Last night I had the opportunity to be a part of the first episode of View From My Seats Radio featuring Matt Reitz and co-host (and Dallas Stars fan) Jen. We had a good time talking about my favorite subject, Los Angeles Kings hockey.

For those of you that don’t read Matt’s blog, you really ought to bookmark (and subscribe) to a View From My Seats. His blog is about the National Hockey League and his razor-sharp wit comes through with each post. For those of us stuck in the Kings hockey land, it’s nice to get a league-wide perspective.

Also recommended is their new show, VFMS Radio. By now you should be able to subscribe to the show on iTunes and take it with you on your favorite mobile device.

Listen to the show here:

So what do you think of their first show?

The Los Angeles Kings had a great showing last night in their 2 to 1 win over the visiting Calgary Flames. The action was great and I can’t say I’ve been disappointed with any one particular player as of late. Although there was one surprise from my point of view; I felt like the Kings dominated the Flames in virtually all facets of the game (except for the PK, which the Flames attack more aggressively than any other teams I’ve seen so far this season), but there was one particular stat that I found quite surprising. It was that the Flames outshot the Kings 27 to 16. Only 16 shots? That is pretty amazing considering how much time the Kings had possession of the puck.

Stream of consciousness to follow: Did anyone else notice that Justin Williams had a ridiculously fantastic game? He was definitely the standout for me registering the primary assist for Jarret Stoll’s GWG in the second period. Stoll has also been strong on every shift; he played 19:25 last night and I think he has deserved every minute. Speaking of more minutes, Brad Richardson has been rewarded with more and more time and has been effective on all shifts as well. His hop has been pleasantly surprising along with Scott Parse‘s continued production. It’s fantastic that these guys are utilizing their short amount of minutes, and I’ve been very pleased all around with everyone’s play.

(LAKings.com)
There’s obviously the elephant still in the room with Anze Kopitar‘s lack of scoring. It has been quite a while (I’ll admit), but I personally am not panicking. I’m sure everything will smooth itself out in the near future (a.k.a when Ryan Smyth gets back in the lineup).

Oscar Moller was called up for this game, and it’s looking like he will stay for awhile. Awesome for him and for the fans. Once again, no complaints here.

Final thought on the game: Raitis Ivanans actually dropped the gloves and scraped it out with Brian McGrattan. Finally! Ivanans is doing what he’s supposed to be doing.

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I’ve been a little behind on the updates, but the best one of month is that the 2010 NHL Entry Draft will be held in Los Angeles!!! I’m incredibly excited for the entire event and will be counting down the days the closer it gets. Click here for the logo, which I think is sharp.

Drew Doughty‘s birthday has come and gone. He is now a ripe 20-year old. Crazy.

Don’t forget I’m on Twitter! Follow if you’d like.

While Kopitar’s points have trailed off into oblivion, secondary scoring has kicked into high gear. Here we’ll break down the games and make some observations about FSN’s TV advertising. Question of the Day: if you got a new jersey for Christmas, what player would be on the back?

The Los Angeles Kings are now 5-3-1 without Ryan Smyth and they had a good game tonight. Rob Scuderi was back and you could tell his presence was missed. Jonathan Quick had another strong game and the Kings secondary scoring kept things going.

Despite powering their way through to a shootout, the Los Angeles Kings were not playing good afternoon hockey (again). Brad Richardson continues on his goal-scoring tear with his third goal in three games. Scott Parse also added to the tally while Kopitar and Brown remain scoreless. Oscar Moller has just been called up. What does that mean for Teddy Purcell?

Is Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty writing positively about Brad Richardson? That’s right, folks, the guy we all wanted on a one-way ticket to Manchester is playing some good hockey right now. Teddy Purcell, however, isn’t. Here’s the latest from Gann.

LOS ANGELES — After losing three of their first four games without veteran left wing Ryan Smyth, things looked quite bad for the still young Los Angeles Kings and their survival in the Western Conference playoff race.

During that stretch, the Kings allowed twelve goals while scoring just eight. To be sure, their defensive play, which was a major strength last season, had finally been exposed with Smyth out of the lineup.

“We’ve got to tighten up defensively,” defenseman Matt Greene said on November 22. “In this league, you’re not going to win games with the old run-and-gun—you’re not going to win championships. That’s something that needs to be addressed immediately, that commitment to defense and to taking pride in not giving up goals.”

“We just have to play with more confidence and make a commitment to defense,” Greene added. “We have to know our assignments. You have to know what you’re doing on the ice before you get out there. A lot of this game is read and react, but there’s a lot that’s structured, too, just knowing where you need to be. That’s what we have to get back to—knowing your job and doing it.”

Discipline in terms of playing within their system has also contributed to the Kings’ poor defensive coverage.

“Sometimes there are mental lapses out there,” Greene explained. “That’s what we have to eliminate so everyone’s on the same page, so you know where your partner is going to be or where you line mates are going to be. That’s how you play within your structure.”

