LA Kings Development Camp Wrap-Up
Gann Matsuda of Frozen Royalty had the opportunity to get some good stuff from David Kolomatis and Patrick Mullen at development camp, hosted by the Los Angeles Kings. Check out his latest article on HockeyTalk.biz
DEVELOPMENT CAMP: Here’s a look at couple of the Los Angeles Kings’ lesser-known prospects along with head coach Terry Murray’s thoughts as the development camp wrapped up on July 12.
EL SEGUNDO, CA — Each summer at the Los Angeles Kings annual development camp for their young prospects, fans ooh, ahh and gush about the players who were highly-touted first round picks, the massive hulks who throw a big hit or two to get the attention of the coaches and management, not to mention the occasional late-round draft pick who scores a highlight-reel goal and wows the crowd.
But outside of that relative handful of young players, the majority of the prospects are long shots to make it to the National Hockey League—that goes for the prospects of every single NHL franchise. But they aren’t the proverbial chopped liver, either, so HockeyTalk spoke with a couple of the Kings’ young prospects who are not on most people’s radar.
Although the Kings were focused on big, tough physical players during the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, one of their draft picks did not fit that mold.
Puck-moving, offensive defenseman David Kolomatis caught the eyes of the Kings’ scouts with a solid third season with the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League, scoring eighteen goals and contributing 28 assists for 46 points with 52 penalty minutes in 63 regular season games.
In four playoff games, Kolomatis scored two goals and added two assists for four points.
The 5-11, 186-pound native of Basking Ridge, New Jersey was selected by the Kings in the fifth round (126th overall) of the 2009 draft and within a couple of weeks, found himself in a totally new environment.
“It’s actually my first time on the West Coast,” Kolomatis said of his time at the Kings development camp. “I didn’t get a chance to touch the Pacific Ocean yet. We’ve been pretty busy here. It’s been a great experience for me…”
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