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Kings Will Need A Miracle To Win First Round Series Against San Jose – Gann has decided to go against “blind faith” and write the truth. This is an uphill battle here, my friends. Big time. Gann grabs some quotes from the team and Terry Murray. He also peppers in the reality of the situation. Great read though, if you’re one of those fans who is predicting Kings in four, this might enrage you.

Being Offensive Would Be A Good Thing For The Los Angeles Kings – If you’ve been watching the Kings with any sort of regularity since Anze Kopitar (and Justin Williams) went down, you know that scoring goals has been an issue. Coach Murray stresses the importance of Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty stepping up during the playoffs. This story is complete with notes, quotes and the raw audio interviews that Gann assembled.

Yeah, Kings fans, we’re really behind. Gann also had some nice commentary before the Kings actually made the playoffs. Here we go!

LA Kings Want 4th or 5th Place In West, But Don’t Control Their Own Destiny – Remember that brief but fleeting moment when the Kings were hoping to cling to fourth in the West so they could secure home ice advantage? That didn’t last long. Here, Gann breaks down the where they could land and who they could face. Damn those Ducks!

LA Kings Would Be Court Jesters If They Don’t Take Final Two Games Seriously – The final two games against the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks who were surging and Corey Perry who is making a strong case for the Hart Trophy. We were going to win both, right? One? None? They certainly ended up court jesters at the end of it. But, going back to Gann’s latest article: if they can pull off a miracle, we can can take away that title.

As always, there is some highly informative and interesting reading from Gann at Frozen Royalty and there will be much more as we get into the thick of the playoffs. But, don’t worry, if you’re too lazy we’ll always post his stuff here. Go Kings!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7Zyo-PXYOM

MONTEREY PARK, CA — Whether you played the game at any level or are just a spectator, if you truck the kids to hockey practice very early in the morning or just lie on the living room couch and watch games on television, just about everyone touched by the game has a hockey dream or two.

In Living The Hockey Dream, author Brian Kennedy, Ph.D., a native of Montreal, an Associate Professor of English at Pasadena City College and a freelance hockey writer who covers the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks for Inside Hockey, explores the hockey dreams—realized or not—of people involved with the game at all levels and all walks of life.

To be sure, this is not a book focusing on National Hockey League superstars and their glory days in the NHL—if that’s what you are looking for, prepare to be disappointed.

“What I was trying to do was get them to tell similar stories,” Kennedy explained. “Take a guy like [former Kings superstar] Marcel Dionne. It wasn’t just ‘tell me about your hockey career,’ because I can find that out from books, from the Internet, whatever. But tell me about you growing up in the game. What was your corner rink like? What was your neighborhood like? Then, of course, it extends into their career.”

“What I was trying to do was get, not just an inside story, but a story that had the theme of the young person and the way the game appeared or had meaning to him or her and then how that extended into the present,” Kennedy elaborated.

Like his previous book, Growing Up Hockey: The Life and Times of Everyone Who Ever Loved The Game (see Recommended Reading For the “Lull:” Growing Up Hockey), this is not your typical hockey book about NHL stars, past and present. In fact, even when dealing with a former NHL player, Kennedy’s approach was unique and refreshing.

Read the review at Frozen Royalty

To celebrate, the National Hockey League has introduced a contest on Twitter they call the #NHLPick15. The rules are simple. First and foremost, you need to get an account on Twitter. Next, you need to predict the winning team in all 15 games played on Saturday, October 3. The one fan that picks all 15 games correctly will win a trip for two to a regular season game of his choosing. Ten other entrants will be selected at random to receive a free season of NHL GameCenter Live.

To enter, send a message to @NHL, and pick the 15 teams you think will win using the three letter team code below. You must include the hashtag “#NHLPick15″ to be entered, you must answer the tiebreaker question, “What is the total, combined number of penalty minutes that all 30 NHL teams will have in the games played on October 3rd?”

