LA Kings: Takeaways from 66-man Training Camp roster

On Wednesday, the LA Kings released their full 66-man roster for Training Camp, which officially commences on Thursday.

The roster is set! For Training Camp, that is. Ahead of Thursday’s opening day of camp, the LA Kings released the full 66-man roster of players participating. Over the next few weeks, the roster will be whittled down to a 23-man active roster – remember, there is no taxi squad in play for the 2021-22 season.

Without further ado, here are the 39 forwards, 20 defensemen, and seven goalies.

And a few notes from the roster.

• After he left the final game of the Rookie Faceoff with an upper-body injury, it’s good to see Quinton Byfield without an “injured” mark next to his name. I think at this point, most are expecting Byfield to begin the year in the AHL, but let’s see if he can put together an impressive training camp that might make it a difficult decision for the Kings coaching staff.

Quinton Byfield will not return to today’s game (upper-body). Day to day, per @LAKingsPR.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) September 20, 2021

• We finally get our first look at Vladimir Tkachev. The 25-year-old Russian forward comes to camp with a lot of hype surrounding his name while flying under the radar at the same time. Tkachev led SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL with 11 goals and 27 assists for 38 points last season. Will his game translate to the NHL?
• Prospects, prospects, and more prospects. Essentially the Kings’ entire prospect pool will be on full display in training camp. The question boils down to which ones might separate themselves enough to potentially steal an NHL roster spot. My early picks? Samuel Fagemo or Arthur Kaliyev.

Samuel Fagemo (LAK) looks like a guy who wants to go into LA’s camp and take a job. Plays with great pace, gets inside and was a scoring chance machine today. He did have last night off, so was fresher, but he was probably the most threatening player on the ice today. Also scored

— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) September 20, 2021

• Cal Petersen has a brand new contract as of Wednesday. He’ll be the number one goaltender heading into the season, but will Jonathan Quick have something to say about his playing time?

LA Kings, Cal Petersen Agree on Contract Extension https://t.co/grFmJ4mnIp

— Hockey Royalty (@Hockey_Royalty) September 22, 2021

• Speaking of goaltenders – Matt Villalta is the presumed starter in Ontario this season, but his backup remains unclear. The Kings added John Lethemon and Garret Sparks over the summer. They also have Jacob Ingham and Lukas Parik competing for a spot on the AHL roster. Something has to give here.
• No Brandt Clarke on the roster. If you bet on the 2021 eighth overall pick in the NHL Draft making the NHL roster, I hate to be the one to tell you that you just wasted your money. Clarke missed the Rookie Faceoff tournament as well with a non-COVID-related illness, and it looks like he’ll get ready for his season in Barrie of the OHL.

UPDATE – Brandt Clarke did not travel to Arizona and will not take part in the Rookie Faceoff due to a non-COVID related illness.

— Zach Dooley (@DooleyLAK) September 18, 2021

• The top four defensemen look set on paper in Mikey Anderson and Alexander Edler along the left side, with Drew Doughty and Matt Roy on the right. Sean Walker probably sticks as the third pairing right-side defenseman, but who claims the coveted third-pairing spot on the left? Will it be Tobias Bjornfot or Kale Clague? Remember, the latter is not waiver exempt, but Bjornfot can be sent down without clearing waivers first.

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