Liam Lefebvre has been one of the clearest winners of Kings training camp, and that’s saying something for a player who only entered the organization a few months ago.
The second-round pick, taken 46th overall with a selection Los Angeles acquired when it moved Phil Danault last December, has gone from Development Camp in July to legitimate buzz in a hurry. The QMJHL winger turned heads at the Rookie Faceoff a few weeks ago, where he was viewed unofficially as one of the team’s top three players - a rare kind of showing for a first-year player at that event.
That momentum carried straight into preseason, where Lefebvre earned a game with the big club Tuesday night against Utah. There was even serious discussion, according to sources inside the organization, about giving him another look Wednesday in Anaheim. That second appearance never happened because of a numbers crunch, but the fact that it was on the table tells you plenty about how Kings coaches and management have viewed him.
For now, though, Lefebvre’s next stop is clear. The team is expected to announce soon that he’s headed back to junior hockey for the 2026-27 season, and he’ll return to Cape Breton today to join his junior team. That group is gearing up for a push at a QMJHL championship and a possible Memorial Cup run this season.
The twist is that Cape Breton is a new home for him. He was traded there only a few weeks before June’s NHL draft, adding another layer to a stretch that has already been packed with change.
Through all of it, Lefebvre has kept the same steady approach.
“I think it’s [about] going with the day-to-day stuff, whether that’s coming to the rink, going to the gym, just kind of staying level-headed with all that, not getting too high or too low,” Lefebvre shared. “I feel like that’s allowed me to keep my composure. It’s been pretty busy and eventful, but I just keep working and doing the things that got me here.”
That mindset showed in his preseason opportunity, too.
“It was a great honor,” he said, when asked about wearing a Kings jersey vs. the Mammoth. “Obviously, whenever you put an NHL jersey on, it’s a big moment.
I was just proud to get out there. [Getting an assist] felt good, for sure.
Whenever I can chip in and help the team try and win [is great] … It was a big step up. You kind of look at their lineup - a lot of NHL regular guys on there.
So for me, it was [about] adjusting to that pace. I thought the first period was kind of an adjustment period, and then after that I was able to find the legs a little bit.”
Long term, Lefebvre already has his path set. He’s committed to Boston University beginning in the fall of 2027, which means it will likely be a few more years before the 6-foot-3 winger is knocking on the NHL door for good. But after this camp, one thing is obvious: his profile has never been higher.
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Alex Laferriere helped turn the momentum back the Kings' way, and Joel Armia's finish shortly after gave Los Angeles the lead it would keep the rest of the way. In a preseason game that mattered more for rhythm than the standings, the encouraging part for the Kings was how the newcomers fit into the pace and how Forsberg settled things down when Anaheim tried to push back. [Read more 🡒]