings were pleased with the way the draft wound up for them. "We are pleased with the weekend and with the nine players we selected overall," said Dave Taylor. "We have high hopes for this group, starting with our first choice yesterday, Lauri Tukonen." "Overall, when you get the right guy in the first round, it makes everything else go easier," said Al Murray. "We feel that we did that by selecting Lauri Tukonen. From that point, all of the players we took will take a couple of years to develop in their respective situations, but we feel that we selected good prospects with good upside." | |
| 6-26-04 | |
| On Saturday, the National Hockey League held their annual entry draft, and the Los Angeles Kings selected two players in rounds 1-3, and were involved in a three-way draft-day trade.
In the trade, the Kings first sent their third round selection (77th overall) to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for veteran center Radek Bonk. The Kings then sent Bonk and backup goalie Cristobal Huet to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for goalie Mathieu Garon and a third round pick (95th overall) in Saturday's draft. Garon, 26, appeared in 19 games for Montreal last season, earning at 8-6-2 record with a 2.27 goals-against average (GAA), with a .921 save percentage. In the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Garon made one relief appearance, stopping all six shots he faced in 11:00 of ice time. In the 2002-03 season, Garon, who is 6-2 and weighs 202 pounds, appeared in just eight games with the Habs, earning a 1.99 GAA and a .940 save percentage. He was Montreal's second round pick (44th overall) in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. In 43 NHL regular season games (2,336 minutes played), Garon is 16-20-3, with a 2.49 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Many NHL pundits and scouts believe Garon will become a solid number one goalie in the NHL, and the Kings agreed. "We think Mathieu is a solid, young goaltender with the upside to be a number one goaltender in the NHL," said Kings Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "We have been watching him since he came into the league and as far back as juniors. He has excellent size, real quick feet, and he has matured a lot in the last little while." "We believe that he has developed a pretty good mental edge and playing in Montreal is a good experience," added Taylor. "We are glad to add him to our team." Garon will earn $1.1 million during the upcoming season. His contract has a team option for the 2005-06 season at $1.6 million. In the first round, the Kings had the 11th overall pick, and selected right wing Lauri Tukonen, an 17-year-old who played for the Espoo Blues of the Finnish Elite League last season. Tukonen, who is 6-2 and weighs 200 pounds, played in 35 games last season, was the youngest player in the league, scoring three goals and three assists for six points with 16 penalty minutes. Tukonen also represented Finland in the 2004 World Junior Championships, scoring two goals and contributing an assist for three points, helping Finland to the Bronze Medal. Tukonen also represented Finland in the World Under-18 Championships in Belarus, leading the tournament with 11 points (five goals, six assists). He also had two power play goals and was a +7 in the tournament. "We had Lauri ranked in our top seven" said Taylor. "We think he will be a solid player in the NHL. He has good size and strength to go along with a nice combination of skating ability and skill level." An unnamed NHL scout was very high on Tukonen. "He can beat you one-on-one, and is just a really, really good package. He creates stuff and scores when he plays on the junior team and in league games against men, he doesn't create as much, but he works his butt off." "Of all European countries, the Finns produce players who can adapt to the NHL quicker than others because of the style of play on the home front," added the scout. "Tukonen dazzled scouts with his puck possession at the World Under-18s. He'll be a player in the NHL." "This is real fantastic to play for the Kings, where [Finnish great and Hockey Hall of Famer] Jari Kurri played a few years ago," said Tukonen. "This is a dream come true." Tukonen was ranked fifth among European prospects by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau. He was ranked fifth overall among all prospects by tsn.ca and McKeen's Hockey, and was ranked fourth among all prospects by the Red Line Report. McKeen's Hockey also named Tukonen as having the "Best Power Forward Potential" among all prospects. More information on Tukonen can be found at: TSN.CA: TSN Top 50 Draft Preview TSN.CA" TSN Draft Analysis-Lauri Tukonen FORECASTER.CA: LA Kings Draft 2004 Picks USATODAY.COM: Russians Head Class Of Forwards In Upcoming Draft ESPN.COM: Lauri Tukonen Draft Bio DAILY NEWS: Kings Trade For Garon LOS ANGELES TIMES: Kings Get New Goaltender In the third round, the Kings selected 6-3, 212-pound defenseman Paul Baier with the 95th overall pick (from Montreal). In 23 games last season, Baier scored six points and four assists for ten points with 22 penalty minutes while playing for Deerfield Academy, a Massachusetts high school. "Paul is a right-handed defenseman who has excellent size," said Taylor. "He plays a physical game. Last year he played at Deerfield Academy and is on his way to Brown University." Baier was ranked 89th among all North American skaters by CSB. More information on Baier can be found at: USATODAY.COM: Red Line Report: Top Defenseman In 2004 Draft Rounds 4-9 will be held on Sunday. | |
| 6-11-04 | |
| On Friday, the Los Angeles Kings signed restricted free agent Jason Holland to a one-year contract.
Financial terms were not disclosed. Holland, 28, played in 52 games for the Kings in the 2003-04 season, a career-high, scoring three goals and three assists for six points with 24 penalty minutes--all career-highs. Holland, who is 6-3 and weighs 219 pounds, has scored four goals and five assists for nine points with 36 penalty minutes in 81 career NHL games with the Kings, Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders. | |
| 6-9-04 | |
| On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Kings signed a goalie prospect and saw two former Kings elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Unrestricted free agent goalie prospect Barry Brust was signed on Wednesday to a three-year entry-level contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. Brust, 20, played for the Calgary Hitmen and the Spokane Chiefs, both in the Western Hockey League. In 25 games with Calgary, Brust had a 12-8-3 record with a 2.24 goals-against average (GAA) a .917 save percentage and two shutouts. With Spokane, he played 27 games to begin the season, earning a 10-13-2 record with a 2.99 GAA and a .903 save percentage. Brust was traded to the Hitmen on January 8 for goalie Gerry Festa. Brust, who is 6-3 and weighs 225 pounds, is from Swan River, Manitoba, Canada. He was originally selected by the Minnesota Wild in the third round (73rd overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Brust was the WHL Goaltender of the Year in 2001-02 after setting new Spokane records with a 2.14 GAA and a .922 save percentage. He also put up impressive numbers in the 2002 WHL playoffs, with a 2.04 GAA. Brust was also named to the WHL West First Team All-Star Team in 2002. This signing is likely to add depth in the Kings' system, due to the departure of goalie Milan Hnilicka, who signed to play in Europe next season. Also on Wednesday, former Kings defensemen Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy were elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. After being a huge part of the Edmonton Oilers dynasty in the Eighties, Coffey was acquired by the Kings on February 19, 1992 from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Brian Benning and Jeff Chychrun and a first round draft choice in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. He played in ten games with the Kings that season, scoring a goal with four assists for five points with 25 penalty minutes. In the 1992-93 season, the Kings got off to a fast start, going 20-8-3 in their first 31 games before going into a long slide. Coffey played in 50 games for the Kings in that season, scoring eight goals and 49 assists for 57 points with 50 penalty minutes. In his career, Coffey, who holds the NHL record for most goals in a season by a defenseman (48 in 1985-86), scored 396 goals and 1,135 assists for 1,531 points. He is a three-time Norris Trophy winner and won four Stanley Cups--three with Edmonton and one with Pittsburgh. "When I got the call, I was a little emotional and taken back," Coffey said. But Kings general manager Nick Beverly panicked as the Kings continued their slide out of first place into third in the Smythe Division, and he traded Coffey, along with forwards Jim Hiller and Sylvain Couturier to the Detroit Red Wings for winger Jimmy Carson and grinding forwards Gary Shuchuk and Marc Potvin. Murphy was the Kings' first selection (fourth overall) in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. The Kings received that selection from Detroit with forward Andre St. Laurent, along with Detroit's first-round pick in the 1981 draft as compensation for the Wings' free-agent signing of goalie Rogie Vachon. In 242 games with the Kings, Murphy scored 52 goals with 155 assists for 207 points while racking up 255 penalty minutes. He ranks 25th on the Kings' All-Time scoring list, and he ranks fifth among all-time Kings' defensemen in goal scoring. Murphy was also named the Kings Outstanding Defenseman in the 1981-82 season, and he was the team's Unsung Hero in 1980-81. Murphy, who ranks second all-time in the NHL in games played by a defenseman with 1,615 and is fifth all-time in points with 1,216, also holds Kings team records for most assists in a season (60 in 1980-81), most assists in a season as a rookie (60 in 1980-81), and most points in a season by a defenseman (76, 1980-81). Murphy was traded on October 18, 1983 to the Washington Capitals for Brian Engblom and Ken Houston, and he went on to win three Stanley Cups one with Pittsburgh and the others with Detroit. "To be added to this group of players is a tremendous honour and something that I'll cherish for the rest of my life," said Murphy. Coffey and Murphy will join former Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Raymund Bourque, and Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Cliff Fletcher in being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 8. | |
| 6-4-04 | |
| On Friday, the Los Angeles Kings signed forward prospect George Parros to a one-year contract.
