Kings Sign Defenseman Prospect Alec Martinez

EL SEGUNDO, CA — On April 29, the Los Angeles Kings signed defenseman prospect Alec Martinez to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Martinez, 20, just completed his junior season with the Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks, scoring nine goals with 23 assists for 32 points and 42 penalty minutes in 42 games. He earned Central Collegiate Hockey Association All-Tournament honors, was named the CCHA’s Best Defensive Defenseman, he led all CCHA defensemen in goals and points, and he was fourth among all CCHA defensemen in assists. His 32 points and 23 assists were both career-highs.

In 123 games over three seasons with the Redhawks, the 6-1, 207-pound native of Rochester Hills, Michigan scored 21 goals and added 46 assists with 113 penalty minutes.

In the 2004-05 season, Martinez played for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the United States Hockey League, scoring ten goals with eleven assists for 21 points and thirty penalty minutes in 58 games.

Martinez was selected by the Kings in the fourth round (95th overall) of the 2007 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

Photo courtesy Miami University.

Forward Prospect Bud Holloway Signs Entry-Level Deal

EL SEGUNDO, CA — On April 24, the Los Angeles Kings signed forward prospect Bud Holloway to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Holloway, 20, scored 43 goals and added 40 assists for 83 points with 55 penalty minutes in 70 regular season games this season with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. He also scored five goals and contributed five assists in twelve WHL playoff games.

Holloway ranked third in the WHL in goal scoring and ninth in the league in overall scoring. He was also tied for second with nine game-winner goals and was tied for third with a +36 plus/minus rating.

The 6-1, 190-pound native of Wapelia, Saskatchewan was named the WHL Player of the Month for March after he posted scored eleven goals and added five assists for 16 points with a +9 rating in nine games.

In the 2006-07 season, Holloway, scored 27 goals and added 38 assists for 65 points and had a +20 rating in 71 games. In 2005-06, he scored 21 goals and tallied 13 assists for 34 points and in 2004-05, he scored four goals with eleven assists for 15 points.

Holloway was selected by the Kings in the third round (86th overall) of the 2006 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

Photo courtesy WHL.

NHL Central Scouting Service Releases Final 2008 Prospect Rankings

The National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Service has released its final prospect rankings for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, to be held on June 20-21, 2008 in Ottawa.

Although the conference semi-finals in the NHL playoffs begin tonight, it is not too early to start talking about the draft for the Los Angeles Kings (and many of you have been doing that for months now, some since the start of the 2007-08 season).

Who should the Kings select in the first round with the second overall pick? Should they trade up to get the first selection? Should they trade down to try and get another first round pick? What do you think Kings President/General Manger Dean Lombardi should do on draft day?

Please post your thoughts by clicking on the comments link at the bottom of this blog entry.

NHL Central Scouting Service: Top 30 North American Skaters
NHL Central Scouting Service: North American Goalies
NHL Central Scouting Service: Top 30 European Skaters
NHL Central Scouting Service: European Goalies
Hockeysfuture: ISS Top 30 2008 Prospects For April

Kings Sign Prospect Oscar Moller

EL SEGUNDO, CA — On April 22, the Los Angeles Kings signed forward Oscar Moller to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Moller, 19, played in 63 regular season games for the Chilliwack Bruins of the Western Hockey League this season, scoring 39 goals and contributing 43 assists for 82 points with 42 penalty minutes.

Moller’s 39 goals ranked him seventh in the league in goal scoring. He was also tied for tenth in overall scoring and was fourth in the WHL in power play goals (16). He was also tied for fifth with 28 power play assists.

In four playoff games, Moller scored a goal and added two assists. He was also a WHL First Team All-Star.

The 5-11, 179-pound native of Stockholm, Sweden also played in two playoff games for the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League this season, recording one assist.

Moller represented Sweden at the 2008 World Junior Championship, where he scored three goals and added two assists for five points in six games, helping lead Sweden to a silver medal finish in the tournament.

Moller scored 32 goals and tallied 37 assists for 69 points in 68 games in the 2006-07 season, ranking third among WHL rookies in goals and fifth among WHL rookies in overall scoring. Moller was also named co-winner of the Bruins’ Rookie of the Year award.

That same season, Moller was the captain of Team Sweden, which won the bronze medal in the IIHF Under-18 World Championships.

Photo courtesy Chillwack Bruins.

Dustin Brown Puts It All Together

LOS ANGELES — Even though Los Angeles Kings right wing Dustin Brown is only 23 years old, he had already played three seasons in the National Hockey League going into the 2007-08 season. But during that time, his play raised plenty of questions and doubts about his future.

To be sure, Brown quickly established himself as a physical player, one who could deliver devastating body checks. But the offensive ability he showed at lower levels eluded him. Indeed, many doubted the first round (13th overall) selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft would ever meet the lofty expectations that the Kings and hockey pundits alike had of him.

Brown played sparingly in his rookie year, scoring a goal and adding four assists in the 2003-04 season. He played for the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League (Kings’ primary minor league affiliate) during the 2005-06 lockout season, and he gave everyone a glimpse of what could be by scoring 29 goals with 45 assists for 74 points.

It was back to the NHL and the Kings in the 2005-06 season, when Brown scored 14 goals and added 14 assists for 28 points with 175 hits. He improved his offensive numbers in the 2006-07 season with 17 goals and 29 assists for 46 points while ranking second in the league with 258 hits.

Despite his offensive improvement, it was clear that Brown was a fierce hitter, but was not a major offensive threat—a third line winger at best, not the first or second line power forward that he was expected to become. And since teams do not select players for their third and fourth lines in the first round of the draft, Brown was definitely not living up to expectations.

After three seasons in the NHL without making the offensive splash that was expected of him, Brown was at a crossroads in his career, as the whispers around the league were that he was likely to be little more than a third-line checking forward with average or even below average offensive skills. Brown clearly needed to put his entire game together in order to silence his critics.