Here’s my entry into the contest:

@NHL CHI, DET, VAN, BOS, BUF, NJD, PIT, NYR, WAS, TBL, CBJ, NSH, CGY, SJS, LAK, 268pims #NHLPick15

Here’s the match-up for Saturday, October 3rd:

CHI @ FLA
STL @ DET
VAN @ COL
CAR @ BOS
MTL @ BUF
PHI @ NJD
PIT @ NYI
OTT @ NYR
TOR @ WAS
TBL @ ATL
MIN @ CBJ
NSH @ DAL
CGY @ EDM
SJS @ ANA
PHX @ LAK

For more information (including all rules in English and French), visit NHL.com.

KingsCast Take: The National Hockey League is taking the fans seriously. With teams taking to Twitter and Facebook to promote themselves, you can now interact directly various members of the organization. Gone are the days when you had to wait for the latest issue of The Hockey News to appear at your doorstep. Not only that but there are cool prizes given out almost daily by individual teams and the NHL. The push the NHL is doing in social media is huge and it’s great for the fan.

I know most of you interact with the Los Angeles Kings on either Twitter or Facebook so what is the coolest thing you’ve heard from the organization lately? Tell us here!

Don’t forget to friend us up on Twitter and Facebook. See you at Staples!

The “30 in 30″ series will air Tuesday nights at 8pm EST on ESPN with upcoming films made by acclaimed directors Frank Marshall, Barry Levinson, Spike Jonze, John Singleton and many more. Sounds awesome!

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…”

Read the rest on HockeyTalk.biz

The 6’2″, 180 pound 19 year old Huntsville, AL native is the first player to ever be drafted from Huntsville as well as the first player to be drafted from the Wenatchee Wild. In an interview with Wenatchee Wild.com, Wild head coach Paul Baxter said “His selection is well-earned. LA’s Scouts had watched him play several times and were high on his NHL potential.” That just goes to show you: Los Angeles scouts are everywhere.

Dowd has committed himself to St. Cloud State University (WCHA) for the 2010-11 season and will play along side fellow Los Angeles Kings prospect Garrett Roe where he will be given ample time to mature. “His learning curve is very steep and his competitive vigor in all situations makes him a very attractive NHL prospect. He was a positive difference-maker in crucial game situations all season and during the playoffs”, said Baxter. “Nic has tremendous stick skills and vision, along with a very good skating stride that will get better as he physically matures.” Garrett Roe, also a 7th round draft pick by the LA Kings wasn’t the most highly-touted prospect of the bunch last year but managed to finish second in rookie scoring for the WCHA. There’s no doubt that Nic Dowd will benefit from the development program at St. Cloud State.

Matt Reitz from the popular blog View From My Seats got a chance to see Nic Dowd last weekend at the LA Kings Development Camp. “He couldn’t have blended in any more if he tried”, Reitz said. “I looked down at the roster a couple of times because I kept forgetting who he was. He wasn’t good and he wasn’t bad – he just blended. There were definitely guys that looked out of place. Thankfully he wasn’t one of them. I guess that’s a compliment, right?” Not exactly a shining endorsement of Dowd but somewhat expectant of a 7th rounder.

It will be interesting to watch the development of these players drafted in the lower rounds. Garrett Roe, also a 7th rounder, has been lighting up the WCHA. Obviously his Wenatchee Wild coach Paul Baxter thinks highly of him. Participation in these development camps will be highly beneficial to Nic Dowd. While we certainly can’t pencil Dowd into a Kings roster as of yet, there is little doubt that Dean Lombardi’s staff spoke endlessly about him. As we know by now, Lombardi will never waste a pick.

Random facts about Dowd: after hockey he would like to go to school for veterinary medicine and in the 1997-98 seasont he scored 103 goals and 68 assists for 171 points for his mite hockey team.

Resources:
View From My Seats – Follow Matt on Twitter
Wenatchee Wild.com

You can read about the Los Angeles Kings previous draft picks right here on KingsCast. So far, we’ve profiled forward Kyle Clifford, defenseman Nicolas Deslauriers, goaltender Jean-Francois Berube, forward Linden Vey, defenseman David Kolomatis, forward Michael Pelech, forward Brandon Kozun and forward Jordan Nolan.