Financial terms were not disclosed. In his first full professional season, Parros, 24, played in 57 games this past season with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, scoring three goals with six assists for nine points with 126 penalty minutes. Parros, who is 6-6 and weighs 210 pounds, played four years of NCAA hockey at Princeton. He was selected by the Kings in the eighth-round (222nd overall) ofthe 1999 NHL Entry Draft. | |
| 6-3-04 | |
| On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension with backup goalie Cristobal Huet.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, although it has been learned that the deal is worth $1.2 million. Huet played in a career-high 41 games this season for the Kings, earning a 10-16-10 record with a .907 save percentage and a 2.43 goals-against average with a career-high three shutouts. Huet, 28, is 6-0 and weighs 194 pounds, and was selected by the Kings in the seventh-round (214th overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. In 53 career NHL regular season games, all with the Kings, Huet has a 14-20-11 record, a .908 save percentage and a 2.41 goals-against average. Huet also represented France in the 2004 World Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic in May. | |
| 5-25-04 | |
| On Tuesday, three more members of the Los Angeles Kings were named to their national teams for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, to be played from August 30 to September 14.
Right wing Martin Straka and goalie Roman Cechmanek of the Los Angeles Kings will represent the Czech Republic in the tournament, while center Esa Pirnes will play for Finland. Former Kings winger Jari Kurri will be an assistant coach for Finland. | |
| 5-20-04 | |
| On Thursday, four more members of the Los Angeles Kings were named to their national teams for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey tournament.
Slovakia right wing Ziggy Palffy, center Jozef Stumpel and defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky to their national team. USA Hockey announced that defenseman Aaron Miller will play for the United States in the tournament, which will be played from August 30 to September 14. The United States, Canada, Russia and Slovakia will play in the North American pool. | |
| 5-17-04 | |
| On Monday, Sweden released its roster for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, to be played from August 30 to September 14, and among the players named to Team Sweden was Los Angeles Kings defenseman and team captain Mattias Norstrom.
Norstrom will join players such as Nicklas Lidstrom, Daniel Alfredsson, Peter Forsberg, Markus Naslund and Mats Sundin in representing Sweden in the tournament. Sweden will play in the European pool along with the Czech Republic, Finland and Germany. The United States, Canada, Russia, and Slovakia will play in the North American pool. | |
| 5-11-04 | |
| On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that last week, forward Anson Carter underwent successful abdominal surgery to repair a sports hernia. He is expected to make a full recovery.
The surgery was performed at the Centinela Hospital Medical Center by Dr. Craig Smith. Carter, 29, played in 77 games in the 2003-04 season for the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers and the Kings, scoring 15 goals and 13 assists for 28 points with 20 penalty minutes. After being acquired by the Kings in a trade with the Capitals that sent forward prospect Jared Aulin to Washington, Carter, who is 6-1 and weighs 209 pounds, recorded just one assist in 15 games with the Kings. | |
| 5-10-04 | |
| In the 2004 IIHF Men's World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Aaron Miller and right wing Dustin Brown won Bronze Medals representing the United States.
Team USA defeated Slovakia, 1-0 in a game decided by a shootout on Sunday. Miller played in all nine games in the tournament, contributing one assist with four penalty minutes. Brown also played in all nine games, scoring a goal and adding three assists with four penalty minutes. It was Brown's first appearance at the World Championships. His previous international experience came in the 2003 and 2002 World Junior Championships. | |
| 5-6-04 | |
| On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings signed defenseman Nathan Dempsey to a multi-year contract extension.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Dempsey, 29, played in 17 games for the Kings in the 2003-04 season, scoring four goals and adding three assists for seven points with two penalty minutes. Dempsey, who is 6-0 and weighs 191 pounds, was acquired by the Kings on March 2 in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2005 National Hockey League Entry Draft and a conditional sixth round selection in the 2006 Entry Draft. In 58 games with Chicago, Dempsey scored eight goals with 17 assists for 25 points and 30 penalty minutes. For the season, Dempsey had 12 goals with 21 assists for 33 points. His 12 goals and 33 points were career-highs. Dempsey was originally selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 11th round (245th overall) of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft. In 190 career NHL regular season games with the Kings, Blackhawks and Maple Leafs, he has 19 goals and 55 assists for 74 points with 66 penalty minutes. | |
| 6-30-03 | |
| On Monday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have made qualifying offers to twelve players, retaining their rights. The Kings also announced their 2003 pre-season schedule, and that defenseman Jaroslav Modry underwent successful surgery on his left shoulder to remove bone spurs.
Qualifying offers were made to forwards Sean Avery, Scott Barney, Kip Brennan, Adam Deadmarsh, Ryan Flinn, Steve Kelly, Jon Sim, Jerred Smithson, and Jozef Stumpel, along with defensemen Maxim Kuznetsov, Joe Rullier and Richard Seeley. The qualifying offers had to be made by 9:00 PM PST on June 30 in order for the Kings to retain their rights to these players. The Kings did not make qualifying offers to forwards Mikko Eloranta, Craig Johnson, Eric Rasmussen, backup goalie Jamie Storr, and goalie prospect Alexey Volkov. They will be unrestricted free agents on July 1, and can sign with any team. Sources close to the Kings have stated that the Kings and Storr are talking about a new contract at a rate lower than the $1.595 million he earned last season, but Storr will reportedly talk to other teams as well. The Kings also allowed contracts to expire for forwards Derek Bekar and Greg Koehler, defensemen Brad Norton and Michael Pudlick, and goalie Travis Scott. These players are now unrestricted free agents. The Kings 2003 pre-season schedule has eight games, including four home games, two of which will be played at Staples Center: (all times PACIFIC; Home games indicated in BOLD letters) Thu., 9/18/03 - Anaheim, 7:30 PM, Staples Center Sat., 9/20/03 - Phoenix, 7:30 PM, Staples Center Sun., 9/21/03 - San Jose, 5:00 PM, Bakersfield Centennial Garden Tue., 9/23/03 - at Colorado, 6:00 PM, Pepsi Center Sat., 9/27/03 - Colorado, 6:00 PM, MGM Grand, Las Vegas Sat., 9/30/03 - at Phoenix, 7:00 PM, America West Arena Tue., 10/1/03 - at San Jose, 7:00 PM, Arco Arena, Sacramento Sat., 10/3/03 - at Anaheim, 7:30 PM, Arrowhead Pond The September 27 game against the Colorado Avalanche is "Frozen Fury 7," the Kings' annual exhibition game in Las Vegas at the Grand Garden Arena of the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Tickets for that game go on sale on July 12 at 10:00 AM PST at the MGM Grand box office, all TicketMaster locations in Las Vegas, TicketMaster's web site, or by calling TicketMaster (Nevada) at (702) 474-4000. Tickets for Frozen Fury 7 will be priced at $65.00, $50.00, $30.00 and $20.00. No details were provided regarding when tickets for their other pre-season games will go on sale. Kings team physician Dr. Ronald Kvitne of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic performed the successful surgery on Modry, who is expected to undergo rehabilitation for about twelve weeks. | |
| 6-26-03 | |
| On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings signed right wing prospect Petr Kanko to a three-year contract.
Financial terms were not disclosed. Kanko, 19, is one of the Kings' top prospects. He played in 60 regular season games with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League last season, winning the Memorial Cup Championship. He scored 33 goals and added 34 assists for 67 while racking up 123 penalty minutes with his gritty style of play. Kanko's numbers ranked him second on the team in goals, and third in scoring. Kanko was on the winning squad at the 2003 Hershey Cup All-Star Game. In the playoffs, Kanko scored 11 goals and contributed 16 assists for 27 points in 21 games, playing a big role in both the OHL playoffs, and in the Memorial Cup tournament, where he scored four of his 11 post-season goals. Internationally, Kanko represented his native Czech Republic at the 2001 World Juniors Under-18 tournament in Finland, where he recorded seven points in seven games, including six goals. He also shined at the Kings annual Development Camp last summer, where he was, by far, the best player. Originally drafted by the Kings in the third round (66th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Kanko, who is 5-9 and weighs 195 pounds. | |
| 6-22-03 | |
| On Sunday, the National Hockey League completed their 2003 Entry Draft, and the Los Angeles Kings selected four forwards and a goalie in rounds 4-9. They also made two minor trades.