Much of the talk since Smyth suffered the dreaded “upper body injury” that will keep him out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks has been that if the Kings can play .500 hockey until he returns, they should be in good shape for a playoff run.

But few believed they could do it.

Nevertheless, to the surprise of just about everyone, the Kings are 4-3-0 going into their December 5 matinee contest against the St. Louis Blues at Staples Center.

So far, so good.

Read the rest on HockeyTalk.biz

Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty has some nice material today to complement our lazy Sunday. Here’s his in-depth piece on fan favorite Wayne Simmonds

LOS ANGELES — Two years ago, Wayne Simmonds was toiling away in the Ontario Hockey League for the Owen Sound Attack and the Sault Ste. Marie (Soo) Greyhounds. But his play had already caught the eye of the Los Angeles Kings, who had selected him in the second round (61st overall) of the 2007 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

In that 2007-08 season with Owen Sound, Simmonds scored seventeen goals and contributed 22 assists for 39 points with 43 penalty minutes in 29 games before being traded to Sault Ste. Marie, where he scored sixteen goals and added twenty assists for 36 points with sixty penalty minutes in 31 games.

In fourteen playoff games with the Greyhounds, Simmonds scored five goals and added nine assists for fourteen points with 22 penalty minutes.

Simmonds went on to play in the 2008 OHL All-Star Classic and he represented Canada in the IIHF World Junior Championships that season, helping lead his team to the gold medal.

And after that? All Simmonds did was make the Kings roster right out of junior hockey last season, playing in all 82 games, scoring nine goals and adding fourteen assists for 23 points with 73 penalty minutes.

But if you think that was impressive, you haven’t been paying attention to what he has done so far this season.

To be sure, Simmonds has been one of the Kings’ best players since the start of the season, although his performance as a gritty, hard-working forward who can chip in here and there with a goal or two was vastly overshadowed by the dominating performance of the line of Anze Kopitar, Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams earlier in the season.

Now, with Smyth out of the lineup due to an undisclosed upper body injury, Kopitar has fallen off the face of the Earth in terms of goal scoring. Add to that the scoring woes of right wing Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov, one would think the Kings’ offense would completely dry up, sending the team into a lengthy downward spiral.

But not if Simmonds has anything to say about it.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

Per LAKings.com

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Kings will host the 2010 NHL Entry Draft at STAPLES Center, the National Hockey League and the Kings announced Friday. The annual Draft — which will take place June 25-26, 2010 — will be in Los Angeles for the first time ever.

“The Los Angeles Kings organization would like to thank NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, and Bill Daly, John Collins, Don Renzulli and the entire National Hockey League for awarding the Kings, STAPLES Center and the city of Los Angeles this prestigious event,” said Kings Governor Timothy J. Leiweke. “The fact that the Draft will be at STAPLES Center and at L.A. LIVE next June is very special to us as our team has been built largely through the Draft and our patience is being rewarded right now. L.A. LIVE is the event capital of the world and we are excited that the NHL Draft is the first of many League Drafts that L.A. expects to host in the future.”

“It has been terrific to watch the continuing evolution of the Los Angeles Kings, as well as the growth of hockey in the state of California,” said National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman. “With local youth programs producing an increasing number of elite players, we are extremely pleased to bring this showcase event to California for the first time.”

“This is a very exciting and this is a very special announcement,” said Kings President of Business Operations, Luc Robitaille, who was originally selected by the Kings in the ninth-round (171st overall) of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. “The Draft is the place so many young players in our sport begin their professional careers and next summer the future of the NHL will be on display in Los Angeles. With the success of L.A. LIVE and our new incredible hotel opening in February, it is the ideal setting for yet another major sports and entertainment event to come to downtown Los Angeles. It is also another example that Los Angeles is a thriving hockey market with knowledgeable fans.”

“With the draft being here in L.A. next summer, maybe we can find another Luc Robitaille,” said Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi.

First priority for all Draft ticketing at STAPLES Center for June 25 and 26 will be given to Kings full season ticket members and STAPLES Center premier seat and suite holders. For official Draft ticket information, call 1-888-KINGS-LA or register for official Draft ticket information by clicking here.

The Kings’ current roster features eight players selected by the club in the annual NHL Draft including seven total players who were selected in the first-round (by the Kings or another NHL club). This list features Dustin Brown (13th overall in 2003), Drew Doughty (2nd overall in 2008), Alexander Frolov (20th overall in 2000), Anze Kopitar (11th overall in 2005), Jack Johnson (3rd overall by Carolina in 2005), Ryan Smyth (6th overall by Edmonton in 1994) and Justin Williams (28th overall by Philadelphia in 2000).

Since Lombardi assumed President/General Manager duties with the Kings, he has used the draft unlike any General Manager in team history to help implement his vision as he continues to build the Kings. Since 2006, Lombardi and the Kings have used 38 overall selections including six in the first round, five in second round and seven in the third round. The Kings have chosen at least one player in each of these rounds the last four years, and going forward the Kings have 10 selections in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, including six in the first three rounds.

