It is finally here. Something resembling real hockey!
The Kings opened rookie camp today down at Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, with 29 skaters from all across the different development leagues and eight on tryouts. In total the Kings have only four players attending from the WHL, and just three from the QMJHL. It is no secret the Kings have liked to go into the OHL to get talent in recent years, and they have a staggering 14 OHL players in camp. Three players from Europe, two from the AHL, and three from the NCAA or USHL round out the group.
It is all the regulars you would expect for the rookie camp. Top prospects Valentin Zykov, Adrian Kempe, and Alex Lintuniemi will all be in attendance. The ones missing? Most of the AHL vets and NHL fringe guys. This is ROOKIE camp after all.
Still, there are some very noteworthy names to go down and check out if you are unfamiliar with the Kings' young guns. Many of them will be playing in Ontario this year. That includes Kevin Raine and Ryan Horvat, both of whom are on the tryout list but played with the Monarchs last season on minor league contracts but are not officially Kings property. Like giant goaltenders? Well spy camp invite Jack Flinn from the Owen Sound Attack in the OHL, who stands at a hefty 6'8" between the pipes. Flinn posted a .908 save percentage in 43 games last year for the Attack.
Another noteworthy attendee is Joel Lowry, who according to Jon Rosen skated with a no-contact jersey today. Lowry, a Cornell grad, underwent major back surgery last year which caused him to lose almost an entire year of hockey. He recently signed an ELC with the Kings and will be a fun follow this year if you like a good comeback story.
Damir Sharipzyanov, the recent signing who attended the Kings development camp is also in attendance.
Sharipzyanov
Those looking forward to seeing the 2015 3rd round selection, Alex Dergachyov, are going to be disappointed. He has already begun regular season competition for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL.
2015 second round pick, Erik Cernak, will however be in attendance.
Keep an eye on both Jonny Brodzinski and Michael Amadio. Both players carried their respective clubs last season in offense, and Brodzinski will be heading to the AHL this year after deciding to forgo his senior year at St. Cloud to turn pro. One player in a similar situation you will not see is defenseman Paul LaDue, who unlike Brodzinski, opted to return to University of North Dakota for another season.
Amadio
Brodzinski
If you had not checked out the Top 10 Kings prospects we did right here back in June, get to it! Some of these players will be in attendance.
The camp details, which includes a roster of attendees, can be found right here on LA Kings Insider
The sessions will run through Monday, with two practices going at 10am and at 4pm. The camp will close out with two games against the Arizona Coyotes rookies. These are always a blast to attend and encourage anyone who can go to stop by. They are free a great way to get accustomed to some of the potential future Kings. The rookie games will charge $16 a seat this year and only 400 seats are available. Get there early or follow this link to purchase tickets! Tuesday's game will be at 6pm, while Wednesday's game will take place at 2pm. TSC is just south of LAX in case anyone needed a quick frame of reference. Scan the crowd hard enough and you may even see a certain writer from Hockeybuzz in attendance.
Keep an eye on the blog this week for some more talking points and noteables on the ongoing rookie camp.
Rosen is already putting up some strong stuff on the rookies, and there are some great features at LAKings.com as well. Check em out!
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