To open the day, the Kings traded their seventh round pick (210th overall) and their seventh round pick from Boston (213th overall in the Jozef Stumpel trade on June 20) to the Nashville Predators for their sixth round pick (174th overall). The Kings also traded their ninth round pick (283rd overall) to the Columbus Blue Jackets for their ninth round pick in the 2004 Entry Draft. The Kings did not have a fourth-round pick, but they used their fifth-round pick (152nd overall) to select center Brady Murray. Kings fans who have watched the scrimmage games at the Kings annual Development Camp for their young prospects the past two summers will remember that Brady is the son of Kings head coach Andy Murray, and was one of the standouts at the camps. Brady Murray, 18, appeared in 59 games with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCJHL), scoring 42 goals and 59 assists for 101 points with 30 penalty minutes. "Brady Murray is a player we are very familiar with as he's been to our development camp the last couple of years and has shown well with our young pro players and had a terrific season with Salmon Arm," said Al Murray, the Kings Director of Amateur Scouting. The knock on Brady Murray, who is ranked 183rd among North American skaters by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau (CSB) is his size--he is 5-9 and weighs 165 pounds. He will certainly need to bulk up in order to make it in the NHL. Esa Pirnes was the Kings' sixth-round selection (174th overall). The 6-0, 189-pound center from Tappara of the Finnish Elite League scored 23 goals and 14 assists for 37 points in 56 games last season, and led the league in playoff scoring with five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 15 games. Pirnes, 26, also played in six games with Finland at the 2003 World Championships where he scored two goals and three assists for five points. The Kings are hoping Pirnes might be able to crack their lineup next season. "Esa Pirnes is an older Finnish player who we feel might have an opportunity to come in and help immediately," said Al Murray. The Kings had no seventh round pick because of their earlier trade with Nashville, but in the eighth round, they selected goalie Matt Zaba and center Mike Sullivan. Zaba, who was selected 231st overall is ranked 28th among North American goalies by CSB. Zaba is 6-1 and weighs 168 pounds. With the Vernon Vipers of the BCJHL, he had a 2.21 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage in 44 games. "Matt Zaba is a goaltender who has improved tremendously the last two years and will be going to Colorado College on a scholarship," said Al Murray. Sullivan, who was selected 157th overall, is ranked 161st among North American skaters by CSB. The 6-4, 190-pound center played for Stouffville Spirit of the Ontario Provincial Junior A league of the Ontario Hockey Association. In 49 games, Sullivan scored 24 goals and 37 assists for 61 points with 14 penalty minutes. "Mike Sullivan is a young player with good potential who needs some time to develop and will be attending Clarkson University next year," said Al Murray. The Kings used their ninth round pick (274th overall) to select right wing Martin Guerin of the Des Moines Buccaneers of the US Hockey League. Guerin is a 20-year-old who is 6-1 and weighs 190 pounds. He played in 60 games for the Buccaneers last season, scoring 27 goals and 33 assists for 60 points with 30 penalty minutes. "Martin Guerin is another player who is developing and will be attending the University of Miami, Ohio," said Al Murray. | |
| 6-21-03 | |
| On Saturday at the National Hockey League's 2003 Entry Draft, the Los Angeles Kings decided to hold onto their three first-round draft picks.
With their first selection in the first round (13th overall), they selected right wing Dustin Brown of the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Brown, who is ranked second among North Americans skaters by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau (CSB) and was listed as the 12th best prospect by The Hockey News, is a 6-0, 195-pound forward from Ithaca, New York. Brown, 18, played in 58 games last year with Guelph, scoring 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points with 89 penalty minutes. He also played for the United States at the 2003 World Junior Championships in Halifax, where in seven games he scored two goals and two assists for four points. Brown, who is 6-0 and weighs 200 pounds, is the first player in OHL history to win the Bobby Smith Award as Scholastic Player of the Year three years in a row. He was also the youngest player on the US team at the 2002 World Junior Championships where he appeared in seven games, scoring a goal and three assists for four points. "Dustin Brown is a very competitive player who is strong and solid on his skates and goes to the net real hard," said Kings Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "He plays the body, goes into the corners and has the ability to finish." For further information on Brown, check out: nhl.com Sports Illustrated With their second selection in the round (26th overall), the Kings selected center/left wing Brian Boyle of St. Sebastien's High School. Boyle, who is ranked 34th among North American skaters by CSB, is listed at 6-7, 222 pounds. The 18-year-old center played in 31 games last year, scoring 32 goals and 31 assists for 63 points with 46 penalty minutes. He will be attending Boston College this fall. Boyle, who is considered a project by some because he reportedly needs to learn how to play more physical hockey, but has been called a playmaker with a scoring touch. "Brian Boyle has played for St. Sebastian's High School, a prestigious high school in the Boston area, and he is unique in that he is a big man who can skate and has great hands," said Kings Director of Amateur Scouting Al Murray. For more on Boyle, check out: Sports Illustrated The Kings also had the 27th pick, and they selected left wing Jeff Tambellini from the University of Michigan. Tambellini, 19, is 5-11, and weighs 186 pounds. He is ranked 21st among North American skaters by CSB. In 43 games with the Wolverines, Tambellini led the team in scoring with 26 goals and 19 assists for 45 points with 24 penalty minutes. "Jeff Tambellini has a long history in the sport as his father played professionally in the NHL, and his grandfather played professionally overseas," said Murray. "He is a tremendously gifted skater, who was one of the two or three fastest players in the draft, and had one of the top fitness tests to coincide with a strong season with the University of Michigan." "I'm so excited," said Tambellini. "This is a dream come true." More information on Tambellini can be found at: nhl.com Sports Illustrated In the second round (44th overall), the Kings selected center/right wing Konstantin Pushkaryov of Ust-Kamenogorsk (KZA) in Kazakhstan. He is ranked 36th among European skaters by CSB. Some publications also have his last name as "Pushkarev." Pushkaryov, 18, is 6-0 and weighs 169 pounds. Although he recorded no points in four games with his team in Kazakhstan, he played in five games for Team Kazakhstan at the 2003 World Junior Championships, scoring a goal and adding an assist for two points. Known as a sniper with speed, Pushkaryov made a name for himself in the 2003 World Under-18 Championships where he scored nine goals and an assist for 10 points. His nine goals led the tournament. "Konstantin Pushkaryov had not really been heard of until the World Under-18 Championships in Yaroslavl, Russia," explained Murray. "While playing for a really overmatched Kazakhstan team, he was able to lead the entire tournament in goals. He is a dynamic skater with great hands and the ability to score in a lot of ways." For more information: Russian Prospects The third round saw the Kings select Ryan Munce with the 82nd overall pick. Munce is 6-1, 180-pound goalie who played for the Sarnia Sting in the OHL last season. He is rated third among North American goalie prospects by CSB. In 27 games with the Sting, Munce earned a 14-6-0 record with a 2.64 goals-against-average, .920 save-percentage and three shutouts. Munce also won a Gold Medal with Team Canada at the 2003 World Under-18 Championships. In seven games, he had a 1.83 goals-against average, a .940 save percentage and two shutouts. "Ryan Munce steadily got better over the past season and ended up being selected to represent Team Canada at the World Under-18 Championships where he was the number one goalie on the Gold Medal winning team." For more information: nhl.com Sports Illustrated Rounds 4-9 of the draft will be completed on Sunday. | |
| 6-20-03 | |
| Late Friday, the Los Angeles Kings re-acquired veteran center Jozef Stumpel along with a seventh-round selection (213th overall) in this weekend's 2003 NHL Entry Draft from the Boston Bruins.
In exchange, Boston receives a fourth round pick (129th overall, originally from Philadelphia in the deal that sent defenseman Dmirty Yushkevich to the Flyers) in this weekend's draft, and a second round pick (from Detroit in the trade that sent defenseman Mathieu Schneider to the Red Wings) in 2004. Stumpel, 30, played in 78 games for Boston last season, scoring 14 goals and 37 assists for 51 points. In the 2001-02 season, Stumpel scored seven goals and added 47 assists for 54 points. Stumpel played for the Kings from 1997-2001 before being traded to Boston with right wing Glen Murray for Jason Alison and Mikko Eloranta on October 24, 2001. Stumpel was originally traded to the Kings with Sandy Moger and a fourth-round selection (Kip Brennan) in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft for Byron Dafoe and Dmitri Khristich on August 29, 1997. In 271 regular-season games with the Kings, Stumpel scored 68 goals and 162 assists for 230 points. His best season in the NHL was with the Kings in 1997-98, when he scored 21 goals and 58 assists for 79 points. Overall, Stumpel has scored 143 goals and 368 assists for 511 points in 694 regular-season games. In the playoffs, Stumpel has scored six goals and 24 assists for 30 points in 55 games with Boston and the Kings. His best post-season was in 2000-01 with the Kings, when he scored three goals and five assists for eight points in 13 games. Stumpel, who is 6-3 and weighs 225 pounds, is a good playmaking center, but the big knock on him is his unwillingness to shoot, which allows the defense to overplay the pass, often rendering him ineffective. Nevertheless, the Kings are hoping Stumpel will give them the true second-line center they need. "Jozef Stumpel is a proven top-six forward who our coaches, players and fans are certainly familiar with," said Kings Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "Stumpel, along with center Jason Allison, gives us a formidable one-two punch down the middle." Taylor is certainly gambling with this deal, hoping that Stumpel, who has tallied at least 50 points in seven of the last eight seasons, will bring some much-needed playmaking ability to the team's second line. "Jozef has played some of his best hockey in a Kings uniform, and his puck-handling ability and overall skill will be a great addition to our hockey club next season." | |
| 6-19-03 | |
| The National Hockey League's Entry Draft will be held this weekend, starting on Saturday at 10:00 AM PST, and the Los Angeles Kings are expected to make a big splash with three first-round selections. Here is a round-up of the Kings' picks:
First Round (three picks): 13, 26 (from Colorado to complete the Rob Blake and Steven Reinprecht for Adam Deadmarsh, Aaron Miller, Jared Aulin and first-round selection in 2001 NHL Entry Draft), 27 (from Detroit to complete the Mathieu Schneider for Sean Avery and Maxim Kuznetsov trade) Second Round: 44 Third Round: 82 Fourth Round: None Fifth Round: 152 (from Florida to complete the Dmitry Yushkevich for Andreas Lilja and Jaroslav Bednar trade) Sixth Round: None Seventh Round: 210, 213 (from Boston in Friday's trade for Jozef Stumpel) Eighth Round (two picks): 231 (compensatory pick assigned to Los Angeles for loss of Group III free agent Kelly Buchberger), 244 Ninth Round (two picks): 274, 283 (compensatory pick assigned to Los Angeles for loss of Group III free agent Ted Donato) Rounds 1-3 will be held on Saturday, at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, TN, and will be televised on ESPN2 at 10:00 AM PST. Rounds 4-9 will be held on Sunday, and will not be televised. Check back here frequently on Saturday for the latest on the Kings' draft picks and possible draft-day trades. | |
| 6-14-03 | |
| The Los Angeles Times reported in Saturday's edition that the Los Angeles Kings are expected to do some significant house cleaning of veteran players...