And although the 2007-08 season was yet another horrific season for the Kings, Brown was a one of the few bright spots, scoring 33 goals while contributing 27 assists for 60 points, and he led the league with 311 hits. Without question, Brown finally put together his offensive game with his physical play.

To be sure, Brown silenced his critics with a breakout season.

Brown’s renaissance began during the off-season when he lost a few pounds and worked on his skating, adding speed and better conditioning to his game.

He also added increased confidence to his arsenal.

“This year, I’ve been focusing on picking up my offensive game and really focusing when I get those chances,” said Brown. “Last year, when I got those chances, maybe I didn’t have the confidence to score. That’s the difference--the experience and the confidence this year.”

“There’s definitely a different feeling for myself,” added Brown. “You come out onto the ice—I remember my first couple of years, questioning or doubting myself, whether I belong, or whether I can score. Now, I just go out there and expect to create offense for this team. I’ve been fortunate enough to get the opportunity and capitalize on my chances.”

“It’s definitely a different mindset for me now. It’s not whether I belong. It’s making a statement.”

Experience also helped him to continue to play a physical brand of hockey while adding the offense at the same time.

“Physicality is still there [in his game],” Brown explained earlier in the season. “But when I have to focus on offense, I’m not taking myself out of the play as much this year, which has helped me get my chances. I’m not worrying about making the huge hit and maybe taking myself out of position by three or four feet. In today’s game, three or four feet is a big difference. Letting the hits come to me, I can still get my hits, but I’m in better position defensively and offensively.”

“A lot of it is confidence and a lot of it is experience, knowing when to turn it up a notch,” added Brown. “Hitting is a weird thing. Sometimes, you can create big hits, but a lot of times, it’s just a matter of letting things come to you.”

This season, everyone stood up and took notice of the “new” player wearing Kings’ jersey number 23, including Kings’ head coach Marc Crawford.

“He’s at the point in his career where he is maybe a little more comfortable with the puck,” said Crawford. “When you’re young and you’re learning the league, when you get the puck on your stick, maybe you force plays or hurry plays a bit more. Dustin has a bit more poise now.”

“As a power forward, it’s about controlling the puck and making a quick decision, and I see a lot more control in his play,” added Crawford. “He’s always physical. He was physical as a young player in this league. He caught people by surprise, but he doesn’t catch anyone by surprise now.”

After a huge breakout season, the expectations for Brown are even higher, both on the ice and off, and that includes being looked at as one of the leaders on the team.

“Let’s face it. It’s going to be Brown in a situation of leadership, [and Anze] Kopitar,” said Crawford. “We’ve already introduced [Lubomir] Visnovsky and [Michael] Cammalleri into it this year. Those guys are going to have to continue to take steps ahead.”

“It’s taking initiative to be the accountable guys,” added Crawford.

And Brown was already talking like a team leader at the end of his team’s season as he lamented one of the reasons the Kings took it on the chin again this season.

“It’s players taking accountability and coming ready to play every night, which I don’t think was the case for every player in every game this year,” he said.

“I believe it’s just taking accountability—each individual,” he stressed. “There have been games this year where little things cost us games, not big mistakes. It’s not chipping the puck in, a turnover. It’s little things like that—short shifts and stuff like that—we got away from as a team in the early part of the year and it cost us games.”

Many have attributed to the Kings’ inconsistent effort throughout the season to the fact that their key players are all quite young. But Brown refused to accept that as an excuse.

“You could look at it two ways,” said Brown. “We’re a young team, but at the same time, if you’re young, you should be excited to play every night. I think there have been instances where there’s players who weren’t excited to play and kind of went through the motions.”

“You can’t do that,” added Brown. “You can’t have any passengers when we’re on the lower end of the talent level. We have to have everyone excited. We can’t rely only on our talent. We have to be hard-working. Hard work and doing the little things would really help this team.”

Indeed.

“Everyone has off nights,” Brown explained. “The effort level wasn’t there sometimes from a variety of players. I don’t think that’s really acceptable if we want to make the playoffs. There’s guys who are going to have off nights. Skill guys—[Alexander] Frolov might have an off night and not be the normal Frolov we all know he can be. One thing we can all do is bring our effort every night. Sometimes, that wasn’t the case."

“It’s a team game, we’re all pulling on the same rope,” Brown elaborated. “You try to support your teammates. I’ve had off nights, or nights where I could’ve worked harder. You look back after the fact and you kick yourself.”

After such a banner year for himself, Brown was especially disappointed in his team’s atrocious season.

“It’s not a good feeling for myself,” he said. “It’s a big disappointment for me. Next year, it’s going to be up to the core guys to take accountability for this team and not let it slip away.”

Brown said that despite their poor season, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

“I think experience is a huge part of becoming a winning team,” said Brown. “When you look at our core group, we all got a year’s experience and I think that’s going to pay dividends.”

“It’s my first time in this organization where I’ve come back and there’s the same key players for two years in a row and now we’re coming back for a third year,” added Brown. “I think that’s a huge part of getting a winning mentality around here. The key guys—Kopitar, [Patrick O’Sullivan Frolov, Cammalleri], Jack [Johnson]—they’re all going to be here.”

“Normally, it’s a total [overhaul] after the season, at least since I’ve been here. It’s nice to know that we have that core group that’s been together for three years and we can really build on that.”

Brown will represent the United States, along with O’Sullivan, in the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship tournament, May 2-18, 2008 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Quebec City, Quebec.

After that, it’s back to same grindstone that he put his nose to last summer.

“A lot of the same, I’m not going to try to switch much of it up,” Brown said about his off-season training. “This is where you can make gains physically—in the summertime.”

“It’s tough during the year. If you work hard during the summer—I noticed the difference physically, feeling better on the ice, maybe not right away because you go from being in great shape off the ice to getting into hockey shape. But once you get into hockey shape, it can really help you.”

To be sure, the 2008-09 Kings are going to need all the help Dustin Brown can give them, and if he can improve on his offensive numbers, he can make a big statement towards gaining recognition as one of the league’s top power forwards. That kind of effort could be the difference between the Kings making the playoffs or being one of the league’s also-rans yet again.

