LA Kings Blue Line Prospect Nicolas Deslauriers Wants To Dominate The AHL in 2012-13

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FROZEN ROYALTY EXCLUSIVE: Frozen Royalty continues its summer coverage of the Los Angeles Kings and their young prospects with a look at defenseman Nicolas Deslauriers, who completed his rookie season in the American Hockey League in 2011-12, with the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, the Kings’ primary minor league affiliate.

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LOS ANGELES — After three seasons with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, and one season with the Gatineau Olympiques, both in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Nicolas Deslauriers was an offensively-gifted defensemen—the QMJHL is not known for being a great defensive league, to be sure. Nevertheless, his play in the defensive zone left something to be desired.

But the 21-year-old native of LaSalle, Quebec is a good skater, and has a heavy shot from the point. Add to that the fact that he is a 6-1, 214-pound blue liner, and it is easy to see why the Los Angeles Kings gambled on him in the third round (84th overall selection) of the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

“Nicolas Deslauriers is really coming on,” Manchester Monarchs head coach Mark Morris told Frozen Royalty back in January 2012. “He’s made huge Read more of this post