Stoll talking to some of the prospects.
LA Kings Development Camp kicks off with an impressive first-day showing.
The LA Kings got the summer on-ice activities going with an impressive Day 1 of Development Camp. Dev Camp is typically an observational period for management to get a good look at where most of their prospects are in their development. With a talent pool full of highly skilled players, including some already with NHL experience, the start of camp was energetic.
The first day of camp started with the forwards taking the ice in some aggressive board drills, followed by the defense in some skating and puck-moving sessions. The day concluded with a fast-paced scrimmage in the afternoon.
I took down some notes on a few of the players and was able to talk to 2022 second-round pick Jack Hughes and Brandt Clarke after the day’s scrimmage.
Note: Alex Turcotte was unable to pass his physical on Sunday and will not participate in any on-ice activities. He will be available for the off-ice portion of camp all week.
Some Notable Names
Quinton Byfield
Quinton was all over the place. He played like he knew he was the best player on the ice, and it showed. It was exactly what you wanted to see for a player like Byfield playing amongst players around his age and experience. He even beat Samuel Fagemo with an impressive move along the boards during the group session.
Quinton Byfield putting the moves on Samuel Fagemo.#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/oWlh597XUI
— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) July 11, 2022
Arthur Kaliyev
Kaliyev, much like Byfield, skated with a ton of confidence. He showed a little more aggressiveness in the board drills against some camp invitees and scored one of the goals for Team White in their 3-0 win.
It’s an #ArtyParty at camp! Kaliyev puts White up 2-0.#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/Rq8Enzv9uJ
— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) July 11, 2022
Brandt Clarke
Clarke is such a calm and cool character. I think a lot of the critiques of Clarke’s skating ability are mostly because you expect a sort of explosiveness to combine with the ridiculous plays he makes all over the ice. I still think he’d be better suited (for LA) to get another year in the OHL.
Impressive shift from Clarke starting with the puck in his own zone and finishing it with a chance on net.#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/3fA5bho930
— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) July 11, 2022
Jack Hughes
You can see why the LA Kings management took Hughes with the 51st pick in the second round of the 2022 draft. Good skater and has an excellent shot to go along with it. That shot helped him score the first goal of the camp’s scrimmage.
Alex Laferriere
I thought Alex looked the best out of all the “non-NHLers” during the group drills and scrimmage. He could be one of the more underrated prospects in the system.
Francesco Pinelli
If Laferriere was the best of the non-NHL experienced players, Pinelli wasn’t far behind him. He is so good on the puck and is a hound without it. I’ll be following him more closely this coming season.
Kim Nousiainen
I feel like we’re not talking enough about Nousiainen as a player to fill that offensive role on the left side of the LA Kings defense. He glides around the ice and is an excellent puck mover.
Quick Hits
Jordan Spence – Skates so smoothly and confidently. His NHL experience was clearly evident.
Tobias Bjornot – I need more.
Samuel Helenius – He may not be the tallest now with Lawrence and Sparkes around, but he is definitely the biggest. He will be a force down the middle for Ontario this year.
Helenius and Lee going at it in puck protection drills.#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/eT0EOLT8UD
— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) July 11, 2022
Andre Lee – Really good hands for his size. He tried some impressive dangles during the scrimmage.
Helge Grans – Excellent skating, good hands, should have an excellent year for the Reign.
Quotes
Brandt Clarke
On the first day of the LA Kings development camp: “Oh, it’s been great. The competition level is really high out here. It’s been lots of fun, you know. They brought a lot of high draft picks…well, actually, they brought all the guys from the past drafts, and you know the intensity is really high. We all want to make a good impression on the people upstairs. So yeah, it’s been great, and it’s a great group of guys, too. It’s been fun on and off the ice.
If he’s going into this coming World Junior camp with Canada with a chip on his shoulder after being passed over last time around: “Yeah, you know, there’s always that thing on the back of your mind that you want to prove people wrong, I don’t want to let that waver me. I’m just going to play my game. It’s made me successful in the past. If they didn’t think that made me successful, then I think there’s other people that have told me that’s the right way to do it. So I’m just going to stick to my game plan, do what I do. And hopefully, you know, put a smile on their faces, I guess you could say.”
His expectations for this week: “I’m here to really showcase myself. I feel confident in my game. I feel confident at this level against this competition, so I just want to I want to excel, and I want to listen to the coaches. You know, we have a great player development staff here that have all played many games in the NHL, so their wisdom is huge for me. And I’m just going to take that all in and use that in the scrimmages, use that moving forward in the summer, and hopefully have a really big camp in September.”
Jack Hughes
On how the first day went: “Good. It’s really nice here. I’ve never been here before. So it’s nice to get here and settle in a little bit.”
If he’s tried In-N-Out yet: “I haven’t. No. I got to try it for sure.”
On the competition level compared to that college: “Well, I mean, there’s a lot of good players in both places, but you know, the speed here…everyone’s fast. You know, it’s definitely a bit of a step up. It’s been tough, especially on the scrimmage with a couple of us forwards to keep up a little bit.”
The Kings will continue Development Camp through the end of the week, with a scrimmage to conclude the festivities at 9 am PT on Friday.