Audio: Interview with Dustin Brown (8:19)

2007-08: Breakout Season For Patrick O’Sullivan

LOS ANGELES — Despite finishing the 2007-08 season 29th in the thirty-team National Hockey League, the Los Angeles Kings are optimistic about their future, and one reason for that optimism comes from a rather unexpected source.

Indeed, no one in their right mind thought that a 5-11, 190-pound winger with some offensive talent but had little in terms of a defensive game would be a major player in the Kings’ future, at least, not in the near future.

But second-year left wing Patrick O’Sullivan turned a lot of heads and left some jaws agape this season by scoring 22 goals with 31 assists for 53 points in 82 games as well as contributing far more on the defensive end than anyone expected.

To be sure, O’Sullivan was not known for his defensive play when he began the 2006-07 season with the Kings. Always a big-time scorer in the Ontario Hockey League and later in the American Hockey League, he scored 47 goals and added 46 assists for 93 points in 78 games with the Houston Aeros in the 2005-06 season.

With the Kings, O’Sullivan found himself in unfamiliar territory, as his defensive play and his play without the puck was lacking, to say the least, and as a result, he did not last long at the NHL level.

O’Sullivan was assigned to the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL, the Kings’ primary minor league affiliate, to work on his game, and while many young, highly-touted prospects react poorly to being sent down to the minors, O’Sullivan did not sulk. Instead, he put his nose to the grindstone and worked hard, scoring 18 goals and contributing 21 assists for 39 points in 41 games.

On January 25, O’Sullivan was recalled by the Kings, and it appeared that he got the message, as the new Patrick O’Sullivan was effective with and without the puck. He displayed a hard-nosed work ethic in battles along the boards and in the corners, and he was far more dangerous in the offensive zone.

O’Sullivan acknowledged that being sent to Manchester helped his game tremendously.

“Since I came back from my stint in Manchester, I feel a lot more comfortable on the ice,” O’Sullivan said at the time. “I’m certainly playing a lot more and I’m starting to get some points.”

“As the second half went on, I started killing penalties and playing in big, important situations,” O’Sullivan added. “That really got to me. I said to myself, ‘I can play at this level. I can make plays and do the things that I’ve been able to do at every other level.’ To realize that is pretty cool. It’s definitely something I’ve tried to build on.”

But O’Sullivan knew that he had to do more to improve his game, and last summer, he spent a lot of time in the weight room and even participated in the Kings Development Camp, which he was not required to do.

The off-season work paid off in spades, as the sophomore winger came back as very different player.

“I’ve got confidence, I know I can play in this league,” O’Sullivan explained. “That’s half the battle, knowing that you’re able to do it. For a young player, that’s a big step. To get the experience last year was good for me. I also worked hard this past summer. I got into better shape than I was before and I’m starting to feel that.”

“I feel faster, and I feel a little quicker on the ice,” O’Sullivan elaborated. “It’s from some of the training I did over the summer. The team wanted me to work on my conditioning, and I came to camp in a lot better shape than I did last year. I feel it on the ice.”

Despite his size, O’Sullivan has learned how to use his body effectively and he won more than his share of physical battles this season.

“I’m not the biggest guy, but I got stronger and definitely a lot faster,” he said. “The skating improvement has really helped me.”

“He’s still growing up, he’s gaining experience,” said Kings forward Michael Cammalleri. “There’s a big difference from when you’re a rookie. You’re just getting used to the NHL, the best league in the world. Now he knows what it’s like and he’s just getting stronger.”

O’Sullivan started the 2007-08 season in almost strictly a defensive role, playing on the third line and killing penalties. But he played so well—a big surprise, even for the Kings—that before anyone knew it, he found himself playing on the first and second lines and getting time on the power play—he found himself playing in all situations.

To be sure, no one was doubting O’Sullivan anymore.

“It feels really good,” said O’Sullivan, who received the team award for Best Defensive Player. “Any time you have people doubting you, and that was happening last year because it didn’t go as planned for me, but to prove to the organization what I was able to do and more importantly, prove to myself because I always knew what I was capable of doing.”

“To be doubted—that’s happened to me in the past,” added O’Sullivan. “I knew how to handle it, I knew what I had to do to have a successful year. I wasn’t playing much at the beginning. It took me twenty games to get myself a chance to start playing a little more and playing in more offensive situations. Once that happened, it kind of took off.”

“I’m happy that I did it the right way and that I’ve earned everything I’ve got.”

Although no one would categorize him as one of the NHL’s top forwards, O’Sullivan has become a complete player who can be an impact player with or without the puck and in all three zones.

O’Sullivan said that as a young player, he had to learn how to play at the NHL level.

“Until you see something, you don’t really know,” he explained. “You can have people tell you, but until I got here, you don’t know how good the guys are and what it takes to be at your highest level every night. That was the key for me—seeing how it is, getting to know the guys and seeing what it took, not only on the ice, but off the ice, to be the best player you can be.”

“Seeing that and learning from guys is what really helped me and then being committed to follow through and do what I had to do to give myself a chance to have a good year.”

O’Sullivan learned that the intensity and dedication needed at the NHL level requires a quantum leap from what a player can get by with at the lower levels.

“It’s things like one-goal games and that one mistake can cost you a game,” said O’Sullivan. “It’s really hard to be a young player in this league because there are no nights off.”

Without question, O’Sullivan had a breakout season in 2007-08—a bright spot in an otherwise disastrous season for the Kings.

“It’s tough being done,” said O’Sullivan. “Obviously, our team didn’t have a great season and that’s the most important thing. But it was good for me, personally, to have a breakout year and show everyone what I’m capable of doing.”

Despite the fact that the Kings had yet another poor season, like the rest of his teammates, O’Sullivan is optimistic about their future.

“It’s exciting to be on a team with so many good, young players and such a bright future,” he said. “I think the team’s going to have a much more successful year next year. A lot of the pieces are starting to come together and guys are figuring out what they have to do. After everyone has a good summer, I’m excited for next year.”