Jerry Crowe reported that the Kings are expected to: * - Not offer left wing Craig Johnson a contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. * - Demand that backup goalie Jamie Storr sign a contract for less than the qualifying offer of $1.75 million, or they will also allow him to become an unrestricted free agent. * - Allow defenseman Chris McAlpine and left wings Mikko Eloranta and Ken Belanger to become unrestricted free agents. There has been speculation that such moves would free up money that could allow the Kings to make a deal for a top six forward. | |
| 6-12-03 | |
| On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they will broadcast a special edition of "Kings Talk" on ESPN Radio 710 on the day of the National Hockey League's Entry Draft.
Kings radio broadcasters Nick Nickson and Daryl Evans will host the show live, and will conduct several interviews and take calls from Kings fans. The Kings have three first-round selections in this year's draft. | |
| 5-30-03 | |
| On Friday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have signed defenseman prospect Tim Gleason to a three-year contract.
Financial terms were not disclosed. "We feel we have signed an outstanding young prospect for our organization," said Kings Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "Tim is an elite skater and a gritty, fierce competitor." Gleason, 20, was acquired from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for center Bryan Smolinski on March 11, 2003. Gleason played with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League this season, leading all defensemen on the club in scoring with 38 points on seven goals and 31 assists, while racking up 75 penalty minutes in 45 games. The 6-1, 205-pound defenseman, who was the Spitfires' captain, played in seven playoff games with Windsor, scoring five goals and two assists for seven points with 17 penalty minutes. Gleason also played in the 2002 OHL All-Star Game, and was named to the 2001 Top Prospects game in Calgary, although he missed the game due to injury. Gleason is also a two-time member of Team USA's World Championship squad, with an assist in seven games. He played in just one game in 2003 due to a broken foot. He was also invited to join the 2002 team, but he did not play. In other news, the Kings also announced that they will open theire 2003-04 training camp on Thursday, September 11, at the HealthSouth Training Center in El Segundo, California, with the first on-ice practice being held on Friday, September 12. | |
| 5-28-03 | |
| 4:23 PM UPDATE - On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have acquired goaltender Roman Cechmanek from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for the Kings' second round pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
The Kings still retain the second round pick in 2004 they received from the Detroit Red Wings in the trade that sent defenseman Mathieu Schneider to Detroit. Cechmanek, 32, earned a 33-15-10 record, a 1.83 goals-against average (GAA), a .925 save percentage and six shutouts in 58 regular season games this past season for the Flyers. Cechmanek ended the season ranked second in GAA, and third in save percentage. He was also an NHL All-Star in 2001, and was named by the Flyers as the 2003 winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the team's Most Valuable Player. He also won the award in 2001. In this year's playoffs, he had a 6-7 record with a 2.15 GAA in 13 games as the Flyers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, but were then eliminated by the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In three seasons with the Flyers (2000-01 through 2002-03), Cechmanek earned a 92-43-22 record, a 1.96 GAA and 20 shutouts in 163 regular season games. In three postseasons with the Flyers, Cechmanek had a 9-14 record, 2.33 GAA and three shutouts in 23 games. Cechmanek was drafted by the Flyers in the sixth round (171st overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. At the end of the regular season, Kings Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor said the Kings were not happy with the performance of Felix Potvin and Jamie Storr this year, and they certainly did not wait to make a move. "Going into the off-season one of our top priorities was to address our goaltending situation for next season," said Taylor from Toronto. "After looking at all the options we had available, we felt that making a trade and acquiring Roman Cechmanek in particular was our best course of action." "Roman will help stabilize this position for the Kings as he has proven to be one of the NHL's top goaltenders for the past three seasons." Taylor pointed to Cechmanek's record as being the primary reason for acquiring him. "We like his track record," said Taylor. "He's been successful in his three seasons with the Flyers. Prior to being with the Flyers, he had great success in the Czech League with his club team there. He's had success in the World Championships. I know his style is unorthodox, but we view him as an upgrade for us in goal." Although Cechmanek has been known to give up a soft goal, and he has a reputation of being a head case, especially when one sees him berate his teammates on the ice for screening him, Taylor believes the Kings can deal with him. "We feel our coaching staff with Andy Murray, and with our goaltender instructor Andy Nowicki, they'll be able to work with Roman," said Taylor. Cechmanek's spotty record in the playoffs is also a question mark, but Taylor was willing the take the risk. "[The Flyers] won the first round, and then ended up losing to a very good Ottawa team," explained Taylor. "[Cechmanek's] goals against was like 2.11, his save percentage was over .900, and he had a couple of shutouts." "There are some goals that went in from difficult angles that he'd like to have back," added Taylor. "But that happens to a lot of goaltenders, and he accepted a lot of the blame for the Flyers. That was probably why he was available this summer." But knowing that other goalies will be available during the summer, the big question is: was this the best choice for the Kings? Taylor seems to think so, especially given the fact that they got Cechmanek for almost nothing. "We've had some discussions with other teams, and we felt the best route was to trade for a goaltender," said Taylor. "And particularly in this situation, with Roman and his abilities, the fact that we were giving up a second round pick made it easier for us." "We did look at a number of options," he added. "As you can probably guess, there are a couple of goaltenders that are available, and there are some potential unrestricted free agents. But we felt Roman was the best fit for us as a combination of the success he's had in the league, the price we had to pay for him, and just in terms of fit with our team." Taylor also indicated that Los Angeles was Cechmanek's first choice. "In some of the earlier discussions I had with Petr Svoboda [Cechmanek's agent], Petr indicated to us that Roman knew he'd be leaving the Flyers, and that Los Angeles was his first choice." "Los Angeles was his first choice," confirmed Svoboda. "We also talked to Boston and Vancouver." Flyers General Manager Bobby Clarke made it clear a couple of weeks ago that Cechmanek was no longer in his plans. "Although he never asked to be traded this season, he did ask after last season," said Clarke. "We just thought that it was time for us to go in a different direction." Svoboda said that Cechmanek did not want to leave the Flyers after this year. "I spoke to [Cechmanek] quite a few times about it," said Svoboda. "He said he liked Philadelphia. He didn't want to leave. It was just a decision by the organization that it was time for change. There were some rocky times, some run-ins with the media and fans." Cechmanek told reporters from the Czech Republic that he was looking forward to playing for the Kings. "I'm so excited," he said. "It was my first choice, to play in LA. I played a couple of games against LA, and I like how they play. I'd like to play different hockey. I think LA plays more offensively. More like European hockey than Philadelphia does." Cechmanek also said that he thinks he will see more shots with the Kings, which is what he wants. "I like when I get more work, more shots," he explained. "It's a little easier for me. When I played in Philly, there would be games where I get 15-16 shots. I want to play more." Cechmanek also expressed his gratitude to the Flyers. "Philly gave me the chance to play in the National Hockey League," said Cechmanek. "It was nice to play there. But now it's a different situation, and I feel great. I'm grateful to Philadelphia." Although the move was made during the Stanley Cup Finals, Taylor denied that the timing of the move was made to steal away some attention from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. "We agreed on the deal today," Taylor explained. "Once we decided to go in this direction and the Flyers were prepared to make the move, we didn't see any reason to wait. We had discussions with the Flyers going back a couple of weeks and we agreed to make the deal today." The trade does raise more questions about the future of Kings goalie Jamie Storr, who will be a restricted free agent on July 1. "That's an issue we have to address by July 1," said Taylor. "Jamie will be a restricted free agent, and we have to make a qualifying offer to retain our rights." "We'll have to address that situation, whether Jamie is in there or Cristobal [Huet] is in there," he added. "But we do expect Roman to play as the number one goaltender. His history shows that he's capable of playing 50-60 games." Taylor also said that today's announcement that superstar goalie Patrick Roy has retired was not a factor in the decision. "Patrick Roy retiring creates an opportunity for another goaltender," said Taylor. "It was not a deciding factor in this deal. But I would say three or four teams are looking to upgrade their goaltending." | |
| 5-12-03 | |
| At the 2003 World Hockey Championships that just concluded in Finland, the Los Angeles Kings were well-represented among medal winners, and in other areas:
- Right wing Ziggy Palffy and defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky won Bronze medals with Team Slovakia. Pallfy also tied for the tournament lead in scoring with seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in nine games. Visnovsky was named to the All-Tournament team, and led all defensemen in scoring with four goals and eight assists for 12 points. - Kings head coach Andy Murray led Team Canada to the Gold medal, the third Gold medal for Canada in tournament history since 1961, and the 16th for Canada in tournament history. - Winger Alexander Frolov led Russia in scoring with three goals and two assists for five points in seven games. - Defenseman Jaroslav Modry contributed three assists for the Czech Republic in nine games. - Left wing Mikko Eloranta scored a goal and an assist in seven games for Finland. - Winger Craig Johnson scored two goals and added two assists for Team USA in six games. - Defenseman Joe Corvo tallied an assist in six games for Team USA. - Defenseman prospect Martin Strbak led all players in the tournament with a +13 rating. | |
| 6-30-02 | |
| ASSOCIATED PRESS is reporting that right wing Nelson Emerson will become an
unrestricted free agent on Monday, as the Los Angeles Kings have bought out the remainder of his contract. Emerson, who will be 35 in August, had five goals and two assists for seven points after sitting out 41 games during the regular season, mostly due to the effects of post-concussion syndrome. In the playoffs, Emerson recorded one assist in five games. In 2+ seasons with the Kings, Emerson scored 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points with 79 penalty minutes in 144 games from the end of the 1999-00 season, through the 2001-02 season. In the playoffs, Emerson played in 19 games for the Kings, scoring two goals and three assists for five points, with six penalty minutes. Over his entire NHL career, Emerson has played in 771 regular season games with St. Louis, Winnipeg, Hartford, Carolina, Ottawa, Chicago, Atlanta and the Kings. He has scored 195 goals and 293 assists for 488 points with 575 penalty minutes. In the NHL playoffs, Emerson has appeared in 40 games with St. Louis, Ottawa, and the Kings, scoring seven goals and fifteen assists for 22 points with 33 penalty minutes. Emerson earned $1.9 million/year with the Kings last season. | |
| 6-28-02 | |
| On Friday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have signed defenseman
prospect Jason Holland to a two-year contract, and have exercised their contract option on left wing prospect Derek Bekar. Financial terms for both deals were not disclosed. Holland, 27, played in three games for the Kings this past season after signing with the club as a free agent on August 23. Holland, who is 6-3 and weighs 210 pounds, also played in 65 games with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, where he scored 9 goals and 18 assists for 27 points and 39 penalty minutes. In 24 career NHL games with the Kings, New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres, a goal and an assist and 12 penalty minutes. Bekar, 26, played in 74 games for the Monarchs this past season, scoring a team-high 27 goals, while adding 20 assists for 47 points. Bekar, who is 6-2 and weighs 205 pounds, signed with the Kings on September 25 after attending the 2001 Kings training camp. He was recalled by the Kings on October 31, but did not appear in a game. | |
| 6-27-02 | |
| 11:30 AM PDT
On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they will hold their annual Development Camp for the young prospects in their system from July 8-20, 2002, at the HealthSouth Training Center in El Segundo. Forty players will participate in the camp, which will include on-ice and off-ice workouts, and scrimmages. All scrimmages and on-ice workouts are open to the public at no charge. The scrimmage games will be held on Saturday, July 13, Wednesday, July 17, and Saturday, July 20. Start times have not yet been announced. Development Camp Roster Jared Aulin, Center/Right Wing Kip Brennan, Left Wing Ben Boudreau, Forward Jared Bye, Left Wing Bryce Charpantier, Right Wing Noah Clarke, Left Wing Thomas Derungs, Left Wing Robbie Earl, Forward Ryan Flinn, Left Wing Jim Henkel, Center Greg Hogeboom, Forward Connor James, Forward Henrik Juntunen, Right Wing Petr Kanko, Right Wing Jens Karlsson, Right Wing Yanick Lehoux, Center/Right Wing Adam Mair, Right Wing Ryan Murphy, Forward Brady Murray, Center George Parros, Right Wing Kevin Romy, Forward Mark Rooneem, Left Wing Jerred Smithson, Center Joel Andresen, Defenseman Joe Corvo, Defenseman Tobias Draxinger, Defenseman Richard Petiot, Defenseman Michael Pudlick, Defenseman Aaron Rome, Defenseman Joe Rullier, Defenseman Richard Seeley, Defenseman Garrett Stafford, Defenseman Tomas Zizka, Defenseman Terry Denike, Goalie Matt Millar, Goalie Matt Wolf, Goalie Mathew Yeats, Goalie 5:00 PM PDT Late Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have exercised their contract option on goaltender Felix Potvin for the 2002-03 season. Potvin, 31, set a franchise record for games played last season with 71. He also had a career-best 2.31 goals-against average and became the third goalie in Kings' history to earned thirty wins in one season, with a 31-27-8 record. He also tied a career-high with six shutouts. "Felix has done a tremendous job in goal for us the past two years and we are very pleased to have him on board for next season," said Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "Our team responds very well to his steady play in both the regular season and playoffs." Potvin will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2003, unless the Kings can reach a new deal with him prior to that date. | |
| 6-23-02 | |
| On Sunday at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada, the National Hockey
League completed rounds 4-9 of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, and the Los Angeles Kings added four forwards and three defensemen to their corps of young prospects. Fourth Round In the fourth round, the Kings selected Aaron Rome, a 6-1, 197 pound defenseman from the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Rome was selected 104th overall, the pick the Kings received in exchange for left wing Cliff Ronning, completing Saturday's trade with the Minnesota Wild. "Rome is a good, solid all-around defenseman," said Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "He moves the puck well and he has decent size and agility." Rome was ranked 24th among North American skaters by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau (CSB), who said that he is "...a good, well-balanced skater who is strong on his skates...displays good agility...has strong passing skills, both forehand and backhand...will join the offensive rush when opportunity presents itself...is not overly physical, but will stand up to the opposition in the neutral zone...is used on both the power play and penalty killing units...gives a good outlet pass to lead the breakout and has a good hard shot from the point." CSB also reported that last season, Rome was "Red Deer's Most Improved Player for 2000-01...helped Red Deer capture the WHL championship and the Memorial Cup last season...finished ninth in team scoring last season...performed for Team Western in the under-17 2000 World Hockey Challenge in Timmins...finished seventh in team scoring as a rookie in 1999-00...selected 76th overall by Red Deer in the 1998 WHL bantam draft...spent the 1998-99 season performing for the Regina bantam AA team (70-102-172 in 60 GP)." CSB stated that Rome also "...played for Team Western in the under-17 2000 World Hockey Challenge in Timmins and was selected 96th overall by Saskatoon in the 1998 WHL bantam draft, but was traded to Kootenay at the beginning of the 2000-01 season." "Aaron is a solid defenseman that adds size to our defensive corps," said Bob McEwen, head coach and general manager of the Swift Current Broncos. "He is a good playmaker, he skates well, he's very responsible with the puck and can be an offensive defenseman." "Aaron is an essential power play guy," added McEwen. "When looking back on the trade when we acquired Aaron, I would have to say we considered his experience and his size to be his highest attributes." Last season, Rome played in 70 games, scoring seven goals and added twenty-four assists for thirty-one points with 168 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, Rome played in ten games, scoring a goal, and adding four assists for five points. He was a +4 in the post-season, and racked up twenty-three penalty minutes. In the 2000-01 season, Rome played in 56 games with Kootenay of the WHL, scoring two goals and eight assists for ten points with 45 penalty minutes. Later in the fourth round, the Kings chose 6-1, 185-pound left wing Mark Rooneem (115th overall) from Kamloops of the WHL. Last season, Rooneem played in 69 games, scoring 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points. He was a +11 with 77 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, Rooneem did not record a point in four games, but did rack up ten penalty minutes. Rooneem was ranked 134th overall among North American skaters by CSB. "Rooneem is an elite skater," said Taylor. "He is very strong and he is the type of player who could project into a solid third-line forward." Rounds 5-9 In the fifth round, the Kings used the 152nd overall pick to select Greg Hogeboom, a 6-0, 190-pound right wing from the University of Miami (Ohio; CCHA). In 36 games, Hogeboom scored 14 goals and added 9 assists for 23 points, with 22 penalty minutes. Hogeboom was ranked 178th among North American skaters by CSB. Also in the fifth round, the Kings selected 6-3, 200-pound defenseman Joel Andresen (157th overall) from St. Albert (AJHL). Andresen played in 53 games, scoring nine goals and 19 assists for 28 points with 62 penalty minutes last season. Andresen was chosen using the fifth-round selection from the New York Islanders, completing their January 3, 2001 trade that sent winger Jason Blake to the Isles. The Kings chose Ryan Murphy with their sixth round pick (185th overall), a 5-11, 185-pound right wing from Boston College (Hockey East). In 35 games last season, Murphy scored seven goals and added seven assists for fourteen points with sixteen penalty minutes. CSB ranked Murphy 123rd overall among North American skaters. Mikhael Lyubushin, a 6-1, 185-pound defenseman from the Soviet Wings of the Russian Elite League was the Kings seventh round selection (215th overall). In thirteen games last season, Lyubushin recorded an assist with 14 penalty minutes. In the eighth round, the Kings chose Tuukka Pulliainen (248th overall), a 5-11, 176-pound center/right wing from Tuto in the Finnish League. Pulliainen played in 41 games last season, scoring 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 points with 18 penalty minutes. Pulliainen was ranked 123rd among European skaters. With their ninth and final selection (279th overall), the Kings chose Connor James, a 5-10, 165-pound forward, out of the University of Denver (WCHA). James played in 41 games last