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The Kings have not opened the season at STAPLES Center since 2002-03, against, ironically, the Phoenix Coyotes, a 4-1 Kings win. The Kings are 20-13-8 all time in Home Openers, and are 17-15-9 in Season Openers, while posting a 9-7-6 mark when opening the season at home. Click here to see the Kings All-Time Opening Night History.

See the full schedule here.

Read the full release on LAKings.com

EL SEGUNDO, CA — The Los Angeles Kings 2009 Development Camp for their young prospects. which ended on July 12, was rather different from camps held in previous years for several reasons.

One was the fact that only three days of the week-long camp were open to the public and the media to allow the young players to better focus on the task at hand.

But another more striking reason was that compared to previous camps, there seemed to be a greater intensity during both the scrimmages and the practice sessions and much of that may have been due to the fact that the Kings have brought in a number of prospects who not only are capable of playing a physical brand of hockey, but their toughness and fierce, competitive nature extends into their psyche as well, something that has been somewhat lacking throughout the Kings’ system.

One such player is their first round pick (fifth overall) in the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft, Brayden Schenn, a wet-behind-the-ears seventeen-year-old center from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

“The one thing about this guy is that his number one attribute is his competitiveness,” Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi at the draft in Montreal on June 26. “He’s a playoff-type player. I know that’s what [Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian] Burke saw in him and that’s certainly what we liked about him.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

EL SEGUNDO, CA — About this time last year, highly-touted Los Angeles Kings goaltending prospect Jonathan Bernier showed up at the Kings annual development camp for their young prospects with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

During last year’s development camp, I asked Bernier how he would feel if the Kings decided to send him to the minors even if he performed well at their 2008 training camp.

“I’ll be mad, really mad,” said the very confident, if not brash, young goaltending prospect.

As it turned out, Bernier suffered an injury during training camp and did not get a chance to be mad, at least, not for that reason. But in any case, it was a rather ominous sign of things to come from Bernier, who had an up-and-down 2008-09 season because he was disappointed about not being able to crack the Kings roster out of training camp and later in the season, he was upset about netminder Jonathan Quick getting called up from the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League [the Kings’ primary minor league affiliate] instead of him.

Somewhat reminiscent of a temper tantrum, isn’t it? Well, maybe not quite that extreme, but Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi indicated that Bernier’s attitude was poor, especially for a young player who has the National Hockey League in his sights.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

After reaching the playoffs in his final season with the Owen Sound Attack, Kolomatis signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Providence Bruins of the AHL. In four games with the Bruins he had 0 points and in the playoffs registered an assist.

The drafting of David Kolomatis means defensive depth for a very young Manchester Monarchs team. As an overager, Kolomatis no longer has any junior eligibility. Known for his smooth skating and ability to put up a little offense, Kolomatis will probably be that sixth defenseman for the Monarchs who does everything right but just doesn’t have the upside. That’s okay, we need guys like this in our minor league system. This was a good pickup that serves a very specific purpose. You can’t always draft a Henrik Zetterberg in the 5th round.

The information about the lower draft picks is getting thin, Kings fans. I’ll profile the last two in the coming days. Depending on how much information I get, I may just combine the profiles.

However, don’t forget that you can read about the higher draftees right here at KingsCast. We’ve already profiled Kyle Clifford, Nicolas Deslauriers, Jean-Francois Berbue and Linden Vey.

This coming year, Vey should play on the top line in Medicine Hat which will allow him to develop his offensive skills even more. Vey has strong leadership skills and is good at protecting the puck. He’s not much of a threat physicially but the Kings will stress that during his development journey. According to his coach, Willie Desjardins, Linden is “a smart player, strong with the puck” and “good down low”.

I like this pick a lot. Vey is a creative passer and can put the puck in the back of the net. From the video footage I saw of Vey he also seems to have a good head on his shoulders. We’ll certainly have to keep an eye on Linden Vey at this weekend’s development camp.

