The LA Kings closed out the 2026 Rookie Faceoff with a complete 4-0 win over the Utah Mammoth, finishing the tournament at 2-1-0.
This one started with penalty trouble for Los Angeles - four minor penalties in the opening period - but the Kings were the team that struck first. Kenny Connors turned a shorthanded chance into the night’s opening goal, slipping behind the defense, pulling the puck to his forehand and beating Utah goaltender Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko at the near post for his first goal of the tournament and a 1-0 lead.
Before the period was over, the Kings doubled it. Connors helped set up the next one, creating room and finding Koehn Ziemmer in the high slot. Ziemmer didn’t rush it, picked his spot and snapped home his third goal of the tournament and second straight game with a goal to make it 2-0.
Los Angeles kept stretching the gap in the second period. Jack Hughes took the puck from the right-hand circle, paused just long enough to change the angle, and fired a wrist shot past Tkach-Tkachenko for his first goal of the tournament. That pushed the Kings ahead 3-0 after 40 minutes.
Jimmy Lombardi finished it off late in the third with Los Angeles’ second power-play goal of the game. Ziemmer added another assist, sending a pass from the right circle to Lombardi at the back post for a tap-in and his first goal of the tournament.
Afterward, Jared Woolley pointed to the Kings’ consistency and the way they built off Sunday’s game. He said, “I thought we built off our game on Sunday and kind of stuck to what worked there. I mean, obviously their first game wasn’t really what we had to show, so to bring the consistency was good.”
Woolley also liked what he saw from the penalty kill. “I think we just kind of stuck to what was working.
We didn’t get too out of line, too crazy chasing pucks. We had our structure and it worked.”
He added that adjusting to the new system for Kings defensemen will take time, but said the mindset is part of it. And with his professional career about to begin, he said his approach hasn’t really changed.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve changed too much. Obviously, now I know I’m turning pro, so you’d rather be in the NHL.
So, I mean that’s kind of what you’re looking for. More in years prior, it’d be nice to make the NHL, but you knew you were going back.
So just, I think that have that in the back of my mind, I wouldn’t say anything’s changed really, but you’re thinking about that.”
Andrew Lord said the Kings were steady from the start and credited special teams for setting the tone. “Yeah, really consistent.
Started the right way, I thought we controlled a lot of the play, especially the first two periods. The 5-on-3 kill is huge in the first and then you know Z gets the 5-on-3 goal for.
So, special teams was critical, penalty kill was elite, the shortie as well for Connors. Just a really good job by everyone playing the right way.”
Lord said the Kings still need to stay out of the box more, but praised the way they handled pressure. He also singled out Connors, saying, “Uou can see he’s back to himself here, especially tonight.
Hounding pucks, relentless, good sticks on pucks, simple offense and he gets rewarded by having so many good penalty kills and gets the breakaway goal. Good for him.”
He was also impressed with Yegor Rybkin, who saw a shutout in his first game with the organization. Lord called it “awesome” and said Rybkin was solid when Utah pushed in the third period.
Looking at the tournament as a whole, Lord said the Kings got strong contributions from a lot of different players, including Grant Slukynsky, some of the defensemen, and invite Schneider. He said the group responded well over the last 72 hours and liked the way they finished.
The Kings now head home, with NHL Training Camp set to begin on Thursday, September 17 at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo, CA.
In Other News...
Kings Rookies Just Made Main Camp Decisions A Lot Tougher
The Rookie Faceoff wrapped up with the Kings closing things out in style, skating past the Mammoth 4-0 and giving their camp a final showcase that had to be noticed. Koehn Ziemmer, Jimmy Lombardi and Jack Hughes all found the net, while the group also got a strong goaltending effort behind it, a good sign for a roster of young players trying to force their way into a tougher main camp picture.
Kenny Connors was especially noticeable in the victory, adding a shorthanded goal to a performance that fit right into the kind of pace and compete level the Kings want from their prospects. Andrew Lord came away praising both the team and several individuals afterward, and with Yegor Rybkin turning aside 27 shots in the shutout, there was plenty in the final tune-up to make the next round of decisions more complicated than they were before this weekend. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Rookies Gave Fans One Last Reason For Camp Optimism
The rookie showcase in Irvine gave the Kings one more clean look at the young players trying to push their way into the conversation before camp opens. Against Utah, the group played with enough pace and structure to leave the impression the organization wanted, with goals coming from Kenny Connors, Koehn Ziemmer, Jack Hughes and Jimmy Lombardi as Los Angeles wrapped up the tournament on a positive note.
Now comes a brief pause before the real competition begins. The Kings get a day off and then turn the page to NHL Training Camp on Sept. 17 at the Toyota Sports Performance Center, where the tone shifts from evaluation games to a much harder roster fight. For a team that just finished the rookie event with momentum, the next few days will tell whether any of that optimism carries into the main camp. [Read more 🡒]
Carter George Is Giving Kings Fans A Reason To Dream In Net
Carter George has given Kings fans something to file away from rookie camp: a young goaltender who already looks comfortable in the chaos. The prospect showed off the kind of agility, composure, positioning and ice awareness that can separate a promising goalie from just another name in the pipeline, and he did it while looking poised well beyond his age. For a franchise that has long valued structure in net, that kind of early impression matters.
Georges track record only adds to the intrigue. He was notable enough in the Ontario Hockey League to turn heads as a puck-moving, play-reading goalie, and his first look with Los Angeles suggested the tools are real rather than theoretical. The bigger question now is how that foundation translates as the pace and pressure rise, because the Kings can already see why he belongs on the list of players worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]