“The way our team played the second half and more importantly, the core group of young guys that we have, is more experienced and learned a lot of valuable lessons,” he added. “We played in some difficult games and the team had an up-and-down season. All that stuff is something you can learn from. Just the fact that we’ve had two difficult years is really a lot of motivation for us to have a good year next year.”

O’Sullivan said that the Kings’ struggles can be turned into a positive down the road.

“I think it’s the difficult situations we’ve been through that’s going to help us grow,” said O’Sullivan. “When you have tough times you can learn from that and take everything you get from that and try not to have to experience any of that again.”

Even though the Kings’ season is over, O’Sullivan’s season is not, as he will join Kings right wing Dustin Brown in representing the United States in the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship tournament, May 2-18, 2008 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Quebec City, Quebec.

After that, O’Sullivan, who will become a restricted free agent on July 1, will begin training for the 2008-09 NHL season, and he will do what worked so well for him last summer—work on his conditioning.

“Absolutely, it’s something you have to do every summer,” O’Sullivan stressed. “I want to continue to improve. I think I can get a lot better in lots of areas. It’s exciting. I’ll take some time off, although I’m going to the World Championships in a couple of weeks, so that’ll be fun.”

“Unfortunately, summer’s going to be a lot longer this year. But that’ll give me more time to work out.”

Audio: Interview with Patrick O’Sullivan (5:23)

Prospects Holloway, Moller Sign Amateur Agreements

MANCHESTER, NH — On April 15, the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League signed Los Angeles Kings prospects Bud Holloway and Oscar Moller to amateur tryout agreements.

The Monarchs (Kings’ primary minor league affiliate) begin the AHL playoffs at Providence on Wednesday.

More details on Holloway and Moller...Monarchs Sign Two Draft Picks.

New On HockeyTalk: Kings Looking Ahead

LOS ANGELES — With the Los Angeles Kings already hitting the golf courses after yet another year of failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the time has already come to start looking at their future.

Realistically speaking, that look at the future began in earnest back in mid-December when they were already out of playoff contention. But now, without the distraction having to endure watching the second-worst team in the National Hockey League struggle in most games, we can focus on what lies ahead.

THE FIRST PICK IN THE 2008 DRAFT GOES TO...

Kings fans can already hear NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman saying those familiar words...

“The first pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft goes to...”

And right at that point, they’ll cringe.

The reason: On April 7, the Tampa Bay Lightning retained the first overall pick in the 2008 draft when they won the NHL Draft Lottery.

The Kings retain the second overall selection in the draft, which will be held June 20-21 in Ottawa...

To read the full story, click: Kings Looking Ahead.

Kings Sign Goaltending Prospect Jeff Zatkoff

EL SEGUNDO, CA — On April 10, the Los Angeles Kings signed goaltending prospect Jeff Zatkoff to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Zatkoff, 20, earned a 27-8-1 record with a 1.72 goals-against average (GAA), a .933 save percentage and three shutouts in his junior season with the Miami University (Ohio) Redhawks of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).

Zatkoff led the CCHA in goals-against average and save percentage this season and was ranked second in both categories in the NCAA. Zatkoff also ranked second in the CCHA in wins and tied for second nationally.

The 6-1, 180-pound native of Detroit, Michigan was also named to the CCHA All-Tournament Team.

Last season, Zatkoff was 14-8-3 with a 2.26 GAA, a .919 save percentage with one shutout in 26 appearances for the Redhawks. He ranked second in the CCHA in goals-against average and was fifteenth in the NCAA. He also ranked third in the CCHA in save percentage and 17th nationally.

Zatkoff also represented the United States at the 2007 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Sweden.

As a freshman, Zatkoff was 14-5-1 and in three seasons with the Redhawks, he earned a 55-21-5 record.

Zatkoff was selected by the Kings in the third round (74th overall) of the 2006 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

Photo courtesy Miami University

A Look Back And A Look Ahead: Marc Crawford

LOS ANGELES — After a dreadful, frustrating 2007-08 season, the Los Angeles Kings are not dwelling on the past. Rather, they are looking forward, and given what they have in terms of young prospects and a boatload of picks in the 2008 National Hockey League Entry Draft in June, they believe their future is bright.

Kings head coach Marc Crawford took some time after his team’s season finale on April 5, a 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at Staples Center, to look back, and at the same time, peer into the future of his team.

The Kings were dreadful before Christmas, earning a horrific 12-23-2 record through December 22. But after that, they were considerably better despite already being hopelessly out of playoff contention. His team’s improvement in the last half of the season is a reason for hope.

“We had twelve wins at Christmas, we end up with 32 wins,” said Crawford. “We did play a lot better in the last half and we did it with a depleted lineup.”

“Our players have been pretty good down the stretch,” added Crawford. “From Christmas on, we’re over .500. With the group that we’ve got, with the players that have been assembled here, that’s a pretty good record. It may not win you a Stanley Cup, but it does point us in the right direction.”

Of course, there were some bad spots during the last half.

“We had a couple of stinkers in the last fifty games, the one here against Nashville [on January 8] and the one against Dallas [on March 29],” Crawford lamented. “But apart from that, our guys battled like crazy against teams that were much better suited to produce victories.”

“I was pleased with the way everybody competed,” Crawford elaborated. “We only had a couple of stinkers in the last fifty games. Just about every night, we got a workman-like effort which is what we’re trying to develop here. When you get more workman-like efforts on most nights, then you give yourself an opportunity to be in a playoff hunt.”

Crawford attributed much of his team’s improvement in the second half to their character and the leadership provided by the veterans on the team.

“We got great leadership, it speaks to the character of this team,” he said. “Rob Blake talked today. He said part of the growing process is to have good, veteran people here to show the players the right way to act and the right way to respond. He was talking about [Scott] Thornton, and you can lump Rob in there and Jon Klemm.”

“It’s taking initiative to be the accountable guys,” he added. “Let’s face it. It’s going to be [Dustin] Brown in a situation of leadership, [Anze] Kopitar. We’ve already introduced [Lubomir] Visnovsky and [Michael] Cammalleri into it this year. Those guys are going to have to continue to take steps ahead. Rob Blake will continue to be a strong presence in our lineup. Hopefully, he will be in our fold because he is a great example for our guys.”