At the annual NHL Entry Draft, which began in 1969, the Kings have selected 385 total players including 32 in the first round, 40 in the second round and 38 in the third round. (The Kings had two selections in the NHL Amateur Draft – 1967 and 1968 – when there was only one round and different draft rules applied).

The highest draft selections the Kings have had in their history were the second overall selections (three times: Doughty, Jimmy Carson in 1986 and Doug Smith in 1981). The Kings have held a draft choice in the top five overall selections six other times (third overall: Aki Berg in 1995, Olli Jokinen in 1997; fourth overall: Larry Murphy in 1980, Wayne McBean in 1987, Thomas Hickey in 2007; fifth overall: Brayden Schenn in 2009).

Some other notable Kings draft picks over the years include the following: Butch Goring – Fifth-round (51st overall) in 1969; Billy Smith – Fifth-round (59th overall) in 1970; Dave Taylor – 15th-round (210th overall) in 1975; Jay Wells – First-round (16th overall) in 1979; Mark Hardy – Second-round (30th overall) in 1979 Jim Fox – First-round (10th overall) in 1980; Bernie Nicholls – Fourth-round (73rd overall) in 1980; Kevin Stevens – Sixth-round (108th overall) in 1983; Rob Blake – Fourth-round (70th overall) in 1988; Alexei Zhitnik – Fourth-round (81st overall) in 1991; Lubomir Visnovsky – Fourth-round (118th overall) in 2000; and Michael Cammalleri – Second-round (49th overall) in 2001.

Three players selected by the Kings are currently in the Hockey Hall of Fame – Robitaille, Murphy and Billy Smith.

The Kings began play in the National Hockey League in 1967 and the club has never hosted the NHL Entry Draft. In fact, for the first time in its 46-year history, the NHL Entry Draft will be held in the State of California. The 2009 Draft was held in Montreal as part of that organization’s Centennial celebration.

Defenseman Jonathon Blum, a native of Long Beach, California, and member of the 2007 Memorial Cup-champion Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League, became the first California-born and trained player to ever be selected in the first round (2007). Blum, claimed by the Nashville Predators with the 23rd overall pick, played his youth hockey with the California Wave before moving to the WHL.

Since 2001, 23 players have been drafted from the state of California, including nine in the last three draft years. Only five states in the U.S. have had more – Minnesota, Massachusetts, New York, Michigan and Illinois.

Long Beach, California native Emerson Etem is ranked fourth by NHL Central Scouting on its “Top 25 Western Hockey League Players to Watch” list for the 2010 Draft. Etem, a speedy center with great puckhandling skills, is second on his team — Medicine Hat Tigers — in goal scoring with 20.

The first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft will take place on Friday, June 25, beginning at 4 p.m. (PT). On Saturday, the draft concludes with rounds two-seven.

KingsCast Take: This is going to be a huge event for Los Angeles Kings fans. The Canadian media will descend upon Los Angeles for two days of hockey. I know we’re going, are you?

You know it’s a weird game when Brad Richardson scores and Anze Kopitar doesn’t. The Los Angeles Kings hosted the Ottawa Senators at a half-full Staples Center last night and it was a bizarre see-saw game right until the end. While it was nice to see some goals, it was a sloppy game by both teams. Check out the highlights!

Connie’s post-game blog.

The win tonight against the Ottawa Senators marks the third win in a row for the Los Angeles Kings. The difference from this game to the past two was that tonight it felt like neither team was in control from one shift to the next. Even Jim Fox described it as a game of shinny, very wide open with not too much dominance overall. I was neither impressed with anyone on the Senators just as I was unimpressed with any one player on the Kings. Obviously different players had flashes of elite play, but nothing toooo impressive. Even Justin Williams seemed lackadaisical about his two goals at the end of the game. Awesome for him, but everything was all over the place!

A great stat from the night was that Michal Handzus and Anze Kopitar both rocked it in the faceoff circle with 81% and 80%, respectively. Also, Wayne Simmonds has continued to impress everyone watching. Tonight he drew a penalty shot where he faked out Mike Elliott and slide the puck between his legs getting the lead back for the Kings. I’m so pleased with his entire game and development so far this season. Go Simmer!

The most surprising part of the game was the goal by Randy Jones in the first minute of the game. In the past that would be the kind of thing the Kings wouldn’t be able to do. I seem to recall a game against the Detroit Red Wings two seasons ago where the puck dropped and I could feel it in my bones that the Kings would utterly fail. As predicted, Henrik Zetterberg scored about 51 seconds into the game. Someone can check that number, but I don’t think I’m too far off since that memory is seared into my memory bank.

The power play still needs some work. The Kings had two 5-on-3 opportunities back-to-back. That’s all I need to say about that. My apologies for the short post and the fact that I’m jumping around a bit, but life is getting in the way for now. Go Kings!