LA Kings Head Coach Terry Murray: Drew Doughty And Jack Johnson Need To Take Steps Forward In 2011-12

August 31, 2011 13 Comments

FROZEN ROYALTY EXCLUSIVE: In part 3 of this series of stories based on an exclusive interview with Los Angeles Kings head coach Terry Murray, we look back on the play of defensemen Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson in the 2010-11 season, one in which both took a step backwards.

Los Angeles Kings head coach Terry Murray watches his players execute a drill during practice at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California.
Photo: David Sheehan

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Although the 2010-11 Los Angeles Kings made some progress, most notably, in their defensive zone coverage, penalty-killing and goaltending, they took a step backwards in their play in the attacking zone, both in terms of five-on-five play, and on the power play.

Contributing to that step backwards were the Kings’ top two defensemen, Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson, whose performances dipped a bit from the 2009-10 season.

Last season, Doughty scored eleven goals and tallied 29 assists for forty points, with a +13 plus/minus rating and 68 penalty minutes in 76 regular season games.

Those numbers were well off what he posted in 2009-10, when he scored 16 goals and added 43 assists for 59 points with a +20 rating and 54 penalty minutes in 82 regular season games. Read more of this post

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Terry Murray Dishes On 2010-11 LA Kings’ Offensive Zone, Power Play Struggles

August 29, 2011 13 Comments

FROZEN ROYALTY EXCLUSIVE: The 2010-11 Los Angeles Kings were lights out in the defensive zone, especially on the penalty-kill. But in the attacking zone, during five-on-five situations and on the power play, they were pretty much the exact opposite. In Part 2 of this series based on an exclusive interview with Kings head coach Terry Murray, Frozen Royalty looks back at the Kings’ woes in the offensive zone last season.

Los Angeles Kings head coach Terry Murray (center, standing) makes a point during practice at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California.
Photo: David Sheehan

EL SEGUNDO, CA — The 2010-11 Los Angeles Kings made progress in some aspects of their game, most notably, their defense, penalty-killing and goaltending. But, at the same time, they took at least one big step backwards in the offensive zone.

Looking at their 2009-10 numbers, the Kings ranked ninth in goals scored, averaging 2.82 goals per game. But with their five-on-five scoring ranked just 19th, the goals came, in large part, from their power play, which ranked seventh in the National Hockey League, with a 20.8 percent rating. Read more of this post

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Los Angeles Kings Head Coach Terry Murray Looks Back At 2010-11 Season

August 27, 2011 16 Comments

FROZEN ROYALTY EXCLUSIVE: Each summer, since his arrival in Southern California, Los Angeles Kings head coach Terry Murray has graciously taken a break from his preparation work for the new season to talk with Frozen Royalty during a one-on-one interview. He did so once again this week, looking back at last season and ahead at the 2011-12 campaign. In this story, the first of a series, Murray shares his thoughts on his team’s up-and-down 2010-11 season.

Los Angeles Kings head coach Terry Murray (standing; third from left) with his team during practice at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California.
Photo: David Sheehan

EL SEGUNDO, CA — One of the most talked about aspects of the 2010-11 season was the fact that the Western Conference playoff race was so tight from the first day of the season all the way to the last, as the eight playoff teams were not determined until the very end.

“The division, the conference was so competitive,” said Los Angeles Kings head coach Terry Murray. “It came right down to the last game of the year, whether Chicago gets in, or Dallas gets in. It was that competitive.” Read more of this post

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Catching Up With KingsCast: 2011 Dreaded Lull Edition

August 25, 2011 Leave a Comment

Frozen Royalty has been slacking off during the “dreaded lull” for hockey fans, which usually starts on July 2, right after the unrestricted free agent frenzy on July 1, and drags on and on until training camp starts in mid-September. That means I have also slacked off on keeping you in the know regarding what those mavens of hockey madness, the Kings of KingsCast, Keith Korneluk and Chris Kaliszewski, have been up to lately. Read more of this post

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LA Kings Right Wing Prospect Brandon Kozun Is Not Allowing His Size To Be An Obstacle

August 23, 2011 10 Comments

Right wing prospect Brandon Kozun spoke to
the media during the Los Angeles Kings
2011 Development Camp at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California, July 11-12, 2011.
Photo: Gann Matsuda

EL SEGUNDO, CA — As years pass, National Hockey League players continue to get bigger, stronger and faster, much more so than they were thirty years ago, and still more than they were twenty or even ten years ago.

But with changes in rules and in the interpretation of existing ones that have cut down on the hooking, holding and other means of obstructing an opponent’s ability to skate and maneuver, smaller players have, once again, found a niche in the NHL. Nevertheless, they still have to be able to compete and hold their own, physically, with the big boys, or they will not last.

When the Los Angeles Kings selected him in the sixth round (179th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, they knew they taking a bit of a gamble on right wing prospect Brandon Kozun, who was highly-skilled. But the knock on him was his size, or, more specifically, the lack thereof. Read more of this post

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Los Angeles Kings’ 2011 Late-Round Draft Picks Working To Beat Long Odds

August 18, 2011 9 Comments

EL SEGUNDO, CA — The National Hockey League Entry Draft is one huge crapshoot in terms of teams landing prospects who will make it to the NHL level to stay, let alone big stars, even for those who are lucky enough to be first round picks.

Left wing prospect Joel Lowry spoke to the media
during the Los Angeles Kings 2011 Development Camp
at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California,
July 11-12, 2011.
Photo: Gann Matsuda

For those who end up being selected in later rounds, the odds of making it to the NHL are much, much longer. Nevertheless, every so often, they not only make it to the NHL, but they thrive there.

The most notable cases in point among Kings draft picks (not including active NHL players) would be:

  • Butch Goring, Center (fifth round, 51st overall, 1969)
  • Billy Smith, Goaltender (fifth round, 59th overall, 1970)
  • Dave Taylor, Right Wing (15th round, 210th overall, 1975)
  • Mark Hardy, Defenseman (second round, 30th overall, 1979)
  • Bernie Nicholls, Center (fourth round, 73rd overall, 1980)
  • Kevin Stevens, Left Wing (sixth round, 108th overall, 1983)
  • Luc Robitaille, Left Wing (ninth round, 171st overall, 1984)
  • Rob Blake, Defenseman (fourth round, 70th overall, 1987)
  • Alexei Zhitnik, Defenseman (fourth round, 81st overall, 1991) Read more of this post

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