“You notice I’m not saying Jack [Johnson] yet. But Jack will eventually be a leader. He’s still learning the league, he’s still learning the players. But Brown is there now. We’re looking for him to really take a vocal lead.”

With or without character and leadership, the playoffs will not be a realistic goal for the Kings unless they can keep the puck out of their net, which was their biggest downfall in the 2007-08 season.

“The biggest deficiency was that we had no goaltending in December,” Crawford lamented. “We were atrocious. You go through a month where, unfortunately, the schedule wasn’t good to us. We played sixteen games in a month, and that’s a bad time to have that facet of your game not be good.”

“We got the injury when [Jason] LaBarbera got ran into,” Crawford elaborated, “He was playing his best hockey up to that point. He had won four in a row in November, he was really playing well. I thought he was coming into his own. And unfortunately, he never really recaptured it.”

LaBarbera went down with a rib injury and was never the same after returning to the lineup.

“We probably forced him back in a little too early,” said Crawford. “Those types of injuries can lead to other types of things and it’s probably all related. He got the sports hernia probably because he wasn’t feeling right about his upper body, his ribs. He never quite recaptured that flair. Let’s hope that Jason gets totally healthy and gives up another great option.”

LaBarbera’s supporting cast wasn’t much help, either.

“The real failure was that we had [Jean-Sebastien] Aubin, he wasn’t good enough, and we had to bring in young kids,” Crawford explained. “We were also coupled with injuries down at the minor leagues. [Erik] Ersberg was hurt at the time so we couldn’t bring him up. We brought up Jonathan Quick who wasn’t quite ready.”

“When you use seven goaltenders in a season, that’s not a good thing,” Crawford added, referring to the fact that his team tied a league record for the most goaltenders seeing action for the same team in one season. “Thankfully, there are some bright things that came from it. Erik Ersberg is looking like a guy who you say. ‘There’s a strong possibility there.’ Now [Jonathan] Bernier is going to get a chance to play at the minor league level and we’ll see how he is. Those are two really good candidates.”

Crawford said that it was not that his goalies were just going through the motions behind a bad team.

“Everybody tried,” he explained. “It wasn’t the case where guys didn’t try to give us their best. You need quality goaltending. It starts and ends with that in the National Hockey League. You saw at the end of the season when Ersberg and even [Dan] Cloutier came in and gave us some solid performances, we were a better team.”

“I don’t know how it looked to you, but it looked to us, and we watch a lot of games, not only while they’re happening, but also on video, that our chances started to go way down,” he stressed. “Our defensive play, even though we were depleted and we traded away [Jaroslav] Modry and we traded away [Brad] Stuart, we were better defensively. I think that had a lot to do with the fact that our players were more sure and they could build on the development in our defensive play.”

Development. That is clearly the key word for the Kings and their future because it relies so heavily on the development of their young players, both their core of young players with the Kings, as well as those throughout their system.

“We’ve got a good, young group,” said Crawford. “We need more players and there are going to be more coming. The guys that are in Manchester right now, that we allowed to stay down there and continue to develop, they’re going to be here next year and that’s going to make our team stronger.”

“We have to strive to find ways to improve,” added Crawford. “But the biggest way you improve is you develop from within and we’re doing it. It’s been long, it’s been arduous. At times, the people that have suffered the most have been our fans because we have teased them a little bit with them, and I believe those guys are getting more and more ready and now they’re ready to come into our lineup and hopefully, our fans will enjoy the Boyles, the Purcells, the Moulsons, the Berniers and the Ersbergs and those types of guys for a lot of years to come.”

Although it did not come to pass at the April 7 draft lottery, it would have been a nice consolation prize to get the first overall pick in the 2008 draft.

“Hopefully, we get the good pick in the draft and that person comes in,” said Crawford. “You look at our goaltending situation with the two young guys and a healthy Jason, that looks like it should be improving.”

And although they did not win the draft lottery, the second overall pick will fetch a very, very good player.

“Hopefully, the silver lining will be the announcement of getting the real high pick,” said Crawford. “That’s the victory [of ending the season at or near last place in the league standings] you don’t want when you’re me, but when you’re fans, yeah, you want that.”

“Let’s face it, the best players throughout the history of the league have always been the top picks, whether it’s Lemieux or Gretzky, Lecavalier, you go on down the list...Joe Thornton,” added Crawford. “Those are the guys you’re talking about. No matter how good your development program is, you don’t develop those guys. Their talents are God-given and you’re just hoping and praying—I know I’m going to church tomorrow—that you’re going to get one.”

If things go according to Hoyle—given Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi’s reputation of being a maverick at the draft table, it might not—the Kings are likely to select from a handful of defensemen who are projected to be among the top five or six prospects in the world in the 2008 draft and could be contributors at the NHL level right away.

“I haven’t seen any of these kids play, other than on TV,” Crawford explained. “I do talk to our scouts and other scouts and they all say the top guys are pretty special and are impact guys almost immediately. That’ll be great if that happens. Lord knows it’s a victory we really need and would be a nice shot in the arm for this organization.”

“I do believe there is lots of room for optimism,” Crawford stressed. “We know that we still have to keep our pedal to the metal and keep forging ahead and trying to make any subtle improvements that we can.”

Interview with Kings head coach Marc Crawford after season finale against Anaheim, April 5, 2008:

Brown, O’Sullivan Headed For World Championships

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO AND LOS ANGELES — Although the Online Kingdom has known about it since the the 2007-08 season ended for the Los Angeles Kings a few days ago, USA Hockey made it official today when they announced that Kings wingers Dustin Brown and Patrick O’Sullivan will represent the United States in the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Quebec City, Quebec, May 2-18, 2008.

For more on the players named to the 2008 United States Men’s National Team...17 Players Named To 2008 U.S. Men’s National Team.