According to NHL.com’s Draft Prospect Profiles, Linden’s favorite song “Gotta Be Somebody” by Nickelback (very troubling in that Nickelback is a terrible band). If he wasn’t a hockey player, he’d like to be a professional golfer because of the “easy lifestyle”.

You can read about the LA Kings’ other draft selections in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft here on the site. Kyle Clifford, Nicolas Deslauriers and Jean-Francois Berube have already been profiled.

Resources:
NHL.com
Medicine Hat News

At 6’1″, 198 pounds, Jean-Francois Berube is a butterfly goaltender who was a walk-on to the Montreal Juniors this season. In 20 games with the Juniors he posted a record of 6-9 with a 2.89 GAA and a .900 save percentage. He spent the majority of the season backing up St. Louis Blues prospect Jake Allen. Berube credits Allen with helping him along this season. “I’m very aggressive in net and I never give up”, said Berube in an interview with Daryl Evans at Kings Vision. Kyle Woodlief Red Line Report thought highly enough of Berube to say he was the best goaltender in this year’s crop (albeit a weaker crop).

In a recent interview with the Montreal Gazette, Berube stated “It’s an unbelievable feeling to be wearing a Los Angeles Kings uniform. I wore the exact same sweater when I was younger, so I’m very proud to have this sweater on my back today.” Berube was the first Quebec-born player selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Berube joins the company of Jonathan Bernier, Jonathan Quick, Jeff Zatkoff and Martin Jones as future LA Kings players between the pipes. Now that Dean Lomardi has replenished the prospect pool, we don’t have to think about rushing these guys. Personally, I like the pick of J-F Berube. It’s always good to have another goaltender in the system. Berube’s size, strength and aggressiveness will certainly be beneficial for Los Angeles down the road. Denis Fougere, the Kings’ QMJHL area scout, was also very high on Nicolas Deslauriers who we selected in the third round. It’s nice to see the scouts staying active around the globe.

You can read more about your 2009 LA Kings draftees in our continuing series. Kyle Clifford and Nicolas Deslauriers have already been profiled by the fine folks at KingsCast. Stay tuned for more!

Resources:
Kyle Woodlief at USA Today
Montreal Gazette
Hockey’s Future

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The Kings selected 6 foot, 198 pound defenseman Nicolas Deslauriers in the third round (84th overall) from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Known primarily as an offensive-minded defenseman, Deslauriers scored 11 goals, 19 assists for 30 points for his Rouyn-Noranda team. His plus-3 rating was second-best on his Huskie team.

According to Hockey’s Future staff, who always has great analysis on prospects you’ve never heard of:

“An absolute wizard on the ice, Deslauriers is a pleasure to watch, thanks to his remarkable skating ability. As an offensive defenseman, Deslauriers has the ability to pick up a loose puck in his own zone and lead the counter-attack in the matter of just a handful of strides. Though he sometimes gets carried away with his desire to rush up the ice and be a key part of the offensive attack, Deslauriers’ ability to out skate the opposition and handle the puck with the best of them means he will continue to be an intriguing prospect.”

Mark Haidar, Altantic Canada Scout for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies said to me today in an interview “His best asset is his skating ability. He is extremely agile and his movement is effortless. He loves to carry the puck, sometimes too much though. He can sometimes be caught trying to pull a fancy spin-o-rama with the puck when he should, in all likelyhood, make the simple play.” Though Deslauriers is known for his offense, Haidar remarked “He isnt a powerplay quarterback in the purest sense. He is great at carrying the puck in but once he’s in the zone he doesn’t show a lot of creativity. He has a good shot but his playmaking abilities from the point are only average.” Though there is some development that needs to be done on Deslauriers, Haidar said “he’s great value for a third round choice.”

This was a solid pickup by Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi in the third round. Deslauriers’ final draft ranking was 59, so he fell a bit. Lombardi managed to scoop this offensive-defenseman up. Given our growing arsenal of defenseman, Deslauriers will come through Los Angeles’ system the right way – slowly. Lombardi has managed to draft a solid puck-moving defenseman with great skating skills. Deslauriers can play both as a defenseman and as a forward. His 80 penalty minutes last season shows that he’s not afraid to mix it up a bit. In my opinion, this was a solid draft choice. If you’re heading out to the LA Kings development camp this weekend, and you get a chance to see Deslauriers, leave your impressions in the comments section below.

