Scouting And Development Are Cornerstones To Dean Lombardi’s Efforts

June 26, 2009 by 10 Comments

INTERVIEW WITH DEAN LOMBARDI: In the fifth and final installment of this series based on an in-depth interview with Los Angeles Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi, we take a close look at two of the Kings’ 2008 draft picks along with their scouting and development infrastructure. We also get a bit of insight into what Lombardi thinks going into the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — With the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft beginning tonight in Montreal, the brain trust of the Los Angeles Kings, including President/General Manager Dean Lombardi, are going over their lists with the proverbial fine tooth comb, projecting who might be available when their turn, the fifth overall selection, comes around, along with what kind of trades might be out there for them to get in on.

But before Frozen Royalty looks ahead to the 2009 draft, let’s take a step back and look at a couple of 2008 Kings draft picks who were big surprises this past season, in more ways than one.

Indeed, defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov (photo at right, courtesy Manchester Monarchs), who was selected in the second round, 32nd overall, and center Andrei Loktionov, a fifth round pick, 123rd overall, were big surprises on a couple of levels. Read more of this post

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LA Kings World Junior Championships Wrap-Up

January 6, 2009 by 1 Comment

On January 5, Los Angeles Kings prospects Thomas Hickey and Colten Teubert earned a Gold Medal in helping Canada hand Sweden a 5-1 loss in the finals of the 2009 IIHF World Junior (Under-20) Championships in Ottawa.

Hickey, Canada’s team captain, contributed three assists in the tournament in six games. The two defensemen helped lead Canada to their fifth straight Gold Medal at the tournament.

Kings prospect Oscar Moller served as captain of Team Sweden, scoring a goal and adding three assists in six games, earning the Silver Medal.

Defenseman prospect Viatcheslav Voinov represented Russia, scoring a goal and adding three assists in seven games, earning the Bronze Medal.

Moller will return to Los Angeles on Wednesday.

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Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi Excited About Defense

December 31, 2008 by 15 Comments

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: As we end 2008 and ring in the New Year, I sat down with Los Angeles Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi to talk about his team, their progress in their rebuilding plan and much more. Part 2 is coming soon right here on Frozen Royalty.

LOS ANGELES — As the Los Angeles Kings near the midpoint of the 2008-09 season, they continue to surprise many because they have managed to avoid the bottom of the league standings and are still in contention for a playoff spot. After ending the 2007-08 season tied in points with the last-in-the-league standings Tampa Bay Lightning, that is a considerable improvement.

Of course, with just slightly more than half the schedule remaining and with a torturous road schedule ahead of them—27 of their final 39 games will be on the road—the Kings could still find themselves plummeting in the standings as their road record this season has not been good. Nevertheless, this team has already shown growth and progress over last season, and their future looks even brighter at this point in time than conventional wisdom would seem to dictate. Read more of this post

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Moller To Play In World Junior Championships; Kings Recall Trevor Lewis

December 18, 2008 by Leave a comment

EL SEGUNDO, CA — On December 18, the Los Angeles Kings assigned forward Oscar Moller to the Swedish Junior National Team and they recalled forward Trevor Lewis from the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League, their primary minor league affiliate. Read more of this post

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2008-09 Los Angeles Kings: Defense and Goaltending Will Be Key

October 3, 2008 by 9 Comments

SEASON PREVIEW: A comprehensive, detailed look at what might be for the 2008-09 Los Angeles Kings.

LOS ANGELES — Immediately upon being hired by the Los Angeles Kings as their new head coach on July 17, 2008, Terry Murray clearly stated that the top priority for his new team would be improving their defensive play, noting that the 2007-08 Kings gave up several boatloads of quality scoring chances and goals.

This new mandate could not have been made more clear on the first day of the Kings’ 2008-09 training camp. Indeed, when the players took to the ice for the first time, they saw five dots, a bit smaller than the face-off dots, painted on the ice in the slot, representing the “home plate” area Murray wants his players to focus on in terms of their defensive positioning.

Indeed, the Kings were atrocious in their own zone for the vast majority of the 2007-08 season and their goaltending was not much better. These two areas will certainly be keys to the success or failure of the 2008-09 Kings, who will have several young players, some of them rookies, in their lineup, raising serious doubt on the Kings’ ability to improve significantly upon their tied-for-last-place-in-the-league finish in 2007-08. Read more of this post

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