Drop The Puck to Frozen Royalty

In case you’re wondering...I’ve decided to change the name of this blog from the less-than-creative Drop The Puck to something at least a bit more original, Frozen Royalty.

When I started this blog on a whim back in late January, it really was a sort of spur-of-the-moment idea that I came up with—it was one of those ideas that just hits you out of the blue, and within a couple of hours (Blogger makes it all very easy), I had it up and running.

But since I was focused on getting it all up and running and loading the blog with content, I really didn’t put much time at all into coming up with a good name for it. I can’t say that I put a lot of time into coming up with Frozen Royalty, but at least it’s more Kings-related.

In any case, I thought you should know that despite the name change, nothing changes in terms of content or quality of what goes on around these parts. I will eventually be adding photos and with some help, I’m going to try to spice up the graphics/appearance of the blog page.

Also, within the next 24 to 48 hours, you will be able to access this blog from a new URL: http://www.frozenroyalty.net. The original URL, http://lakings-dropthepuck.blogspot.com will continue to work, but you may want to update your bookmarks.

Lombardi Talks Draft: Kings To Pick Second In 2008 Draft

EL SEGUNDO, CA — “Lucky” was not so lucky for the Los Angeles Kings on Monday, when the National Hockey League held its annual Draft Lottery.

Despite the presence of “Lucky” Luc Robitaille, the Kings’ President, Business Operations and former star left winger at the event that was televised live in the United States and Canada, the last-place Tampa Bay Lightning won the lottery and will select first in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

The Kings, who finished 29th in the thirty-team NHL, will have the second overall selection in the draft, which will be held June 20-21 in Ottawa.

The consensus first pick in the draft is expected to be center Steven Stamkos, who scored 58 goals and added 47 assists for 105 points this season with 88 penalty minutes for the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League.

The 6-1, 180-pound native of Unionville, Ontario also scored eleven goals in four playoff games.

In the 2006-07 season, Stamkos scored 42 goals and added 50 assists for 92 points with 56 penalty minutes. In the playoffs, he tallied three goals and three assists for six points in seven games.

But with the Lightning all but guaranteed to select Stamkos, the Kings are expected to select one of a handful of young defensemen who are all projected to be solid NHL players, and perhaps play in the number one or number two defensemen role.

“Without tipping my hand, I think it’s safe to say that there are some pretty good defensemen there,” said Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi.

Lombardi pointed to the consensus top defenseman prospects, who are all among the top players in the 2008 draft class as well.

“If you want to focus on all four of them, it’s been awhile since there’s been a crop of four like that,” he said. ”That’s pretty unusual, and they’re all worthy of consideration. They each bring some element to the table and it’s not often you see something like that. They might have the potential to be top two guys.”

Lombardi specifically pointed to defenseman prospects Drew Doughty, Alex Pietrangelo, Luke Schenn and Zach Bogosian, and later added that Tyler Myers should be considered to be in that group as well.

Noting that the Kings have some very large holes on the blue line, both with the big club and in their farm system, it would seem that drafting a defenseman would be a priority.

“All you have to do is look down the road at [Scott] Niedermayer and [Chris] Pronger and their impact on winning,” said Lombardi.

But if you think the Kings will be picking based on need, guess again.

“You still have to lean towards the best player,” said Lombardi. “What those picks do is give you options. Once your list is finalized and then layered—that’s the exercise we weren’t able to do last year as a staff just because they were only together for half a year.”

The 2008 draft is a crucial one for the Kings and their rebuilding, with fifteen picks in the draft, including two first round selections and three second round picks.

The Kings also have three third round selections, two fourth round picks, one fifth round selection and two picks each in the sixth and seventh rounds.

Although the Kings did not win the lottery, Lombardi knows that with the second overall pick, there will still be a lot of talent to choose from and he still has a ton of options available on draft day.

“I think everybody would like to have the option and the obviously, the [first pick] gives you more value if you wanted to move,” Lombardi explained. I think everybody would like to win the lottery, but there is no doubt in my mind that we’re going to get a very good player at number two, so I’ll take it.”

Lombardi also explained that with his scouting staff fully in place now, the Kings will be that much better prepared to make any potential deals.

“This year, we’ll be totally prepared in our approach to moving,” said Lombardi. “That’s what those picks give you. They give you the potential to move up. They give you the potential to move back. They give you the potential to move picks into next year again to keep the supply line going.”

“It can be like a watershed, not only this year, but when you’re building a team, each sector of building—whether it’s the draft picks, the kids in junior hockey, the kids in the minors and the kids up here, the first stage is the picks,” added Lombardi. “Ideally, until you become a really good team, you don’t want to be in a situation where you don’t have picks.”

With fifteen picks in the 2008 draft, the Kings are loaded.

“We’re flush now, as we should be,” said Lombardi. “We’re not a very good team, but there’s also the idea that maybe we have the potential to load up to keep it strong again the next year if what you see is not there, or you can get it with a later pick.”

“As far as the work the staff has to do, you’ve got to run the hypotheticals and keep the mind sharp,” added Lombardi. “At the table, you have to move quickly, but you like to be able to be mentally prepared to do the some of the things you have to do so you’re not just doing it on a whim.”

And that applies even if no moves materialize at the draft table.

“You might do nothing,” Lombardi explained. “It’s the same old story, whether you’re at a trade deadline or everything. The work that goes in, if nothing comes out, it doesn’t mean you’re not looking at a lot of things and that’s critical at this draft, to try and maximize each draft position.”

“If you look at each draft position as having a certain value, that’s the way you have to look at the pick. There’s a whole process you have to go through to maximize it.”

Indeed, maximizing their return from their draft picks is something the worse-than-struggling Kings need now more than ever. Without question, all eyes will be on Dean Lombardi, even more than last season, on what he does with the second overall pick.

To be sure, Lombardi cannot afford to blow this one. Although the book on last year’s first-round pick, defenseman Thomas Hickey, has not yet been written, this year is very, very different, as the draft class is far stronger than in 2007. Given the consensus on the top handful of prospects, it would seem to dictate that going with Doughty, Pietrangelo, Schenn, Bogosian, or maybe Myers, rather than donning the black hat, boots and six-gun and going off the board on another prospect, would be the smart choice.

