LA Kings rookie camp opened Friday with one practice to get ready for Saturday’s Rookie Faceoff opener against the Sharks, and the Kings are again turning the bench over to the AHL staff. Reign coach Andrew Lord will run the group in San Jose, while Peter Laviolette is traveling to the event and watched practice Friday.
Lord said the early focus has been on both the returning players and the newcomers, with several veterans of the organization stepping into leadership roles right away. “[Jared] Wright, Kirill [Kirsanov], [Kenny] Connors, obviously - Otto [Salin] and Devo [Jakub Dvorak] too - a lot of guys taking charge, going first in drills, which is excellent,” he said.
At the same time, he said the short timeline means the staff has to quickly build relationships with the first-year players as well. “The last 12 hours has been quick - everyone just got in, we had a meeting last night, this morning was a bit chaotic with physicals and everything.
But I think tonight will be great at dinner, and then into the weekend. So, I’m excited to meet more of the new guys.”
The practice itself came with plenty of information, and Lord said the staff tried to strike the right balance between teaching and overloading. “Yeah, we threw a lot at them,” he said.
“It’s always such a fine line, right? You’re trying to find that balance - not overdoing it and getting them to overthink but giving them enough so they can play a structured game tomorrow and play as a team.”
He added that the returning players helped the whole group absorb the message, especially with “some new systems and whatnot under Lavi’s regime here.”
For Lord, the next four days are about different things depending on the player. Returning guys trying to push for NHL looks can make a real impression in a shorter main-camp window, while the first-timers are trying to get their feet under them and make a good first impression.
“I think now it’s probably a couple of games with the big boys, so a couple of games here, you can really make those ones count,” he said. He pointed to Taylor Ward’s path last year as an example of how those chances can matter.
The messaging, he said, has to come from everywhere. “I think it’s such a short format, you’re leaning on everyone,” Lord said.
“I think the biggest messaging is we all have to talk, we all have to step up. It’s not just me or the coaches or the returning guys.
Everyone has to put their foot in - or jump full in.”
This year’s event also comes with a different feel because the Kings are flying to the Rookie Faceoff rather than heading to a local setting in Southern California, as they have the last two years. Lord liked the road-tournament setup, calling the experience “incredible” and saying it should sharpen the competition. “I think it brings guys together and brings the best out of everyone,” he said.
He was also clear that he likes the fact that this year includes three games instead of two. “I just like it.
More games the better,” Lord said. And with the rookie tournament serving as the first hockey action of the season, he said the stakes feel real even if the results don’t count in the standings.
“We’re representing the team, and the players certainly are,” he said. “It really is a whole thing.
And yeah, it’s definitely heightened, for sure. It feels like maybe you’re not in the NHL completely, but you’re pretty darn close.”
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