
Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina/South Bend Tribune-USA TODAY NETWORK
It’s been a busy weekend for LA Kings prospects, starting with Brock Faber‘s goal on Friday night. The 2020 second-round pick opened the scoring in Minnesota’s dominant 5-1 in Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, Michigan returned the favor with a 6-2 win last night.
"Lemme just walk this in real quick"
– @Brockfaber14 pic.twitter.com/5NSEx9A51B
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) December 3, 2021
Faber also had an assist on Jonny Sorenson’s goal on Friday. He’s averaging half a point per game (2-7-9) through the first 18 games, ahead of his .44 points per game average during his freshman campaign.
- Andre Lee also scored his ninth goal of the year in UMass-Lowell’s 3-2 loss on Saturday. The 2019 seventh-rounder is up to 11 points through the first 14 games.
Things we love: Andre Lee power play goals 😍
Lee nets one on the extra-man as we cut the lead down to 3-2 with a little over six minutes left on the clock!#UnitedInBlue | #HockeyEast pic.twitter.com/cwDpf0F8ok
— UMass Lowell Hockey (@RiverHawkHockey) December 5, 2021
- Martin Chromiak had two goals on Friday night, totaling 11 goals (and 14 assists) in 19 games. He’s fourth on Kingston’s roster with 25 points, two shy of likely 2022 first overall pick Shane Wright.
Check out the shot on this guy 👀@LAKings prospect Martin Chromiak (@MatoChromiak8) with a one-timer and a wicked snapper as the @KingstonFronts win their fourth straight 🎥 pic.twitter.com/3Qa8KtyHII
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) December 4, 2021
- Vilardi has been really good since going down to Ontario. As Joe previously wrote HERE, he had the shootout winner in the Reign’s 3-2 win last night. He’s up to six points in five games. Is he close to being called up again?
We see you @Gabe_Vilardi13 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/2krrK0TgO5
— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) December 5, 2021
- Christian Wolanin is happy to be back with the LA Kings organization. I am happy that he’s happy. He also is wearing a letter for Ontario.
Super thankful to be back in LA playing hockey. Love this organization and the people in it!! #ReignTrain https://t.co/hnrCBY3XnS
— Christian Wolanin (@Cwolanin20) December 5, 2021
“This is an awesome organization from the American League all the way up to the NHL and I was so excited to come back and the dream is to be an NHL player but they told me I was going to the American League and I couldn’t have been more excited to get reps with these coaches and this group of guys and hopefully get my game back to where it was after it being a month and a half off of playing hockey,” Wolanin said after Saturday’s game.
- Monday’s opponent, the Vancouver Canucks penalty kill is historically bad:
Canucks 64.6% penalty kill is the worst in NHL history through 25 games of a season
(h/t @StatsBySTATS)
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) December 5, 2021
A (dumb) fan tosses a Canucks jersey on the ice at Rogers Arena, as the boobirds are alive and well in Vancouver.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) December 5, 2021
- Straight from NHL Public Relations – Jake Guentzel (3-1—4) became the first Penguins player to record a hat trick in Vancouver in nearly 35 years, when Mario Lemieux scored three on Jan. 23, 1987.
- Alex Ovechkin continues to prove that age is just a number. The 36-year-old became the fastest player 36 or older to tally 20 goals in a season, breaking Brendan Shanahan‘s record of 27 games during the 2006-07 season.
- The Rangers have now won sixth straight games – Artemi Panarin (1-2—3) led the Rangers to their sixth straight win as New York improved to 8-0-0 at Madison Square Garden dating to Oct. 29. Saturday marked Panarin’s 51st career outing with three-plus points – since his NHL debut in 2015-16, only two players have recorded more such performances: Connor McDavid (78) and Leon Draisaitl (57).
- In Tampa, Nikita Kucherov is skating again since having surgery on his lower-body injury. LTIR until the playoffs? Just kidding, maybe.
“It was good to see him out there. He has to get out on the ice at some point,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “This does not trigger anything new on his timeline. He’s still quite a ways off, but it’s great to have him out here with the guys.”
- ICYMI – look away if you’re still upset – former LA Kings’ blueliner Kale Clague was claimed by the Canadiens on Saturday. The earliest that he can join the team is on Tuesday, via Jon Still of Montreal Hockey Now.
Here's your Canadiens vs Predators preview for @MTLhockeynow
– Kale Clague claimed
– Hoffman, Norlinder return
– Granlund breaking outhttps://t.co/fOv0gwckJx— Jon Still (@Imstilljon) December 4, 2021
Does Chromiak have a chance to make the Kings next season? I think the Kings need as many snipers as they can get. Kaliyev, Fagemo, and Chromiak may do the trick.
You know, I don’t think that’s out of the realm of possibility. He signed his ELC, so he’ll at the very least be in Ontario. A good training camp, and he could steal a spot!
And Chromiak just scored again lol