The Kings are bringing a few different kinds of intrigue to San Jose for the Rookie Faceoff, and the group up front is where most of it lives.
Start with Jared Wright, because he’s the one who already has real NHL mileage on his resume. Wright got into 23 games last season, then dressed for all four games in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after sliding into the lineup following the trade deadline and holding onto his spot.
Among everyone in rookie camp and at this event, he has the clearest NHL upside. Before free agency, he looked more likely to be in the mix than out of it, but that picture has changed.
Now he feels like more of a question mark, and he may need either a big camp or an injury opening to crack the roster.
His speed already plays at the NHL level, and he may be the best skater in San Jose this weekend. What will decide the next step is the rest of his game - what he does with the puck, how much he’s rounded out as a player, and whether he can separate himself when the competition drops a level. This weekend gives him a chance to operate as one of the more experienced players on the ice and show how he handles that role.
Kenny Connors is in a different spot, but he’s also one to watch closely. He got into two NHL games with the Kings and made a strong impression in Ontario during his first AHL season, earning plenty of trust from the coaching staff with the Reign.
He could get NHL games again this season, but the safer bet is that he begins as a top-six center in the AHL unless he turns in a standout showing that pushes him higher. He may not project as the 1C of the future, but he brings more upside and a higher floor than a lot of prospects in the system.
He should be one of the better players in the tournament.
Then there’s Vojtech Cihar, who finally gets his first chance to wear a Kings jersey in a game setting, even if it’s only a rookie tournament. A 2025 draft pick, Cihar spent last fall playing professionally in Czechia, stayed overseas to keep his season prep on track, then came over after the World Juniors and joined the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets.
He produced at a point-per-game pace there, and Kelowna’s role as Memorial Cup host was part of what brought him in the first place. At 19, he’s got a lot of paths in front of him: the Kings, the Reign, another full season in Kelowna, or a return to Europe.
His stated goal is to come into camp and make a team in California, and the Rookie Faceoff gives him an early stage to try to do it.
A few more forwards are worth tracking too.
Grant Slukynsky tends to get overlooked because his brother Hampton is the bigger prospect name in the system, but he earned his entry-level deal with a strong year at Western Michigan. He scored 40 points in 39 games, won a national title, and comes into this event as an older player after four college seasons. That age and experience should work in his favor if he can take advantage of it, much like Blake Lizotte did at this tournament in a similar spot.
Liam Lefebvre is another interesting case. The Kings took him in the second round of the 2026 NHL Draft as an overaged pick, and the organizational enthusiasm around him has been loud.
He put up 59 points in 59 QMJHL games last season, won a championship with Chicoutimi, and got to the Memorial Cup. He’s off to a strong preseason start with four goals in two exhibition games, but the Rookie Faceoff is a bigger jump in competition, so this weekend should tell a lot about how he handles it.
Jimmy Lombardi may not be the loudest player in the group, but he keeps showing up in the details. Last season, the small forward kept making the kind of subtle reads and plays that matter.
He also made a major leap in the OHL, finishing among the league’s top 10 in goals. He signed his entry-level contract last season, attended the World Junior Summer Showcase with Team Canada a couple months ago, and left a good impression there too.
This is his second run at the event, and he’s another player worth following in San Jose.
One name that won’t be on the ice this week is Elton Hermansson. If anyone was hoping to see his first games in a Kings jersey, that’ll have to wait.
He’s already deep into preseason work with MoDo in Sweden, and the Kings aren’t going to pull him away from that. Kings assistant general manager Nelson Emerson said Hermansson has already played in several exhibition games in Sweden, and because he projects as a key player there, it doesn’t make sense to create extra travel and disrupt his early-season setup just to put him in a rookie tournament.
Once he makes the move to North America, he should be part of this event and one of the bigger names on the ice. For now, his season in Sweden - and likely the World Juniors this winter, where he should represent Team Sweden - is where the focus stays.
The games themselves are coming fast, and the tournament will be streamed. Broadcast details are expected soon, with the Kings planning to make the games available in multiple places and on different platforms. However it’s shown, the return of Kings hockey is here on Saturday.
In Other News...
Kings Fans Finally Have Part Of The Streaming Answer
The search for a more convenient way to follow the Kings has taken a real step forward, with the team lining up a new streaming home on SLVR. The platform is set to carry Kings games beginning with the NHL Rookie Faceoff in San Jose, then move into three preseason games and a selection of regular-season broadcasts, giving fans another path to watch beyond the usual TV setup.
SLVR is being operated by Triple B Media in partnership with Silver Sports & Entertainment, and it is designed to offer more than just live game coverage. Along with Kings programming, the service will also include additional team-related content and coverage of the Ontario Reign and Eisbaren Berlin hockey, a reminder that the clubs media reach is starting to stretch in a few different directions even as the full streaming picture is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Elias Pettersson Rumors Put Early Pressure On The Canucks
The Elias Pettersson chatter in Vancouver has refused to quiet down, even as the Canucks try to steer the conversation back toward hockey. His agent, J.P. Barry, pushed back on the notion that the club had asked Pettersson to waive his no-trade protection, while general manager Ryan Johnson has stressed the need to create a supportive environment for the center so he can work his way back toward the level he has shown in the past.
Still, the speculation keeps finding new fuel, and it has begun to bleed into Los Angeles. Reports have linked the noise around Pettersson to a recent home purchase there by him and his family, which has only sharpened talk about possible Kings interest. For a player with that kind of profile, and for a Canucks team trying to steady the situation, the rumors are likely to linger until something more concrete finally breaks. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Rookie Camp Puts The Franchises Next Wave Under The Spotlight
The next wave of Kings talent is set to gather in El Segundo as rookie camp gets underway at the Toyota Sports Performance Center. It is the first real checkpoint of the offseason for a group that has been building buzz inside the organization, giving the staff a chance to see how the newest prospects stack up once they are on the ice together.
The camp also brings a few of the systems most closely watched young players into the same spotlight, including Henry Brzustewicz, Liam Lefebvre, Vojtch iha, Hampton Slukynsky and Carter George. For the Kings, the value is as much about development as evaluation, and this week should offer an early look at which prospects are ready to push for a bigger role in the seasons ahead. [Read more 🡒]