Audio of press conference call: Dean Lombardi (8:00)

Harrold Assigned to Monarchs

EL SEGUNDO, CA — On April 6, the Los Angeles Kings assigned defenseman Peter Harrold to the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, their primary minor league affiliate.

Harrold, 24, played in 25 games for the Kings this season, scoring two goals and adding three assists. In 49 games with the Monarchs this season, the 5-11, 195-pound native of Kirtland Hills, Ohio scored seven goals and contributed 36 assists for 43 points.

Harrold was signed by the Kings as an unrestricted free agent on April 12, 2006.

Fitting End To Miserable Season

LOS ANGELES — In their final game of the 2007-08 season, the Los Angeles Kings dropped a 4-3 decision to the Anaheim Ducks in front of a sellout crowd of 18,118 fans at Staples Center on Saturday afternoon.

It was a rather fitting end to yet another miserable, disastrous season.

Ducks winger Teemu Selanne scored two goals while Ryan Getzlaf scored a goal and added an assist for the Ducks, while Dustin Brown, Brian Willsie and Patrick O’Sullivan scored for the Kings.

Brown opened the scoring at 12:24 of the first period when he wristed the puck on net from the left circle, beating Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere through a screen.

The goal was Brown’s 33rd goal of the season to finish the season as the Kings’ goal-scoring leader. The mark is also a career-high for Brown.

Ducks defenseman Joe DiPenta scored on a point shot through traffic at 19:10, beating Kings goaltender Dan Cloutier.

Just eight seconds later, Selanne scored after he stole the puck at right point from Kings defensemen Jon Klemm and then made Kings defenseman Rob Blake look like his skates were cemented to the ice in the slot before he backhanded the puck into the wide open right side of the net after he faked Cloutier into the next county.

The Ducks’ two goals in eight seconds set a new team record for their fastest two goals scored. The record was previously held by Selanne and Chris Kunitz, who scored ten seconds apart against the Phoenix Coyotes on November 30, 2005.

Willsie tied the game with his fourth goal of the season, knocking in a rebound of a point shot by Kings defenseman Tom Preissing at 2:21 of the second period.

Just 1:05 later, the Ducks capitalized on a Kings’ turnover in the neutral zone, giving Getzlaf a partial breakaway. He beat Cloutier high with a backhand over his right leg pad for his 24th goal of the season to give the Ducks a 3-2 lead.

One minute later, Kings winger Patrick O’Sullivan dug out a loose puck in the right corner and skated into the right circle where he fired a wrist shot that beat Giguere over his left shoulder. The unassisted goal was O’Sullivan’s 22nd goal of the season, a career-high.

Selanne scored the game-winner at 6:28 of the third period on a wrist shot from the left circle through traffic.

With the loss, the Kings’ season certainly ended in a manner that is probably rather fitting for a team that escaped the basement of the National Hockey League standings only because they have one more win than the last place Tampa Bay Lightning, now the odds-on favorite to get the first pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in June.

Both teams ended the season with 71 points.

“That was probably symbolic of how we played this year,” said Kings head coach Marc Crawford. “We made a couple of mistakes—turnovers that ended up costing us.”

“If you look at the game as a whole, it was fairly even,” added Crawford. “We probably had the better of the chances, but we gave up the big chances. Whenever you play a team and don’t make them work for their chances, you’re not giving yourself the best opportunity to win.”

After the game, with their season over, the focus was not so much on the game and its outcome. Instead, the Kings were looking towards next season.

“We can be confident for next year,” said Kings center Anze Kopitar. “The guys really came together, especially in the last month. We were playing good hockey and we’re going for it next year.”

Kopitar set new career-highs with 32 goals and 45 assists for 77 points in 82 games. Last season, his rookie year, he scored twenty goals with 41 assists for 61 points in 72 games.

To be sure, the “sophomore slump” never reared its ugly head in Kopitar’s case.

“I was kind of scared in the beginning,” said Kopitar. “Luckily, it didn’t happen. I’ve got to thank my teammates who played hard with me all the time. I pretty much played with Brown and O’Sullivan all the time, so a lot of credit goes to them, too.”

Brown’s breakout season has established him as a serious offensive threat as opposed to a player who is known only for his physical play.

“It was a good year for me, disappointing from a team standpoint,” said Brown. “I felt good all year and I stayed healthy all year, which is a big part of being successful.”

Brown attributed his breakout year to a variety of factors.

“I think it’s a mixture of opportunity, experience and confidence,” he explained. “Once you get on that high of confidence, that’s when you feel that you can play against anybody and do anything you want out there—there’s been games where I’ve felt like that.”

Speaking of breakout years, O’Sullivan, who scored five goals with 14 assists in 44 games with the Kings in his rookie season last year, exploded for 22 goals and 31 assists for 53 points in 82 games this season.

“It feels really good,” said O’Sullivan. “Any time you have people doubting you, and that was happening last year because it didn’t go as planned for me, but to prove to the organization what I was able to do and more importantly, prove to myself because I always knew what I was capable of doing.”

That doubt came last season when O’Sullivan’s work without the puck and on defense was clearly not where it needed to be.

To his credit, O’Sullivan worked hard on those aspects of his game during a 41-game stint with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, the Kings’ primary minor league affiliate, and when he returned to the Kings, he looked like a different player. And after an off-season spent working hard on his conditioning and even participating in the Kings’ Development Camp for their young prospects, he improved his game even more.

To be sure, although no one would categorize him as one of the top forwards in the league, O’Sullivan has become a complete player who can be an impact player with or without the puck and in the offensive or defensive zone.

“To be doubted—that’s happened to me in the past,” he explained. “I knew how to handle it, I knew what I had to do to have a successful year. I wasn’t playing much at the beginning. It took me twenty games to get myself a chance to start playing a little more and playing in more offensive situations. Once that happened, it kind of took off.”

“I’m happy that I did it the right way and that I’ve earned everything I’ve got.”

