2022-23 Season Thread

[PuckinUgly57]

Greetings Jabronis, hope everyone has been doing well. Super busy summer with the kids, Pop Warner is in full swing for the boys (well one - the oldest one broke his arm and never got to play a down, 4 days before actual camp started in voluntary conditioning camp), softball for younger daughter, just a busy busy time.

Thought I'd start a thread to start discussing all things Kings mainly but whatever else goes across the league starting with the Rookie Camp, Training Camp, Preseason, etc. and I'll kick it off - what are your expectations this season?

 

[xis]

Here's the link for those that wish to watch rookie tournament in SJ.


If you're unable to find the 1st two games post here and I'll send the other links for you.

 

[davnlaguna]

I expect the Kings to be a bubble team again
The kids got older and so did the vets. Brown is gone and his money was put to good use. I just don’t think they improved a lot.
A healthy Doughty will be nice but Quick is old for a goalie. I would say Kopitar has lost some speed, but that isn’t his thing. 7-9 th in the conference is my guess

 

[Fox4Kings]

Anything worse than top 3 in the division will be a major disappointment. The team has some serious depth, as deep as they have been in 10 years. Jordan Spence I thought played great and probably won't make the team. Brendan Lemiuex had a great season and will probably be a healthy scratch most nights until someone is hurt. Top 6 is solid with some kids that hopefully can make a push to be Top 6 players as well. If Byfield can make a major step forward then this team will be tough to beat. Kaliyev has potential to be a 30 goal scorer in my opinion. Goaltending is the only question mark for me.

 

[Kings4OT]

I think they will be a solid PO team or miss completely. Leaning toward solid as its time for the kids to take over and show us why Kings had a top prospect pool. Im still concerned about a dman that can move people....i know the league is all about dmen that play like forwards, but i want dmen that can play d, clear the net and make a pass up ice.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

Anything short of getting past the first round, is a disappointment.
They need to start showing that they can play into the summer.
Also, Flake should be in the hot seat if this team doesn’t make the playoffs.
His prints are all over this team, there needs to be an improvement.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

For those interested, here is The Athletic’s take on the Kings Rookies.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Victorious walk-off moments happen all the time in sports.

The game-winning home run. The touchdown catch in overtime. The buzzer-beating jump shot. The birdie on the 18th hole.

Not so much in hockey. Of course, there are the game-ending goals in the extra period or the shootout. But the players embrace and celebrate amongst themselves on the ice.
Kings prospect Brandt Clarke decided to stick it the opposition and create his own literal walk-off exit.

It might have been the most surreal moment of the four-day Rookie Faceoff prospect tournament held at the Sharks’ spanking expanded ice facility and new home for their AHL club. On Saturday, Clarke scored on Vegas goalie Jesper Vikman in the shootout to wrap up a 5-4 victory over the Golden Knights. And then the Kings’ top prospect found the door handle to leave the ice.

Ballgame. Goodbye.

“That’s kind of what happened,” said Clarke, whom the Kings took with the No. 8 pick in the 2021 draft. “I wasn’t too happy with the Vegas guy going back to the hit. I got hit late in the game. They were kind of chippy all game and I just thought it’d be a cool way to kind of send a message after it was over.

“I just saw the door there. It was just kind of a cool moment. I feel a lot of people liked it on social media, which I thought it was pretty funny. It was something I thought was cool in the moment and I thought I’d go for it.”

Right as the final seconds ticked off to end regulation, Clarke was hit in the head from behind by Golden Knights forward Carter Souch. The 19-year-old defenseman stayed on the ice for a few short minutes to get his bearings as Souch was sent from the game with a match penalty.

Clarke was right back on the ice for the overtime period. Redemption would come in the shootout, where he beat Vikman with a shot between his pads. And then he was gone through the Zamboni tunnel, where the Kings players would leave to head toward their locker room.

Not for good, though. Clarke would turn around and head back. But did that ruin the walk-off moment? He said he lost track of the score and thought he messed up. “That would have made it a little more defiant if I just kept walking,” he said. “But, ah, whatever.”