Resources:
Hockey’s Future
LAKings.com
HockeyDB.com

EL SEGUNDO, CA — After sitting at the station, watching the unrestricted free agent train pass him by on July 1 and then signing veteran free agent defenseman Rob Scuderi on July 2, which did nothing to fill the gaping hole the Kings had on left wing, Los Angeles Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi earned at least a bit of redemption on July 3 when he acquired left wing Ryan Smyth from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for defensemen Kyle Quincey and Tom Preissing and a fifth round pick in the 2010 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

The trade is contingent upon the results of physical examinations of the players involved in the deal.

Last season, Smyth scored 26 goals and added 33 assists for 59 points in 77 games. He led the Avalanche in assists and was second on the team in goals. He was also tied for the team lead in power play goals (10) and game-winning goals (3). He also led the team withi 257 shots.

In fourteen NHL seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders and the Avalanche, Smyth has scored 310 goals and has added 350 assists for 660 points with 733 penalty minutes in 920 regular season games. In 81 playoff games, the 6-1, 190-pound native of Banff, Alberta has scored 25 goals and has contributed 27 assists for 52 points with 82 penalty minutes.

Read the Rest on Frozen Royalty

It’s been a while since we’ve had a player who deserves their own tribute video. Then, yesterday, the Los Angeles Kings traded Kyle Quincey, Tom Preissing and a 5th round pick to the Colorado Avalanche for Ryan Smyth. Enjoy the video!

Advantage, Kings. Since things didn’t quite work out with Hossa, Gaborik or Havlat, Deano went ambulance chasing with teams needing to shred payroll and scored with the Colorado Avalanche. The LA Kings get a strong, Deano-approved “Character Guy” and leader who’ll help groom the kids and someone who  isn’t afraid to crash the net and get dirty in the corners.  At first glance the salary seems high, but he’s worth it. Gotta spend money to make money. He is exactly what this team needs in this situation. Smyth is a big piece to the puzzle that is the LA Kings, he will help establish that ‘culture’ that’s been missing and he will help in recruiting hockey talent in the near future.

Lost in the news of the earth shattering Scudari signing, Kevin Westgarth has been re-signed to a new 3-Year deal. It’s pretty sad that this is the 2nd biggest signing of the off-season for the Kings… but I’m somewhat satisfied with it. Sure, the 0 points in 9 games with 9 penalty minutes is nothing special and the core of his existence as “Ivanans Replacement” is a tad distracting, I feel the need to root for him. Good sign, now please improve dramatically.

Clifford is a great example of what Lombardi looks for in the draft: character, toughness and defensive responsibility. In this article, Jim Barber said of Clifford:

“…he wants to pattern himself after Ottawa Senators feisty forward Mike Fisher, who is a punishing hitter, tenacious forechecker, great on the penalty kill, but who also has solid offensive credentials.”

In a recent interview with LAKings.com, Clifford said he patterned his style of play to that of gritty winger Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins. The player that comes to mind when I see a bit more about Cliford is Wayne Simmonds. Clifford’s final final draft ranking was 182 (in all fairness others had him higher, even in the 1st round). However his toughness and character is a huge reason why Lombardi drafted him. Given the amount of time the Los Angeles Kings spend scouting their potential draft picks, it’s a safe bet that the pick of Kyle Clifford will pay off.

One glaring criticism of Clifford is his skating. According to International Scouting Services (ISS):

“Clifford is a straight ahead player with an edge. Skating is just OK – has heavy feet and needs to make sure he keeps his feet moving to get speed – skating has shown improvement over the season.”

The question for Kings fans would be: did we just draft yet another third liner? Given his statistics and scouting profile, it certainly appears so. While every Kings draftee will not end up playing for the team, there were quite a few other kids available who might have projected into our top six down the road. That said, drafting has been a strong suit for LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi. We might have a nice addition on our hands.