season, scoring twenty goals and twenty-three assists for 43 points with eighteen penalty minutes. Was It a Good Draft for the Kings? Looking back at all their picks in the draft, Taylor said that the Kings are happy with the players they selected. "Overall, we are pleased with our draft," Taylor said. "We feel that we have added some solid prospects, not necessarily anyone who is going to step in next season, but players who overall possess good skating ability and the ability to improve in the years to come." Indeed, even their top selections in the draft should not be expected to make an immediate impact on the Kings. Even their top pick, defenseman Denis Grebeshkov, will not even be coming to North America for next season. "He will play next season with his Russian team, Yaroslavl, because he can play in the Superleague [the highest Russian division] all season," Taylor told LAKINGS.COM. "He also plans on playing in his third straight World Junior Championship. The Yaroslavl team is very strong and won the championship this season." Taylor compared Grebeshkov to Kings' defensemen Mathieu Schneider and Lubomir Visnovsky. "On our team, he might be a cross between a Mathieu Schneider and a Lubomir Visnovsky," Taylor explained. "Agility and puck-moving skills from the defensive position." Kings' Director of Amateur Scouting characterized Grebeshkov as a solid, two-way defenseman. "He's very solid positionally?doesn't get caught running around or out of position," he told LAKINGS.COM. "He can throw a short or long passes to start the breakout and with the no-red line in international hockey, it becomes very clear that he is a very good passer. He can set up in the offensive zone and run the power play which he does on the Russian World Junior team and he's getting more and more responsibilities with his men's team. But Grebeshkov may need to bulk up, and work on the physical side of his game. "Not a real banger but takes the player and takes the body," Murray said. "He finishes his check but he is not a punishing checker at this point." Murray also talked about the Kings' second round selection, right wing Sergei Anshakov. "He is a left shot winger who usually plays the right side," he explained. "He has a very thin build but is an elite skater... . He scored some goals and was very solid positionally and defensively. He looks like he has some offensive upside to us." Murray also discussed Petr Kanko, the Kings' third-round pick. "He is [also] a left shot who plays right wing," he said. "He is about 5-9 and 195 pounds, [but] has a solid build for a player his size. He is a good skater who is very talented offensively and plays both end of the ice." Murray pointed out that Kanko plays bigger than his size. "Petr is very physical and formerly played for Sparta, the team we own in the Czech Republic," he said. "We got very good reports on him out of Sparta and some of our scouts have been watching him since the under-16 and under-17 programs so we have a long history of him and he has been one of the elite players in the Czech Republic for a long time... . He is a top prospect who probably slipped because of his height." Murray indicated that if Grebeshkov develops as hoped, the Kings would try to sign him after a year. Anshakov is about two years away, and Kanko has two years of junior eligibility remaining. While it is doubtful that either Grebeshkov or Anshakov will be able to participate in the Kings' Development Camp in July. "We will invite both of them, but it is doubtful that either one of them will make it to the camp," said Taylor. "Anshakov is in the middle of his military duty which is why he was not in attendance here at the draft. We will talk to Grebeshkov's team in Yaroslavl, but they begin their training camp very early in the summertime, and chances are that he will be working out with the men's team. We'd be surprised and certainly be happy if he was released for the two weeks in Los Angeles." But they do expect Kanko to be there. "I would be surprised if Petr Kanko is not at our development camp," said Murray. "He played in North America and has no problem traveling back and forth and has no commitments to any teams in the summer time." For more on Grebeshkov, Anshakov and Kanko, check out www.lakings.com. Taylor also explained why they traded left wing Cliff Ronning to the Wild. "We were not going to exercise the option on Cliff's contract," Taylor said to LAKINGS.COM. "Minnesota was willing to do it." The big reason was that the Kings apparently believe that at least one of their top prospects could crack the Kings' lineup next season. "We signed a couple of young guys and we hope to sign a couple more young guys, including Alexander Frolov, before the middle of July. We would like to create an opportunity for one of those guys to make our team next year." | |
| 6-22-02 | |
| 11:55 PM PDT
On a day where the top three teams in the NHL Draft were involved in a trade, with the Florida Panthers sending the first pick in the draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Los Angeles Kings were unable to strike a deal to move up in the draft, which started on Saturday, June 22 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. But even though the draft is a major crapshoot after the first handful of picks, the Kings appeared to do well with their selections, taking a defenseman and two right wings, all ranked among the top prospects in the world. Kings Think Defense First With the 18th overall selection, the Kings selected Denis Grebeshkov in the first round. He is a 6-0, 189-pound defenseman who played for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the champions of the Russian Super League last season. "Denis has excellent mobility and good offensive skills," said Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "He is the type of defenseman who can run or quarterback a power play. He was, in our opinion, the best prospect available when we picked." Grebeshkov was ranked fourth among European prospects by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau (CSB). He also played for the gold medal-winning Russian National Team in the 2001 World Junior Championships, and for the Russian team in the 2001 World Under-18 Championships, where Russia won the gold medal. Here's what CSB said about Grebeshkov: "An excellent skater with good mobility...strong passing skills and playmaking ability...a steady, solid player in the defensive zone usually opting for the safe and simple play...a stay-at-home defenseman...an intelligent player with a good understanding of the game...has a powerful shot...a solid body checker who will not shy away from the physical aspects of the game." "Is rated 4th among European prospects on Central Scouting's final ranking, was 4th at mid-season...completed his second season in the Russian Senior League...performed for Russia at the 2002 World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic, capturing the Gold medal...ranked seventh among the tournament's top scoring defensemen (1-2-3 in 7 GP)...performed for Russia at the 2001 World Junior Championship in Russia as a 17-year-old, ranking seventh among the tournament's top scoring defensemen (2-1-3 in 7 GP)...performed for the Russian under-18 team in the 2000 Five Nations Cup in Salt Lake City." "Grebeshkov is a solid all-around defenseman who had a very consistent season," said Eugene Belashchenko of HOCKEYSFUTURE.COM. "He has the potential to be a top four two-way defenseman who is steady and responsible in all areas of the ice." "Denis absorbs knowledge like a sponge. He learns fast and always works hard on the ice," added Belaschenko. "Denis possesses a strong and well-aimed shot. He is also a solid power play quarterback. His lack of experience is the main thing that is stopping him from taking a more prominent role on offense." And like all players, Grebeshkov is not perfect. "Grebeshkov has the tools, but is prone to making mistakes and hence hesitates to take serious chances in the offensive zone," Belaschenko said. "This is less evident if his play is assessed by only watching the international tournaments, because he is light years ahead of many other players his own age. He possesses a great hockey sense." Belaschneko also assessed Grebeshkov's play in the 2001 World Junior Championships. "Denis was very mobile, displaying great puck handling and skating ability," he said. "Grebeshkov showed a lot of hockey sense and impressive vision of the ice." "[But he] was not very physical and according to an observer from the tournament, he needs to bulk up and add some upper body strength," Belaschenko explained. "Denis also did not shoot the puck enough." Belaschenko adds that Grebeshkov needs at least one more year with his Russian team to develop. "Alexander has the potential of being a top four NHL defenseman," Belaschneko observed. "He is already mature beyond his age...In 2002-03, he will earn a promotion to the first or second defensive pairing with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. If his development continues at the current rate, he will be ready to make a serious impact in the NHL in 2003." For more on Grebeshkov, check out HOCKEYSFUTURE.COM. The RED LINE REPORT ranked Grebeshkov 26th in their top 30 draft prospects world-wide. "Solid defenseman who's not afraid to join the attack," said Kyle Woodlief of the RED LINE REPORT. "Moves the puck quickly, makes a crisp first pass, and thinks the game well. Good size and sees a lot of quality ice time on special teams. He's an outstanding power play quarterback with good vision who makes outstanding decisions in puck distribution." "While his point shot is not a cannon, more important, it is consistently low and accurate, and he doesn't get it blocked," added Woodlief, who projects that Grebeshkov will become a good number three defenseman with a good deal of upside. "He's very solid and consistent in his own zone," said Woodlief, who thinks Grebeshkov's style is similar to that of Phoenix Coyotes' defenseman Danil Markov. "Not a big baggage smasher, but will take the body, and is always in the proper position. Good defensive zone awareness and is decisive in his movements. Not flashy, but a steadying influence along the blue line who's very dependable and consistent." TSN.CA had Grebeshkov ranked 14th among European skaters. "The Russian defender is known for his fluid skating, but is hindered by lack of physical play," said Bob McKenzie of TSN.CA. "Nevertheless, the Kings could groom him." "He can be electrifying, with great skating and puck skills," McKenzie added. "With a potential crackdown on obstruction, he could really flourish." Grebeshkov By the Numbers...