Another story from this game was the future of veteran left wing Scott Thornton, who is very, very likely to retire after eighteen seasons in the NHL.

“That’s pretty much it, yeah,” said Thornton. “I’ve tried to prepare myself for the last month of the season and try to lay it all out there. It’s been a great season and a great career. I’m ready to move on.”

“I’m not one hundred percent [certain that he will retire], but I’m probably as close as you can get to it,” added Thornton. “I’ve tried to prepare for it, so I think that’s the next step, to move on. I still love to play, but my body is telling me otherwise.”

After eighteen seasons of rugged play, Thornton’s body is telling him to hang up the skates.

“It’s too hard now,” he explained. “It’s too much preparation every day. I went through a lot of injuries again this year. It’s time to move on.”

“It’s tough,” he elaborated. “You don’t bounce back as easy as you do when you’re a little bit younger. You try and do all the right things to prepare, but it’s hard. I used to show up right before practice when I was younger. Now it’s an hour to an hour-and-a-half preparation just to get yourself ready to get on the ice and compete.”

“It’s the best hockey in the world and you have to do that to try and keep up with these guys.”

Thornton, who played two seasons for the Kings, scoring twelve goals with nine assists for 21 points in 104 games, had only one thing missing from his NHL career.

“I wish I could’ve won a Cup, but I had an opportunity and lost with Dallas,” he said. “No regrets. I walk away knowing I made a lot of life-long friends.”

“I’ve always stayed true to myself, stayed grounded,” he added. “After eighteen years, I don’t think it’s changed me as a person. I feel that I can go back home to my family and friends and carry my head high.”

Thornton said that he was happy to play a role in the development of the Kings’ young core and he believes in their rebuilding process.

“It’s just been exciting,” said Thornton. “It’s been a privilege to see these guys grow over the last two years. Hopefully, I’ve been a big part of it.”

“I have a lot of belief in Dean Lombardi,” added Thornton. “He built the San Jose Sharks. He put that team together over the past ten years and now he’s going to try and rebuild here. There’s a great, strong nucleus in that locker room, starting with Kopitar, Dustin Brown and moving on through the lineup, guys like Jack Johnson who are up and coming.”

If Thornton retires after this season, he will end his NHL career with 144 goals and 141 assists good for 285 points and 1,459 penalty minutes in 940 regular season games with the Kings, Sharks, Stars, Montreal Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

NOTES: The Ducks won the season series, 6-2-0; During the game, the Kings assigned goaltender Daniel Taylor to the Reading Royals of the ECHL; The Kings ended the season with four players (Brown, Kopitar, Alexander Frolov and O’Sullivan) who scored twenty or more goals; Saturday’s game was the Kings’ thirteenth sellout. The Kings sold out nine games last season.

Post-Game Audio: Scott Thornton (2:29; 1.7 mb)

Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings: In-Game Updates

Greetings from the press box at Staples Center where the Los Angeles Kings host Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne and the Anaheim Ducks in a matinee affair, the season finale for the Kings.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere will start in goal for the Ducks and Dan Cloutier is back from a groin strain and will get the nod for the Kings.

The officials will be referees Mike McGeough and Brad Meier and the linesmen will be Vaughan Rody and Jay Sharrers...

Today’s scratches...for Anaheim: Marc-Andre Bergeron, Ryan Carter, Corey Perry, Brad May and Chris Pronger. For Los Angeles: Kyle Calder, Jack Johnson, Jason LaBarbera and Daniel Taylor...

At the 6:15 mark, both teams have had a couple of good scoring chances, but play has been on the cautious side for both teams...

At the 12:24 mark, Dustin Brown took a wrist shot from outside the left face-off dot with Anze Kopitar in front, drawing heavy traffic to him in front of Giguere, who appeared to be screened. Brown’s shot beat Giguere low for his 33rd goal of the season, assisted by Lubomir Visnovsky and Kopitar...

Kings collapse at the end of the period...Ducks defenseman Joe DiPenta scored on a wrist shot from above the right circle at 19:10, assisted by Kent Huskins and Bobby Ryan, and then Ducks winger Teemu Selanne undressed Kings defenseman Jon Klemm, stealing the puck and then making Kings defenseman Rob Blake look like a pylon in front of the net before backhanding the puck past a diving Dan Cloutier at the 19:18 mark, giving the Ducks a 2-1 lead after one period...

Early in the second period, Brian Willsie picked up a rebound while all alone in the slot and beat Giguere low, just inside the right goal post at 2:21. Assisted by Tom Preissing. That was quickly followed by the Kings coughing up the puck in the neutral zone, giving Ryan Getzlaf a partial breakaway. He roofed a backhand over Cloutier at 3:26, assisted by Ryan...

The scoring is now coming in bunches...at the 4:26 mark, Patrick O’Sullivan dug out a loose puck in the right corner, skated into the right circle and lifted a wrister past Giguere, just inside the right goal post for his 22nd goal of the season. The goal was unassisted...

3-3 after two periods...after that flurry of scoring, things settled down a bit and play was even, for the most part...

6:28 into the third period, Selanne scores his second goal of the game to give the Ducks a 4-3 lead. Assists to Bertuzzi and Getzlaf...

Ducks win it, 4-3. More later in my game story

Kings Announce Team Award Recipients

During the first period of their season finale against the Anaheim Ducks at Staples Center on April 5, the Los Angeles Kings announced their 2007-08 team award recipients:

Leading Scorer: Anze Kopitar

Voted By The Media
Bill Libby Memorial Award (Most Valuable Player): Anze Kopitar
Mark Bavis Memorial Award (Best Newcomer): Jack Johnson
Outstanding Defenseman: Jack Johnson
Best Defensive Player: Patrick O’Sullivan

Voted By The Kings Players
Ace Bailey Memorial Award (Most Inspirational Player): Dustin Brown
Unsung Hero: Jeff Giuliano

Selected By The Kings Care Foundation
Community Service: Derek Armstrong

Selected By The Kings Booster Club
Most Popular Player Dustin Brown