The LA Kings wrapped up the 2026 Rookie Faceoff on a high note, blanking the Utah Mammoth 4-0 to finish the tournament at 2-1-0.
It didn’t start cleanly. Los Angeles spent much of the opening period killing penalties, taking four minors in the frame.
Even so, the Kings were the ones to strike first, and they did it while shorthanded. Kenny Connors broke free behind the defense, pulled the puck to his forehand and beat Utah goaltender Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko at the near post for his first goal of the tournament and a 1-0 lead.
The Kings doubled that cushion later in the period thanks to Koehn Ziemmer, who scored for the second game in a row. Connors helped create the chance by opening space and feeding Ziemmer in the high slot, where Ziemmer settled in and picked out the blocker side for his team-leading third goal of the tournament.
Los Angeles kept building from there in the second period. Jack Hughes made it 3-0 with an even-strength goal from the right-hand circle, pausing just enough to change the angle before sending a wrist shot past Tkach-Tkachenko for his first goal of the tournament.
Jimmy Lombardi finished the job late in the third with the Kings’ second power-play goal of the day. Ziemmer picked up another point by sliding a pass from the right circle to Lombardi at the back post, where he finished for his first tally of the tournament.
The result sends the Kings rookies home from the 2026 Rookie Faceoff with a 2-1-0 mark. They’ll have the day off tomorrow before NHL Training Camp begins 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 Prospects Made One Thing Clear In Their Rookie Faceoff Finale
The Kings prospects ended their Rookie Faceoff on a high note Sunday, skating past Utah with a composed, wire-to-wire effort that showed why this group drew attention over the course of the weekend. Kenny Connors, Koehn Ziemmer, Jack Hughes and Jimmy Lombardi all found the net in the finale, giving Los Angeles a clean offensive finish to a tournament that also featured a couple of tighter tests along the way.
What stood out afterward was the way the Kings talked about the game as much as the score. Defenseman Jared Woolley pointed to the teams penalty kill and its ability to stay steady in different situations, while head coach Andrew Lord stressed the consistency that carried through the tournament. For a young roster still trying to make its case, that kind of detail matters just as much as the goal total. [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 🡒]