What do you think of the pick? Can Clifford be more than a third liner? Should we have picked Tomas Tartar who was still available?

Resources:
Hockey’s Future
HockeyFights.com

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One of those trades sent center Brian Boyle (photo at left; courtesy Los Angeles Kings) to the New York Rangers in exchange for the Rangers’ third round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

In 28 games with the Kings this past season, the 24-year-old native of Hingham, Massachusetts scored four goals and added an assist with 42 penalty minutes. But he shuttled back and forth between Los Angeles and the Kings’ primary minor league affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, where he scored ten goals and added eleven assists for 21 points with 73 penalty minutes in 42 games.

Read the Rest on Frozen Royalty

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EL SEGUNDO, CA — If you passed out during the major snoozefest otherwise known as the first round of the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft, held on Friday evening in Montreal, chances are you were not alone.

Indeed, watching this year’s first round of the NHL draft was about as entertaining as watching paint dry. Maybe less.

Even for a hockey junkie like myself, I’m leaning towards the paint.

Last year, there were several trades during the first round, which obviously made it more interesting, including one involving the Los Angeles Kings to open the evening’s festivities.

Read the Rest on Frozen Royalty

EL SEGUNDO, CA — With the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft beginning tonight in Montreal, the brain trust of the Los Angeles Kings, including President/General Manager Dean Lombardi, are going over their lists with the proverbial fine tooth comb, projecting who might be available when their turn, the fifth overall selection in the first round, comes around, along with what kind of trades might be out there for them to get in on.

But before Frozen Royalty looks ahead to the 2009 draft, let’s take a step back and look at a couple of 2008 Kings draft picks who were big surprises this past season, in more ways than one.

Indeed, defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov (photo at right, courtesy Manchester Monarchs), who was selected in the second round, 32nd overall) and center Andrei Loktionov, a fifth round pick, 123rd overall, were big surprises on a couple of levels.

First off, both are from Russia and last summer, there was a lot of uncertainty about Russian prospects caused by the possbility of them signing with teams in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. If they signed with a KHL team after being drafted, any NHL team that selected them would, in all likelihood, be wasting a draft pick.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

I’ll have the Flip cam in tow to shoot a quick episode of Overtime as well as Tweeting live from the event. So if you see a guy talking to a camera without any regard for those around him, that’s (most likely) me. I’d love to interview you and talk about your thoughts on the draft and a look ahead to next season. I won’t be in Kings gear so you’re going to have to look hard.

So who’s going?

Follow us on Twitter. Friend Keith up on Facebook.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Since the end of the 2008-09 season for the Los Angeles Kings, a common message coming from both Head Coach Terry Murray and President/General Manager Dean Lombardi was that their young players needed to get in the gym this summer to become stronger and to be in top physical shape by the time training camp begins.

Further, both said that this was the most important way for the Kings to improve, above all else.

In an interview on June 13, Lombardi said that he is starting to see signs of that happening, as more players have stayed in the Los Angeles area to train together. But Lombardi added that his young players still have a ways to go and he pointed to his best player as one who needs to set an example.

“When I see a lot of these kids, but in particular [center Anze Kopitar’s] case, you talk about a culture, we have a lot of work to do in terms of our best players learning to prepare in the off-season, learning how to prepare as pros physically and mentally,” Lombardi stressed. “And you can’t be prepared mentally if you haven’t prepared physically because if you show up in training camp ready to go, it means you have taxed yourself mentally and challenged yourself to get to the next level.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Despite seeing his team fail to qualify for post-season play for the sixth consecutive season, Los Angeles Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi expects his team to end that long drought in the 2009-10 season.

One glaring flaw with that expectation is that he seems be banking rather heavily on winger Justin Williams to not only provide a significant boost to the offense, but also to stay relatively healthy.

But Williams has hit the thirty-goal mark just twice in his career and has otherwise struggled just to remain in the lineup, suffering from a myriad of injuries, including two serious knee injuries, casting serious doubts on his ability to regain his thirty-goal form.

Indeed, the odds against Williams returning to form, let alone staying healthy, would seem to be very, very high, if not astronomical.