A moment like that seemed meant for some ribbing from his teammates. Hardly.

“They actually loved it,” Clarke said. “They were laughing. They thought it was hilarious.”

It helped illuminate the gregarious sort that the Nepean, Ontario, native is. This was his first rookie camp after he contracted mononucleosis last fall and missed the trip to Arizona. And it was productive, with him using his deft passing to set up teammates for power-play goals and displaying some good moments on the defensive side.

“I think I showcased my offensive abilities, but I also showcased my two-way game,” Clarke said. “They put me on the penalty kill a lot. I was blocking a lot of shots. I was showing off my good defensive stick. I was winning battles in our own zone. I was getting shots through from the point.

“These are all things on the checklist that I want to come in and show are in my repertoire, and I think I did that pretty well. I’m pretty happy with how my weekend went overall.”

Clarke didn’t register a point in Monday’s 3-0 win over San Jose. But Marco Sturm, who will coach the AHL’s Ontario Reign this season, felt it was his best game.

“He was just very solid,” Sturm said. “Didn’t do too much. He just played a really good game. That’s what we need from him. He’s learning too. A lot of things we saw on video or even during the game, some of the stuff he just didn’t know yet.

“He’s a young kid. He has to learn. But he’s definitely a good player. We’re excited that we have him in our group.”

The likely destination for Clarke is a return to the Barrie Colts for his third Ontario Hockey League season because the Kings’ blue line is crowded, especially on the right side. But Clarke stood out with his confident manner on the ice, so much that it often looked as if he had a target on his back.

“I feel like it’s been like that for a lot of my career,” he said. “I feel like I keep rising in the ranks and people keep wanting to get to me. It’s cool that I’m at this high level right now and that’s still going on.
“I feel the puck is on my stick a lot and I think they know if I have time and space, I’m going to make something happen. So, they’re trying to keep me down for that. But I just keep bouncing back up. That’s not going to stop me from playing my game. I’m still going to do the same thing next shift.”
Who else stood out at the tournament? Here are a few more notes and quotes on different Kings prospects and players in the showcase among six western-based NHL teams. Earlier we caught up with Quinton Byfield, who had some impactful, play-driving shifts among his moments even though they he didn’t put up big numbers in his two games.

Akil Thomas​

Thomas, 22, had a leg up on others among the Kings prospect because he was among the few who spent all last season with the Reign. It wasn’t an easy year as he had surgery on both shoulders and played in just 40 games. But the 2018 second-round draft pick finished with a flourish as he scored 11 points in his last 14 games. That included eight goals, after he failed to score in his first 26 contests.

“I definitely didn’t want to end off like how it started, so I was just trying to find it,” he said. “I had to just keep working hard and tried to do the right things and then slowly get my confidence back. But for me it kind of happened pretty quick. As soon as I scored a couple goals, I kind of found myself. All of a sudden, I was making plays and feeling like myself again.”

Seeing time in all situations, Thomas was active and didn’t hesitate in going to the net to create havoc or look for loose pucks. He also fired off his own shots. His game is as more of a jack-of-all-trades who contributes what is needed in a given situation.

“Every team is different, right?” he said. “Every team kind of needs (people) in different roles every year. For me, I try to take pride in being a Swiss Army knife and kind of being able to fulfill any role. I feel like as long as continue to be me, any team can play me up and down the lineup.”

Martin Chromiak​

Chromiak, 20, has one clear trait on the ice. The right wing out of Slovakia and the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs can shoot the puck.

It was evident during a rookie camp scrimmage and Saturday against Vegas, when he scored twice by following up on a rebound and then delivering a clean, low strike. Chromiak led Kingston with 44 goals last season and will be playing for Sturm in the AHL.

“It will be good for him,” Sturm said. It’ll be good for us to see him. He’s not a junior anymore. He has to understand that, too, and he has to learn that too. It will take time with him. But you can tell already. I think he’s a goal scorer.