Kings Get Offensive In the second round, the Kings used their pick (50th overall), to select right wing Sergei Anshakov, who played with HC CSKA of the Russian League. Anshakov, who is 6-2, and weighs 183 pounds, was ranked eighth among European skaters by CSB. "Sergei Anshakov is an elite skater who has played up and down in the Russian League," said Kings' Director of Amateur Scouting Al Murray. "He had good numbers at that level and played on the Russian national under-18 team. He scored some goals and was very solid positionally and defensively. He looks like he has some offensive upside to us." According to CSB, Anshakov, who moved up the CSB's rankings from 32nd at mid-season, "....performed for Russia at the 2002 World Under-18 Championship in Slovakia, capturing a Silver medal (2-2-4 in 8 GP)...performed for the Russian under-18 team at the 2002 Five Nations Cup in Russia." "An excellent powerful skater with a good change of pace...a confident player with strong puck-handling skills...is very effective in the offensive zone...takes advantage of his impressive size and strength, dominating the play along the boards and in the corners...is very difficult to move when in front of the net...an intense and motivated player...a good competitor." "Sergei has a great drive for the net and makes most of his scoring chances," said Belaschenko for HOCKEYSFUTURE.COM and RUSSIANPROSPECTS.COM. "One of his most admirable qualities is that he does not give up on a play until the game is stopped or his team scores." "He is a powerful skater with large strides," added Belaschenko. "Sergei is also an excellent stick handler with above average puck-handing ability. He has a very good shot--well-aimed with good power. Sergei possesses solid character--he works hard in practice and always leaves everything on the ice." Belaschenko also said that Anshakov needs to bulk up a bit as part of his development, but added that he is a strong player on HC CSKA's second line. "Sergei has prospered with HC CSKA," he said. "Playing on the team's second line, he logs about 15-20 minutes on the ice during each game [and] is one of the team's top snipers." For more on Anshakov check out HOCKEYSFUTURE.COM. "Has a long, lean body and a fluid skating stride," said Woodlief for the RED LINE REPORT. "Fights hard to get himself to open ice in scoring territory. Uses his body well to gain positioning and hold off defenders." Indeed, it appears that Anshakov, who was ranked 18th by the RED LINE REPORT, could become a good power forward. "Has good patience around net," said Woodlief, who compares Anshakov's style to that of Phoenix Coyotes' forward Brian Savage. "Has size, wheels, good puck skills, and is very good laterally for a big man. Responds to getting hit by playing harder. Has excellent sized frame to fill out, and can really wheel when he gets up a head of steam through neutral zone. Very good strength and balance. Powerful stride and tough to knock off the puck." "Can be a force when he plays with intensity, but needs to show passion more consistently," added Woodlief. "Gets himself into position to shoot and is always ready for the pass in scoring territory." Anshakov By the Numbers...
The Need for Speed, Skill and Grit In the third round, the Kings chose right wing Petr Kanko (66th overall; compensatory pick for Luc Robitaille signing with the Detroit Red Wings last summer) of the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was ranked 26th among North American skaters by CSB. Kanko, who is 5-10 and weighs 190 pounds, is a native of the Czech Republic, and played for Sparta Praha of the Czech Junior League before coming to North America to play in the OHL. "Petr is a good skater who is very talented offensively and plays both ends of the ice," said Murray. "He is very physical and we got very good reports on him out of Sparta where some of our scouts have been watching him since the under-16 and under-17 programs. We have a long history on him and he has been one of the elite players in the Czech Republic for a long time." Kanko, who moved up from 32nd in the CSB's rankings at mid-season, "...performed at the 2002 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Saskatoon," said the CSB. "[He] completed his first season in North America...selected 2nd overall by Kitchener in the 2001 CHL Import Draft...recorded a four-goal game on January 25 in a 8-1 win over Owen Sound...posted a six-game scoring streak from February 24 through March 9 (2-5-7)...finished fifth in the OHL's rookie scoring race, second in team scoring...selected to the OHL's Second All-Rookie Team." CSB also said that "[Kanko] represented the Czech Republic at the 2001 World Under 18 Championship, leading his team in scoring and ranking third among the tournament's leading goal scorers and sixth in points (6-1-7 in 7 GP)...the Czech team was defeated by Finland in the Bronze medal game...led the Czech Republic in scoring at the under 17 2001 World Hockey Challenge in Nova Scotia (4-0-4 in 3 GP)...spent the 2000-01 season playing with the Sparta Praha team in the Czech junior league." CSB adds, "Petr is a solid skater with excellent quickness and breakaway speed... possesses strong offensive instincts and has a very quick, accurate shot...an excellent puck-handler with good passing skills...is often used on special teams and can be a scoring threat in shorthanded situations...a tenacious player who has the ability to be a game-breaker...a feisty competitor who seems to enjoy the physical aspects of the game...a strong forechecker who works well in the corners and along the boards...plays with an aggressive edge and can deliver solid body checks." Kanko's coach also had high praise. "Petr Kanko is a player who possesses world-class speed and skill," said Steve Spott, assistant coach and assistant general manager of the Kitchener Rangers. "He plays very much like a North American player in the sense that he is very gritty and tough on the puck. His shot is both hard and accurate. He plays in all situations and is a player that we rely on to make big plays." Spott also said that Kanko is a good two-way player. "As good defensively as he is offensively, he is a player that has all the necessary tools to play in the National Hockey League." But Kanko's immediate future in North America may be in jeopardy. "The former HC Sparta Praha winger began his first season in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers but now faces trouble due to the fact that he wasn't permitted by Sparta Praha to play in the OHL," said Jake Dole of HOCKEYSFUTURE.COM. "Now Sparta wants him back." "Petr Kanko is a flashy speedster with a great skating ability to go along with superb acceleration and an excellent scoring touch," added Dole. "Petr has a nose for the net which he proved at the last Under-18 World Junior Championships, where he ranked among the best with six goals as an underager." Dole also complimented Kanko's hockey sense, ice vision, soft hands, quick wrist shot, hard slap shot, and good puck-handling skills. For more on Kanko, check out HOCKEYSFUTURE.COM. Woodlief said in the RED LINE REPORT that Kanko is a hard-working, gritty player. "What he lacks in size he more than makes up for in heart and grit," Woodlief said about Kanko. "Definitely the top shift-disturber available this season. Kanko is a relentless worker. Ultra-competitive and works hard every shift, always makes things happen. Unafraid to get in anyone's face. And he's more than just an abrasive irritation, he can play, too." Like Dole, Woodlief took note of Kanko's skating and hands. "[Kanko has] great quickness, dandy one-on-one moves and a pro release on the fly," said Woodlief, who ranked Kanko 15th among all prospects. "Good skater with a very low center of gravity that allows him to absorb hits. Has good hands and likes to shoot often. Incredibly aggravating to play against and draws numerous penalties. Though small in stature, he goes to the net with abandon." But Woodlief noted that Kanko needs to work on taking care of his own end, but is a strong, physical player. "[Kanko] can be a defensive liability," he said. "Good vision on the ice and finds teammates well. Uses soft hands to feather passes. Has leadership skills and is a very good hitter, both along the walls and in open ice. Hits to hurt. Has great feet in close and makes tight, quick turns that allow him to slither out of checks." "He is without question the most irritating, annoying player in the 2002 grab bag," Woodlief added. "Think Darcy Tucker, Dino Cicarelli, Ken Linseman. Though small in stature, he drives the net with abandon, has great moves and quickness, and is a highly abrasive shift disturber." TSN.CA ranked Kanko 26th. Kanko By the Numbers...