Nevertheless, Lombardi is counting on Williams to add to the offensive production of his younger players to help lift the Kings into the playoffs.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

TORONTO — On June 23, former Los Angeles Kings left wing Luc Robitaille was named to the 2009 class that will be inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame on November 9, 2009, in Toronto.

Along with Robitaille, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch and Steve Yzerman were named in the players category, while New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello was named in the builders category.

Robitaille, the highest scoring left wing in National Hockey League history and the all-time Kings leader in goals, played in 1,431 career regular season games with the Kings, Detroit Red Wings (where he won a Stanley Cup in 2002), New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. “Lucky” scored 668 goals and added 726 assists for 1,394 points over his 19-year NHL career.

In 159 playoff games, Robitaille scored 58 with 69 assists for 127 points.

“This is a tremendous achievement for Luc, his family and the entire Kings organization,” said Kings Governor/Chief Executive Officer Tim Leiweke. “We have always been honored to have the greatest left winger represent our franchise and our fans, and we are thrilled to now share Luc with the Hockey Hall of Fame.”

Robitaille said he was excited when he got the call.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

EL SEGUNDO, CA — When Dean Lombardi became President/General Manager of the Los Angeles Kings on April 21, 2006, he took command of a sinking ship.

His National Hockey League lineup had a bit of talent, but it was one of the oldest in the league and was not good enough to make the playoffs. The rest of the Kings’ system was mostly devoid of young talent, the result of the Kings mismanaging assets from the big club to the minor and junior leagues.

Indeed, the ship was sinking fast. You could even say it was already starting to go down by the bow.

Lombardi quickly realized that drastic changes were necessary in order to save the ship and in just a little over three years, the Kings went from one of the oldest teams in the league to one of the youngest. Their system went from one that had almost no legitimate prospects to one with about a dozen prospects that other NHL general managers have coveted.

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty

LOS ANGELES — The 2008-09 Los Angeles Kings placed a heavy load of responsibility on a roster laden with young talent at key positions. Predictably, the results were somewhat mixed and Kings head coach Terry Murray talked about a few of his key, young players in a recent interview.

Starting on the upside, goaltender Jonathan Quick did not start the season with the Kings, but after being recalled on December 16, 2008 and then winning the starting goaltender job after Jason LaBarbera was sent packing to the Vancouver Canucks on December 30, he showed that he just might be the answer in goal that has, outside of Rogie Vachon and Mario Lessard, eluded the Kings for most of their existence.

Quick (photo at left) played in 44 games, earning a 21-18-2 record, a 2.48 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage and four shutouts—all impressive numbers on a team that ended the season three games below the .500 mark.

“I thought Jason played good for us, but at the end, I think he wishes he had played better for us,” said Murray. “That certainly was a comment he made to me as he was on his way to Vancouver [on the day he was traded]. We talked in the office. He certainly wanted to have contributed more and be a better player for the LA Kings and it just didn’t seem to work out. Unfortunately, that’s kind of the way things go sometimes.”

Read the Rest on Frozen Royalty

It’s a long off-season for Los Angeles Kings fans so when Keith and Chris needed some LA Kings hockey, the sought it out at the Toyota Sports Center.

LOS ANGELES — With the Stanley Cup Finals in full swing, it has now been close to two months since the 2008-09 season ended for the Los Angeles Kings, who missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. Over that period. Kings head coach Terry Murray has certainly had time to reflect on his first season with the team, especially their improved defensive play.

Indeed, when Murray took the reins of the Kings, one of the first things he said when he was introduced at a press conference in July, 2008 was that the Kings needed to cut down on goals against and it was clear from day one of training camp that defense and checking would be emphasized.

“That was the main focus coming into the first day of training camp when we met as a big group,” said Murray. “I talked to the players about the focus of the training camp and the priority was to cut back on scoring chances and cut back on goals against. The players gave tremendous focus and commitment to that.”

