The LA Kings Development Camp ends Friday with an energetic scrimmage.
The LA Kings’ prospects wrapped up development camp with a four-period scrimmage on Friday morning, which included two periods of 5v5 play and two frames of 4v4. It was an impressive showcase put on by the young prospects. The game was fast-paced, full of skill, good puck movement, and a bit of physicality.
Team Black, coached by former King Matt Greene, took home the victory over his fellow development coach Jarret Stoll‘s Team White in the exhibition by a score of 6-4. Below are some notes on a few players that stood out today and throughout the week.
That’ll do it for the scrimmage.
Team Black – 6
• Fagemo 3 goals
• Byfield 1 goalTeam White – 4
• Laferriere 2 goals
• Kaliyev 1 goal#GoKingsGo— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) July 15, 2022
Quinton Byfield
It’s hard to believe Quinton Byfield is still 19 years old. During this past NHL season, there were times when Quinton would show his age and inexperience, but during Development Camp this week, he oozed confidence. Byfield was the best player on the ice during Friday’s scrimmage, and he knew it.
The best thing I saw from the 6’5″ centerman, though, didn’t have anything to do with his play on the ice. In between periods of the exhibition, Quinton was the first player on the bench, waiting for the new sheet of ice to clear so that he could get started again. That drive is an excellent trait to have for a young player full of potential.
Quinton Byfield is the first player on the bench waiting for the scrimmage to continue.#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/pPRGEJxJfS
— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) July 15, 2022
Alex Laferriere
I was extremely impressed by Laferriere all week. His strength in the board drills and vision in the neutral zone throughout the scrimmages were clearly evident. That hard work was put on display Friday morning as he scored two of Team White’s four goals in Friday’s exhibition.
Alex is almost overlooked when considering other prospects the LA Kings grabbed in the 2020 NHL draft. When you’re a third-round draft pick, taken after players like Quinton Byfield, Helge Grans, and Brock Faber, it’s easy to be forgotten. However, he forced himself back into the spotlight with an excellent week of camp.
Laferriere was my number one star of the week.
Samuel Fagemo
I’ve always been a fan of Fagemo. He has all the traits to be a quality goal scorer in the NHL. While he isn’t the flashiest of prospects in the LA Kings system, he possesses a wicked wrist shot and seems to find himself in the right spots to score. That knack for goal scoring showed as he scored a hat-trick to lead Team Black to a 6-4 win.
Fagemo sneaks past the Team White defense and beats the goalie with a nice backhand move to get his hat trick, 4-2 Black.
Samuel will be a player to watch in training camp.#GoKingsGo
— Russell Morgan (@NHLRussell) July 15, 2022
“Sammy” will be a player to watch in Kings’ training camp as he looks to fight for one of the few roster spots available. He has a good chance to stick around on a team so desperate for scoring.
Brandt Clarke
If there’s one comparison between Brandt Clarke and Drew Doughty, it’s their communication. Clarke is easily the loudest player when he’s on the ice. He made some solid plays and passes that you would expect from a highly touted player, but I see the work in his game that still needs fine-tuning.
Clarke will be a stud in the NHL, if not one of the best defensemen in the game. I have no doubt about that. However, I still think it would benefit him and the organization if he had one more year in the OHL.
Jordan Spence
I am excited to see the type of player Jordan Spence can develop into. Being one of the few players with NHL experience in camp for the LA Kings, his confidence with the puck is palpable. Each time I watch Spence, I think, “how did he fall to the fourth round?”
Even though he’s only 5’10”, he plays like he’s 6’5″. His puck protection was demonstrated throughout camp as he found himself winning puck battles against bigger players like Samuel Helenius, Andre Lee, and Arthur Kaliyev. I’d like to see him get more time on the left side of the defense so that management can find an easier path for him to crack the NHL lineup soon.
Quick hits
Arthur Kaliyev – If Arty puts on more size to win more pucks in the corners to go along with that shot, I wouldn’t be surprised if he put up 20+ goals this season for LA. He also showed much more aggression this week and chirped back and forth with Byfield during Friday’s scrimmage.
Francesco Pinelli – He was listed as “out” for Friday’s game for an unknown reason. I was a little disappointed we didn’t get to see him play during the exhibition as he had a solid camp. He’s expected to return for the Rookie Tournament in San Jose in September and then it’s back to Kitchener to play for the Rangers in the OHL.
Helge Grans – There’s so much potential there with Grans. He’s a smooth skater and always finds the right outlet pass to move the puck out of his zone. I’d like to see him gain more confidence in his puck-moving abilities and utilize his instincts more this coming season for Ontario.
Tobias Bjornfot – I didn’t get any numbers or stats from Friday’s game, but I’m pretty sure he played more minutes than any other defender on Team White. It was a typical Toby-type game. Not a lot of mistakes, but not overly flashy. An interesting year is upcoming for the 21-year-old.
Aatu Jamsen – This week was our first look at the LA Kings’ seventh-round draft pick out of Finland. I was impressed with his puck-handling skills and his vision. I hope to hear more good things as he heads back to Europe to play in the Liiga.
Well, everyone that just about does it for now. We have the postponed 2022 World Juniors coming up in August, which should feature plenty of Kings prospects playing for their respective countries. But as for the LA hockey club, I’ll see you in September for the 2022 Rookie Tournament scheduled to take place in San Jose.