Kings Send Ronning Packing The Kings also made a draft-day trade, sending left wing Cliff Ronning to the Minnesota Wild for a fourth-round pick (104th overall) in the 2002 draft. The trade gives the Kings two picks in the fourth round (104th and 115th overall). Ronning, 36, appeared in 14 regular season games for the Kings this season, scoring a goal and adding four assists for five points. But Ronning never adjusted to playing in the Kings' system, and was a non-factor in the playoffs, where he was expected to contribute. He was acquired from the Nashville Predators in what has turned out to be a poor trade on March 16, 2002, when they sent defenseman Jere Karalahti to Nashville. In other draft news, the Kings' 83rd pick (third round) went to the Vancouver Canucks, completing the February 15, 2001 trade that brought goalie Felix Potvin to the Kings. The day's proceedings opened with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman paying tribute to former Kings' scouts Ace Bailey and Mark Bavis, who were aboard United Airlines Flight 175 out of Boston's Logan Airport, the second plane to crash into the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11. "I want to honor the memory of two men who are not with us today, but are very much in our thoughts," said Bettman. "Last September 11, the NHL family lost Ace Bailey and Mark Bavis. Scouting was their livelihood, but hockey was their life. We mourn them and we miss them." "Today, on this day of renewal, I want to dedicate this draft to them, and to all the others taken from their families," Bettman added. "We will never forget you." On Sunday, June 23, the draft continues with rounds four through nine. The Kings picks on Sunday are:
| |
| 6-1-02 | |
| 12:00 PM PDT
Just two hours before the deadline, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they have signed center prospect Jared Aulin to a three-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. The Kings had until 2:00 PM Pacific Time on June 1 to sign Aulin to a contract. If they failed, he would re-enter the draft, and would be lost to the Kings, who would have received only a compensatory draft pick for one of their highly-touted prospects. "We are pleased to have Jared signed as we like his long-term potential," said Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "He is a highly-skilled forward who will have an opportunity at training camp to compete for a roster spot with the Kings." Aulin came to the Kings on February 21, 2000, as part of the trade that sent defenseman Rob Blake and center Steven Reinprecht to the Colorado Avalanche. In return, the Kings received winger Adam Deadmarsh, defenseman Aaron Miller, the Avs' first-round pick in the 2001 draft (David Steckel), and Aulin. Aulin, 20, was originally drafted by Colorado in the second round (47th overall) of the 2000 NHL draft. At Kamloops of the Western Hockey League, Aulin, who is 6-0, and weighs 180 pounds, scored 33 goals and 34 assists for 67 points, while racking up 80 penalty minutes in 46 games. Aulin was also the team captain. He also played for the Canadian National Junior Team at the 2002 World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic, earning the silver medal. In that tournament, Aulin scored 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points in seven games. In other news, the Kings announced that their 2002-03 training camp will begin on Thursday, September 12, 2002, at the HealthSouth Training Center in El Segundo, California. The first on-ice practice will be on Friday, September 13. 2:15 AM PDT With the Los Angeles Kings facing a 2:00 PM PDT Saturday deadline for signing highly-touted center prospect Jared Aulin to a contract, there is no news except to say that at the very least, the two sides are talking. "Discussions with Aulin's representatives are ongoing, and at the highest priority," said Kings' Director of Media Relations and Team Services Mike Altieri. While that statement is not much to go on, nor can any insight be gleaned from it, for the Kings and their fans, the good news is that the two sides are negotiating and there is no word of a contract dispute. But given the Kings' public statements about building with youth developed from within their organization, and not blowing their budget and salary structure on unrestricted free agents in their quest for the Stanley Cup, the Kings cannot afford to lose Aulin. Aulin has been played up by Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor as a fantastic prospect, part of a bright future for the franchise. But if the Kings fail to sign Aulin, he will re-enter the draft, and will undoubtedly be selected by another team. The Kings would lose him and get nothing in return. Failing to sign Aulin would also mean that the Kings would lose a big chunk of the return value in the deal that sent star defenseman Rob Blake and and fast-developing center Steven Reinprecht to the Colorado Avalanche for winger Adam Deadmarsh, defenseman Aaron Miller, the Avs' first-round pick in the 2001 draft (David Steckel), along with Aulin. As much as the Kings have touted Aulin, along with center Mike Camalleri and winger Alexander Frolov, as top-notch prospects that they are developing in their system, if they do not sign Aulin and allow him to re-enter the draft, the Kings will not be able to explain their failure in such a way that appeases their fans. Not this time. Three years ago, when the Kings allowed center prospect Matt Zultek (15th overall selection in the 1997 draft) to re-enter the draft, the Kings immediately faced serious questions about their decision. Zultek was reportedly seeking the maximum salary for rookies in contract negotiations with the Kings, who balked at the request. But after touting Zultek as one of their very best prospects who would have a bright future with the team, it seemed as if the Kings were doing a very sudden about-face. "Matt hasn't developed like we thought he would the last two years," explained Taylor, back on May 27, 1999. To be sure, the Kings were contradicting their previous praise of Zultek, and many suspected that it was not Zultek's lack of development that was the problem. Instead, they speculated that the Kings did not want to pay him the rookie maximum. As it turned out, the doubters were wrong, and after Zultek re-entered the draft, and was selected by another team, he turned out to be a bust there, too. He retired from hockey, and never made it onto NHL ice. But this time, things are very different. With Aulin, Taylor will not be able to say that he has not developed the way they expected. After all, the Kings have been saying for awhile that they are pleased with their top prospects, and Aulin's name comes up whenever they talk about their best prospects. Moreover, Taylor has said that he has been pleased with Aulin's development on a number of occasions. Should the Kings fail to sign Aulin, this will be a public relations fiasco that they will not be able to explain away. Fans will point to this and accuse the Kings of not being committed to developing a Stanley Cup-caliber team, as the Kings have been saying. Fans will also be able say that this is just more evidence that the Kings' owners are more interested in money and profits than in winning the Cup. And this time, no matter how Taylor or Kings' President Tim Leiweke try to spin it, the fans will be dead-on correct. | |
| 5-16-02 | |
| On Thursday, the Dallas Stars made it official, announcing that they have hired
Dave Tippett as their new head coach. Tippett, who was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings from 1999-2000 through the current season, was inked to a three-year deal. Under Tippett's direction, the Kings' power play led the NHL in 2001-2002 with a 20.7% success rate. In 2000-01, the power play ranked seventh and in 1999-2000 it finished 10th. The year before Tippett joined the Kings, in 1998-99, the Kings' power play unit ranked 24th in the league. During the 2000-01 campaign, the Kings scored 245 goals, the most they have scored since the 1993-94 season. Tippett also served as head coach of the Houston Aeros of the International Hockey League, prior to joining the Kings. Tippett, 40, replaced Rick Wilson, also a former Kings' assistant coach. Wilson served as interim head coach after the Stars fired head coach Ken Hitchcock. "Dave has a great record of success as a head coach in the International Hockey League and as an assistant coach in the NHL," said Stars' General Manager Doug Armstrong. "We felt he was the best candidate to lead the Dallas Stars into the future." There has been no word from the Kings regarding their search for a replacement for Tippett. *** On Thursday, the Los Angeles Kings wished their now-former assistant coach Dave Tippett well in his new job as head coach of the Dallas Stars. "We are very appreciative of Dave's effort and dedication to the Kings the last three seasons and we wish him the best of luck," said Kings' Senior Vice President and General Manager Dave Taylor. "He is a quality person and coach." The Kings certainly were not going to stand in the way of Tippett advancing his career, even though Tippett will now be coaching a division rival. "We expect [Tippett] to be successful as he moves forward in his career," Taylor said. "This opportunity for Dave reflects well on the Kings organization and the tremendous quality of our people." Kings' head coach Andy Murray lost his top assistant, but was happy for Tippett. "Dave was a committed, intelligent and hard-working player, and he brings those qualities along with creativity and ingenuity to his coaching," said Kings' head coach Andy Murray. Murray also took pride in Tippett's moving ahead. "It's a gratifying feeling as a head coach when one of your assistant coaches takes the next step," Murray said. "He is a quality individual and we look forward to competing against him." | |
| 5-15-02 | |
| Sources have confirmed that Los Angeles Kings' assistant coach Dave Tippett
will be named as the new head coach for the Dallas Stars on Thursday. Tippett met with Stars' owner Thomas Hicks and general manager Doug Armstrong in New York on Wednesday, where the deal was finalized. "It's a great opportunity," Tippett said. "Dallas has a tradition of being a first-class franchise and I'm very thankful for the opportunity they're giving me." | |
| 5-9-02 | |
| Now we know how severe at least one of the Los Angeles Kings' playoff injuries
was... On Thursday, the Kings announced that defenseman Philippe Boucher underwent successful surgery to repair a detached retina in his right eye. The surgery was performed by Dr. Jane Semel of the Kings' medical staff at Torrance Memorial Hospital. Boucher suffered the injury on April 25, when he was hit by a puck during Game Five of the Kings/Colorado Avalanche playoff series. | |
| 5-6-02 | |
| On Monday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that goalie Jamie Storr has been
selected to represent Canada at the World Hockey Championships that are currently underway in Sweden. Storr was added to the roster after goalie Marty Turco (Dallas Stars) was injured on May 5. | |
| 5-1-02 | |
| On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that right wing Ziggy Palffy and
defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky have been selected to play for Slovakia at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Senior Championships in Sweden. The tournament, is already underway, and concludes with the gold medal game on May 11. Palffy and Visnovsky both represented Slovakia at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games at Salt Lake City. Forward Ted Donato, who played in two games for the Kings this season and in thrity-six games for the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, has played in three games for Team USA, recording a goal and two assists. | |