EL SEGUNDO, CA — The Los Angeles Kings 2023 Development Camp for their young prospects got underway on July 6, 2023, and defenseman Brandt Clarke was the center of attention, and with good reason. After all, Clarke had a dominant year. He played nine games with the Kings at the start of the 2022-23 season, and he played five games with the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League on a rehab assignment before returning to the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League. He also represented Canada in the 2023 IIHF Under-20 World Junior Championship. He was one of Canada’s standout players. helping lead Canada to the Gold Medal.
With such a tremendous 2022-23 season behind him, all expectations are that Clarke will make the Kings’ 2023-24 opening night roster. In fact, former Kings defenseman Sean O’Donnell, who is part of the team’s development staff, said that “…we’re counting on him to make the Kings this year.”
Clarke talked about his impressive 2022-23 season, noting that after his nine-game stint with the Kings, he made the most of being sent back to his junior team.
“I took it all in stride when I got the call that they wanted to send me back there to work on my game, using all the things that I was taught while I was here,” he said. “I was OK with the decision, and I have faith in everyone here that they’re doing the best thing for me.”
“When I got back there, I just wanted to keep all the good habits that I [learned], bringing that pro level game to the junior ranks, and I feel like I did that,” he added, “Every night, I had the determination to play my absolute best. I didn’t take a day off, or anything like that. That’s how it has to be at the pro level, and I think I showed a lot of people in that Barrie locker room that that’s how it’s done. I think that’s how I was so successful myself—because I brought a lot of guys along with me.”
As noted earlier, Clarke had a dominant season, scoring 23 goals and adding 38 assists for 61 points, with a +28 plus/minus rating and 28 penalty minutes in 31 games with the Colts. He also tallied seven goals with 16 assists for 23 points with 13 penalty minutes in twelve playoff games.
In the IIHF Under-20 World Junior Championship, Clarke scored two goals with six assists for eight points with a +5 plus/minus rating and six penalty minutes in seven games, winning the Gold Medal.
Clarke pointed to what he learned from the Kings, especially about defensive zone play, for his dominance.
“It was taking all the defensive zone stuff that I learned here,” he noted. “Once the puck is up the ice, then trust my instincts, make plays, join the rush, get lots of shots on net, and that’s what I did. That all paid off really well. I was really happy with how my season went.”
“They’re such a great staff here,” he added. “They’re so hands-on. There’s more staff here than there are players. That’s how much help you’re getting. It’s pretty awesome to have that many people care about you and care about each person, individually. Everything that I’ve been told here I’ve brought back to Ottawa for summer skates there, or to games I played with [the Barrie Colts], or really anywhere.”
O’Donnell had a lot to say about his current top student.
“He’s a unique kind of player, and I don’t think you want to box him in, but he reminds me a little of Sean Durzi when he first came up,” said O’Donnell. “It was recognizing that you don’t hit a home run on every shift at the NHL level. You can do that in junior, and sometimes, even in the minor leagues. But at the NHL level, you’ve got to pick your spots when you [join the rush], and don’t try to manufacture something when it’s not there. The game will present itself naturally, and those guys have the kind of talent that when that happens, they can take advantage of it, instead of trying to force things, trying to make a play happen when it’s not there. That’s when they get in trouble. But if he can play within himself, which I think he does, he’s a dynamic player, and there’s not many players like that.”
“He’s a guy who you just want to give a little bit of structure to and then let him do his thing,” O’Donnell added. “He’s a gamer. A hockey junkie. He’s a good one.”
O’Donnell also took note of Clarke’s confidence.
“I think that’s going to serve him really well,” he noted. “But that can be a strength and a weakness. There’s times when players like that—it takes a while for them to learn that a play didn’t work, and that you can’t do that again. But Clarke will try something if he believes it’s the right play. Drew Doughty was a lot like that. I’m not comparing the two players, but Drew would try something, and that wasn’t going to change if it was late in the game or if the stakes got high, or if he was on the ice against [an elite player]. If he feels that it’s the right play, he’ll do it.”
“Is it always the right play? No,” he added. “But it’s nice to see those kinds of players. You’d rather work with those kinds of players than the players where you have to [explain all the options]. Clarke sees all the options. He may not choose the right one all the time, but he doesn’t get overwhelmed. He gets better.”
“We all make mistakes. We always say, when we’re working with [prospects], when guys do something good, make a great play, or have a great shift, and you go to congratulate them, they respond by saying that they have to worry about the next shift, and they leave it there. The hardest thing is when players have a bad shift. They tend to hang onto that. They’re not as quick to [put it behind them and worry about their next shift]. Clarke has the ability to do that. He’ll make a mistake [but doesn’t dwell on it], and just move onto the next shift.”
O’Donnell indicated that Clarke’s game is cool, collected, and steady.
“If you look at where he’s been, the World Juniors, for example, I thought that as the tournament got better, he got better,” he said. “As the games went along, he got double-shifted and played more. So I think that, once he settles into a situation and sees where he’s at, and gets a feel for it, he doesn’t get overwhelmed by situations at all. That’s a nice thing.”
Given Clarke’s offensive prowess from the back end, some pundits (and others) have expressed concern about his attention to his defensive responsibilities. But as O’Donnell alluded to, while he is still a young player with much to learn, his defensive zone play is not a huge black mark on his game, and that he will be on a shorter “leash” than younger prospects when it comes to addressing mistakes.
“Any looseness in Clarke’s play is tighter than some of the other guys, but we want to make his game as tight as possible, because we’re counting on him to make the Kings this year, and if he does, the coaches want to be able to trust that when they put him out there that he may make mistakes, but that he’s not making the same ones over and over again,” he noted, “So the leash or margin of error for him is tighter than it is for prospects who are a couple of years away.”
“My belief in the defensive zone,” said Clarke. “I feel really confident that I’m right there at pro ranks. I felt comfortable in those games with the Kings. When I was back in Barrie, I never got hemmed [into the defensive zone], because I was shutting down plays very quickly. As soon as they crossed the blue line, I was [breaking up the play] and getting back into the offensive zone, so I feel really confident with where [his defensive game] is. I’m really happy with the strides I’ve taken since the time I was drafted.”
Although skating and speed has been all the rage in the NHL over the last nine years or so, the Vegas Golden Knights won the 2023 Stanley Cup with a defensive corps that wasn’t just fast. They were big and strong, too. That raises the issue of size and strength for Clarke who is officially listed at 6-2, 185 pounds.
For his part, Clarke doesn’t seem worried about the physical aspects of the game at the NHL level.
“I’m just shy of 200 pounds right now, and that’s what I’m happy with,” he said. “It would be nice to put on a little more [weight], and get a little stronger, upper body-wise. But I’m happy with where I am. I’m really looking forward to September.”
“I was actually gaining weight last season when I was here,” he added. “They have a good [strength and conditioning] staff here. I trained with them when I wasn’t in the lineup. That helped me put on a lots of weight. They just wanted me to sustain it, and that’s what I’ve done. I’d like to come [into training camp] at 205. Just to be strong in front of the net, sturdy. That would be ideal.”
“I want to be a full-time L.A. King [this season]. I got a taste of it last year, and I kinda got into a groove with the players around here. I felt really comfortable. It’s where I want to be. I want to be a contributor. I want to help them get over the hump that they’ve been stuck on the last couple of years. If could be a contributor to that, that would be really awesome.”
LEAD PHOTO: Los Angeles Kings defenseman prospect Brandt Clarke, shown here during the Kings’ 2023 Development Camp, July 6, 2023, at the Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo, California. Photo by Gann Matsuda/FrozenRoyalty.net,
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