“He doesn’t need much. But there’s a lot more to it. It’s definitely nice to have him.”

Kim Nousiainen and Helge Grans​

Among those who noticeably struggled in his opening game was Grans, which was odd as he had a promising first pro season in North America and showed offense with seven goals and 17 assists in 56 games with Ontario and played solid defense.

But in Friday’s opener, the 20-year-old turned the puck over in dangerous areas or failed to execute a few passes and had trouble with his gaps in defending. His game Monday was much improved as the errors were largely curtailed.

Nousiainen, 21, had a better showing. The diminutive Finn is a smooth skater and has offense in his game as he continually looked for passing lanes and means to get the puck toward the net. Some attempts were blocked but it didn’t leave him gun-shy.

“Kim, he’s been really solid,” Sturm said. “He’s been really good. I thought Helge played a much better game than he did in Game 1. But those guys, we need them. They have to step up for us because they’ve been around for a little bit now. I think there’s still room left. But they played good.”

Jacob Ingham and David Hrenak​

The goaltending is set in L.A. with Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen. But it could be a free-for-all in Ontario and elsewhere in the Kings’ system. Ingham and Hrenak got a few starts with the Reign last season but will be battling for the net with holdover Matt Villalta and new veteran acquisition Pheonix Copley.

Sturm alluded to Copley, a proven AHL netminder with 118 wins, being in the lead. Villalta won 28 games for Ontario with a .903 save percentage last season. Ingham and Hrenak could push both. Each got a full contest in the Rookie Faceoff and then split the duties Monday against San Jose.

Ingham, 22, was quite strong against Colorado with 30 stops after allowing two first-period goals. Hrenak, 24, made quality stops when he needed to against Vegas in allowing the Kings to rally from a 4-2 deficit. Both had little trouble shutting down a Sharks squad that didn’t dress top prospect William Eklund.

The Kings’ recent two-year affiliation agreement with the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits could be an outlet for either or both to get a lot of playing time if they can’t dislodge Copley or Villalta.

“The goalies gave us a chance every day to win a hockey game,” Sturm said. “And again (Monday), they were really, really solid. I’m happy for them that both had no goals against. Our goaltending was big this weekend. They deserved every credit.”

Samuel Helenius​

Using his 6-foot-6, 213-pound frame, Helenius was most effective in using his long stick to disrupt passes on the penalty kill and getting physical when he saw an occasion to stand up an opposing player.

One name mentioned over the weekend as a potential comparison was former NHL center Martin Hanzal, a big pivot who was never a huge offensive force but who parlayed smarts and a defensive conscience into 673 games before back problems forced him to retire. It could be apt for Helenius.

“He’s not a big goal scorer,” Sturm said. “But he plays a really solid two-way game. That’s what we need from him. He uses his size and strength. And that’s a good sign.”

Francesco Pinelli​

A 2021 second-round pick, Pinelli went to the net to punch in a nice feed from Clarke for the first goal in their opener against Colorado. The 19-year-old center was engaged in many shifts and played the kind of grinding game that could see him contribute in a middle-six role.

Pinelli is known to have an NHL-ready shot and has produced with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers but didn’t have many opportunities to unleash it.

Taylor Ward​

Ward, 24, was among the showcase’s oldest players and got 16 games with the Reign last year after completing four seasons at Nebraska-Omaha. The undrafted winger earned a promotion to the top line as he worked well with Byfield and found open spaces to makes plays with the puck or shoot it, as he did on a successful one-timer from Clarke.

“I didn’t really know anything about him,” Sturm said. “But there’s definitely something there. We just have to build on that.”

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Yeah I'm bullish on the Kings this year for sure. You can't just add a guy like Fiala and expect to be much the same. Defense needs to stay healthy, and goaltending is the bigger question mark for me. Love Quick always, but he's very old for a starter, and he will need to play splits a lot during the year, so this is Year 1 of Petersen getting paid and would love for him to take that step. Very wrong age to be taking a step backwards last year.

I think Doughty was doing work before he got hurt, and he seems highly motivated.

