LOS ANGELES — On April 12, the Los Angeles Kings signed left wing Alex Iafallo to a four-year contract extension valued at $4 million/year (average annual value). A bit surprisingly, there has been some criticism of this deal, with the belief that Iafallo should not have been signed for that much money, that he is... Continue Reading →
LA Kings: Gabe Vilardi’s “Demotion” is Short-Lived
LOS ANGELES — Apparently, young center Gabe Vilardi has played his way back into the good graces of the Los Angeles Kings coaching staff. Head coach Todd McLellan indicated that Vilardi will return to the number two center position tonight (March 29), when the Kings skate against the Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas. “That... Continue Reading →
LA Kings: Reasons for Optimism and Concern Persist
LOS ANGELES — 26 games into the 2021 National Hockey League season, the Los Angeles Kings are an improved team over last year, but in an abbreviated season filled with games against division rivals—all four-point games—so far, that improvement has not been enough to get them into the top four in the standings—playoff contention. Frozen... Continue Reading →
LA Kings Rookie Center Rasmus Kupari Solid in NHL Debut
LOS ANGELES — He didn’t score a goal or contribute an assist, but Los Angeles Kings rookie center Rasmus Kupari put in a solid, if not spectacular, performance in his National Hockey League debut in a 3-2 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on March 5 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The 20-year-old... Continue Reading →
Austin Strand Has Been a Pleasant Surprise for LA Kings
LOS ANGELES — Last season, his second in the American Hockey League, Austin Strand received virtually no attention, in terms of his development, not to mention his potential for becoming a full-fledged National Hockey League defenseman prospect. The 23-year-old native of Calgary, Alberta went undrafted, and was signed by the Kings as a free agent... Continue Reading →
LA Kings 2019 1st Round Pick Alex Turcotte Can’t Wait To Start Pro Career
LOS ANGELES — For Los Angeles Kings center prospect Alex Turcotte, who has been sidelined by a nagging leg injury since he starred for the United States in the 2021 World Junior Championships back in January, the American Hockey League regular season couldn’t come soon enough. Indeed, the Kings’ first round pick (fifth overall) in... Continue Reading →
LA Kings: Reasons for Optimism and Concern
LOS ANGELES — Although it is too early in the 2021 National Hockey League season to draw a lot of conclusions about any team, after six games, there are reasons for optimism as well as cause for concern when it comes to the Los Angeles Kings. With a 2-2-2 record after six games, the Kings... Continue Reading →
LA Kings: Arthur Kaliyev Could Make The Jump From Juniors to the NHL…For Now
LOS ANGELES — Back in June 2019, the Los Angeles Kings selected a sniper, a pure goal scorer, in the second round of the 2019 National Hockey League Draft. That sniper was 6-2, 194-pound right wing Arthur Kaliyev, now 19 years old, who was selected in the second round, 33rd overall. The Kings were pretty... Continue Reading →
Gabe Vilardi Is Finally At Full Speed and Is Raring to Go for the LA Kings
LOS ANGELES — Although we’re only going to get 56 regular season games (post-season play notwithstanding) to watch the Los Angeles Kings in the 2021 season, we will finally get to see forward prospect Gabe Vilardi at full speed. Indeed, Vilardi has put the issues related to his back injury and subsequent surgery in 2017... Continue Reading →
LA Kings D Mikey Anderson Is Right on the Cusp
LOS ANGELES — After making a very solid impression in a late-season, six-game stint with the Los Angeles Kings last year, rookie defenseman Mikey Anderson finds himself on the cusp of making the Kings 2020-21 opening night roster. “In my mind, Mikey has worked his way into our lineup, and again, at camp, it looks... Continue Reading →
Expectations for LA Kings’ Alex Iafallo Are On the Rise
LOS ANGELES — After a breakout 2019-20 season, Los Angeles Kings Alex Iafallo and head coach Todd McLellan have higher expectations for the left wing in the fast approaching COVID-19-abbreviated 2020-21 National Hockey League season. Indeed, after setting career highs in goals (17), assists (26) and points (43) last season, Iafallo has bigger skate boots... Continue Reading →
Going Deep Into the LA Kings 2020 NHL Draft with Kings Director of Amateur Scouting Mark Yanetti – Part 4
LOS ANGELES — Closing out their 2020 National Hockey League Draft, the Los Angeles Kings selected two players in the fifth round and one in the seventh on Day 2 of the draft, October 6, 2020, with the hope that these longshots—virtually all late-round draft picks—will surprise everyone and make it to the NHL. Kings... Continue Reading →