It has been a gloomy and drizzly day in the high 60's here in Los Angeles. That is definitely hockey weather. (Give us a break rest of the country! This is LA hockey weather for the most part).
And wouldn't you know it, tonight is the night we get some real, live competitive hockey.
At 6pm PST, the Arizona Coyotes Rookies will suit up and challenge the Los Angeles Kings rookies at Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo. Tickets are still available (And will probably be available at the door as well but don't quote me on that) for 16$ by following this link right here:
This is the first of a two game set between the Kings and Coyotes who play each other's respective rookies annually. Having attended several of these games over the years, they are incredibly competitive and fun to watch.
This year will be difficult for the Kings kids, as the Coyotes have stockpiled a tremendous amount of prospect depth over the past few seasons. If you plan on going just to see the Kings play, you are missing a heck of a show on the other side.
The Coyotes currently have 18 forwards in camp and will have to pare down the roster for tonight and tomorrow. However, expect to see some very high profile names like Anthony Duclair, Max Domi, Henrik Samuelsson, Christian Dvorak, Brendan Perlini, Dylan Strome, and Nick Merkley. All of these skaters will likely figure into the Coyotes future team quite prominently. In the case of players like Domi, Samuelsson, and Duclair, they might even be on the opening night roster in a few week's time.
The high flying Duclair was the major piece coming back the other way in the Keith Yandle deal, and nearly made himself a mainstay with the Rangers last season before being returned to juniors. Max Domi, the 12th overall pick in 2013, has been absolutely crushing it on the international stage with Canada's U20 team. He also has been one of the most prominent scorers in the OHL with the London Knights. He is coming off a 102 point season with London.
Another OHL standout is Dylan Strome with the Erie Otters. He went third overall in this past draft, the same draft in which his linemate in Erie, Connor McDavid, went first overall to Edmonton. Some have questioned how much Strome benefited from playing with McDavid, but the 18-year old is absolutely no slouch. Look for him to be a major figure in the two rookie games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Want one more 100+ point OHL standout? Christian Dvorak, teammate of Max Domi with the London Knights. With 41 goals last year the Illinois native turned a lot of heads.
For a preview from the other side, here is the feature on the Coyotes NHL site
There is really no use in theorizing about line combos due to the nature of the camp and the number of attendees.
With #Coyotes boasting six forward lines, plan is to distribute playing time as best as possible during two games vs. Kings rookies.
— Sarah McLellan (@azc_mclellan) September 14, 2015From the Kings side of things this is a chance for the young guys to get a taste of true NHL intensity and competition. Despite the camps being full of younger players, the Coyotes have several very high level prospects who are close to the NHL or will make the jump in very little time. Unlike past years where the Kings have been the system of depth, it is a reversal of roles now as the Kings have had years of success that depleted the pipeline while Arizona has been stockpiling assets. Nevertheless, individual prospect rankings take a backseat to structure, system, and implementation of these things. The Kings have been arguably one of the best organizations in hockey in executing these things. As one rather knowledgeable Kings pundit reminded me, the Anaheim Ducks had several very high profile prospects when the two teams played rookie games in 2013, yet the Kings came out victorious in both games. There is no substitute to outstanding execution as a team.
Players to keep an eye on? Obviously the big boys like Kempe, Lintuniemi, and Valentin Zykov. The latter of which took a nasty spill in practice the other day but was alright.
Indications are that Zykov, who took a hard tumble into a stanchion this morning, is fine. Took part in late AM, afternoon sessions.
— Jon Rosen (@lakingsinsider) September 13, 2015Patrik Bartosak's stock seems to be on the rise, and his time in net for the game should be interesting. He definitely has his work cut out for him though, as does the entire defense.
Also watch, as Jon Rosen described him, the "Man-Child" that is Erik Cernak. How he fares against the speedy and skilled forwards of Arizona will be a fun watch.
Sniper Jonny Brodzinski will be another good player to note, as will defensemen Nick Ebert and Zac Leslie.
Here is the link to the
Unfortunately, there are not going to be any recognized streams or broadcasts available for the game (AKA Fox Sports AZ or West), so you may have to rely on twitter for updates. Fortunately, one such writer will be in attendance for tonight's game, and you can follow me right here!
Should be a great atmosphere and a good game. NHL camps open in just about a week and this is the last big push many of these prospects will get to make before real training camps commence. The intensity will be high, the skill should be pretty high, and the game itself should be a fun watch. If you can attend I strongly recommend it.
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