If Kings can fix their hot garbage special teams, especially that Power Play, I really like this team this year.

My last thoughts are that I don't think that many teams in the West, and specifically the Pacific got all that much better. Vegas *Should* be better, but what is their goaltending situation? Exactly. Vancouver will be interesting to watch, as they got the Bruce Beudreaux bump and were on fire to end the year. Edmonton is trouble just because of McDavid and their firepower, but they are the Leafs of the west. No defense to speak of and very top heavy. Calgary had that crazy roster shuffle, so we'll see what happens with them. Anaheim will be feisty and decent, but shouldn't be a playoff team yet. Sharks are saying they're not tanking, but they aren't good. Arizona is playing in a college hockey arena for maybe two years. I even think Colorado got a little worse. Lost some depth and goaltending, but they're still the favorite in the west for sure.

But yeah, overall, looking for a few key young guys to take that next step, and for the top lines to be much improved. Defensive depth should be there. Rooting for Turcotte just as person and because that whole situation has been awful. Not sold Kaaliyev because of his speed, but would love to be wrong on that one. Pretty much make or break for Vilardi. Byfield and Kupari have size and speed and skill so would love one of them to take a step forward. Huge Grundstrom fan, and he's pretty much the only guy up front who can lay the body at this point. I still feel like Iafallo is odd man out, but there are worse players to have on your 3rd line. If the Kings don't start well, I would move him for some size for sure, which LA desperately needs.

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Unrelated but related, I've been doing Underdog Fantasy drafts and they're pretty fun. They are "Best Ball" style, which is you do a normal fantasy draft, but it's very deep, and then you don't touch your roster all year. Whoever the highest performers were in a given week, those are the only guys who score that week. Whoever drafted the best team at the end of year wins it.

Also, since this is sort of all things hockey, I wanted to mention the website/app Cameo. You can pay an amount to have "Celebs" do personal messages for whoever you want, and I found Bob Miller and Cal Petersen randomly. There's also Jarret Stoll, but his is pretty pricey. Robitaille is on there, but he's also pricey, but it all goes to his charity. Anyway, Bob Miller crushed a message to my Dad for Father's Day and I got Petersen for my cousin. Petersen missed the one week deadline, so I got my money back, but then after that he sent me a message saying he was sorry he missed it, and did it anyway for free. Very cool thing for him to do.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

From the Athletic, Fiala on Kopitar.

Have you played with a center like him?

Like that good? No. No. Not at all.

 

[xis]

From the Athletic, Fiala on Kopitar.

Have you played with a center like him?

Like that good? No. No. Not at all.

 

[xis]

So? Who scores the 1st goal of the regular season for the kings this year?

I vote Arthur Kaliyev. 6:48 of the 1st period 5 on 5.

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Brandt Clarke scores to kickoff his legendary career, on the Power Play at 9:17.

 

[King Mensa]

Happy 22-23 season to you all!

May we see some good games this year! Kopitar setting up some sick goals. Quick making epic split legs glove save. Doughty going coast to coast with a slap shot off the post goal!

May we hear a stories like the time Puck's lady friend sat on a toilet and in turn, broke to the toilet.

May SportsMensa try to get us to move over to another up and coming sports board.

May Datacloud be able to still go raving.

May someone not creep out maCallan25.

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Brandt Clarke likely healthy scratch tonight per post I just read. Getting extra workout today so likely not debuting tonight. His legendary start may have to wait.

 

[davnlaguna]

Kings undefeated going into tonight’s game.

Now just hoping I can figure out what channel the game is on. May have to watch Canada stations

 

[CaptHowdy00]

Brandt Clarke likely healthy scratch tonight per post I just read. Getting extra workout today so likely not debuting tonight. His legendary start may have to wait.

It’s on ESPN+

 

[CaptHowdy00]

Why the Silver helmets again.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

Goal! Nice start.

 

[CaptHowdy00]

With Brown gone, who’s going to plant themselves in front of the goal. Kopitar, Fiala and Kempe aren’t those types of players.