Read the rest on Frozen Royalty & HockeyTalk.biz

Sites for Kings Fans

The Online Kingdom – The Online Kingdom has been around for a long time. The site started as an email list and became the site that it is through the hard work of many. Check out the Roundtable for intense debate year-round.

Inside the Kings – Started by Daily News reporter Rich Hammond, Inside the Kings is the source for up to the minute news and interviews on the LA Kings. No one has better access to the organization than Rich.

Frozen Royalty – Recently inducted into the Professional Hockey Writers Association, Gann Matsuda started this blog to expand his coverage of the LA Kings. Gann has been blogging for HockeyTalk.biz on a regular basis. It’s a great blog to read, particularly after home games. Gann has been posting post-game audio interviews with players and coaches after each game.

A Queen Among Kings – Connie Kim’s blog about the LA Kings is peppered with hilarious commentary about her favorite team. Connie likes to fixate her attention on one obscure player each season to gush about and frequently brings interesting signs to games. Connie is also a co-host with KingsCast (check her out on Overtime here).

Sites for Hockey Fans

Hockey’s Future – We’d be remiss not to mention Hockey’s Future as they are our first source for information on Kings prospects. If you’re looking for information on your favorite prospect, this is the source.

The Hockey Card Show – This show is about a fan’s love for hockey cards. But that’s not what makes this show so hilarious. The two hosts do a great job mixing booze, hockey and hilarity.

Hockey T Shirt.net – Another great find. This show takes a look at some of the cool hockey-related t-shirts out there. Again, the two hosts here are funny as hell Pittsburgh Penguins fans who loathe Alex Ovechkin. Check them out wearing a KingsCast shirt here.

The Hockey Zen – The Hockey Zen is a new hockey social networking site on the scene. While still new and building its member base, this is going to be a great site for the hockey fan. It’s not yet well represented by Kings fans, so point your browsers over and sign up. They also have a video blog called Hockey Zen TV that’s worth checking out.

Spector’s Hockey – Spector’s Hockey is the only place to go for the latest hockey rumors. Written by Lyle Richardson, he takes the rumors from all of the sources on-line and print and gives his color commentary on them. This is the one and only hockey rumor source I check daily.

Kukla’s Korner – Kukla’s Korner is a great blog network that gives you perspective on all teams league-wide. If you haven’t heard of Kukla’s Korner, you likely just joined the internet.

Got a site we missed? Add it to the comments section or tell us on Twitter. Yes, it’s highly possible we haven’t come across your hockey blog yet but we’d like to!

“Dwight King is a big power forward with lots of raw talent,” said Ron Hextall, the Kings Vice President / Assistant General Manager.

King, 19, recently finished the 2008-09 season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL) where he recorded 60 points (25-35=60), 51 penalty minutes and plus-9 rating in 64 regular season games. Of his 25 goals, four were scored short-handed (ranked first on the team) and eight were scored on the power-play (ranked second on the team). His 60 points ranked third on the club. The Hurricanes advanced to the 2009 WHL playoffs and in 11 postseason games, King, a 6-3, 218-pound native of Meadowlake, Saskatchewan, totaled eight points (1-7=8; ranked second on the team), two penalty minutes and plus-1 rating, with his seven playoff assists pacing the team.

King, the brother of St. Louis Blues prospect D.J. King, recorded 69 points (34-35=69), 56 penalty minutes and a plus-21 rating in 72 regular season games with Lethbridge in 2007-08 while finishing third on the team in scoring. In addition, he tied for the team lead with 34 goals and 12 power-play goals while earning the title as Hurricanes Best Defensive Forward. During the 2008 WHL playoffs, King totaled 14 points (8-6=14), 12 penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating in 19 postseason games.

King, who won a gold medal as a member of Canada’s 2006 U-18 Junior World Cup team, recorded 44 points (12-32=44), 39 penalty minutes and a plus-8 rating in 68 regular season games with Lethbridge in 2006-07. The Hurricanes first-round selection in the 2004 WHL Bantam Draft was also a member of Team Western at the 2006 and 2005 World U-17 Hockey Challenges.

Per LAKings.com

KingsCast Take: The Cup is ours!!