OHL vs. Russia - a Super Series report from Tyler Toffoli

On Thursday night, game three of the six-game Super Series took place in Ottawa. It's an annual junior hockey showcase, featuring an All Star team from the three CHL junior leagues (WHL, OHL and QMJHL), each playing a pair of games against a Russian squad of similar aged players.

You can also think of it as a tune-up for the World Junior Championship (WJC) and/or a preview for the upcoming NHL Draft. Just don't make the mistake of thinking the games don't count. Russia won the series last November and went on to win gold at the WJC a few months later.

For the third year in a row, Tyler Toffoli - one of the Kings top rated prospects - participated with the OHL group. Going into the game this year though, something interesting happened.

"My trainer in Ottawa was organizing everything and when he received all the jerseys, the 'C' was on mine. He let me know, but I didn't really believe him at first," said Toffoli, always mindful of the many pranks being played within the world of hockey.

"A couple of equipment guys and other people said it was true. Then, after it came out on the OHL website, that's when everybody starting texting me."

As if being named Captain wasn't enough pressure, the game was also being played at his home arena in Ottawa.

Los Angeles Kings Prospect Report - November 10, 2011

It's been another busy week for the LA Kings prospects. This time around, we have an almost broken foot, some expanding facial hair, a Russian invasion and much more. Take a look...

Manchester Monarchs

It was another rough weekend for the Monarchs, as they went 1-2 in their back-to-back-to-back games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The lone victory came on Saturday in a 2-1 win, with goalie Martin Jones in net and Brandon Kozun picking up a goal. Sunday's loss came via the shootout, so they still picked up a point.

Then, last night, Linden Vey (last year's WHL scoring champion) picked up his third goal of the season late in the game and gave the Monarchs a win in the rematch with Portland.

Left wing Ray Kaunisto, who sat out a pair of games over the weekend after fearing he broke his foot while blocking a shot on Friday night (no break, just swelling), was back in the line-up last night ans scored his second goal of the season.

Brett Hextall, a Phoenix Coyotes draft pick and son of Kings asst GM Ron Hextall, scored for the Portland Pirates in both games against the Monarchs this week (an interview with him can be found at the bottom of this article).

- Other notes: Goalie Jeff Zatkoff was in goal last night for the win, it was his second victory of the season...Grinder Jordan Nolan continues to play well, he now has seven points in 14 games - he was also suspended for two games this week, due to an elbowing incident on November 4...Andrei Loktionov leads all forwards with 14 points (3goals, 11 assists) and Jake Muzzin is tops among defensemen with eight points (3G, 5A) in 13 games played.

Los Angeles Kings Prospect Report - November 2, 2011

So, what's been going on with the LA Kings prospects since we checked in last week? Let's take a look around North America at the various levels of hockey...and as an added bonus, this week's report includes some quotes from a goaltender selected at the 2009 NHL Draft and a defenseman taken in 2010.

Manchester Monarchs

Things continue to be a struggle for the guys in the American Hockey League right now. They went 1-2 in their three games last week and only scored a single goal in the two losses.

- Martin Jones was in net for both losses...Jordan Nolan continues to have a fine season thus far, picking up another goal and an assist (six points total through 11 games played...Linden Vey, who was on MayorsManor last week after scoring his first goal as a professional, netted another one in last Saturday's win...Robbie Czarnik, who's been in Manchester all season, finally made his debut on Saturday - and picked up an assist for his efforts...goalie Jeff Zatkoff also picked up an assist in that game, something Jones had done a few games prior...Brandon Kozun, who is off to a slower start than expected, picked up the lone goal (his second of the season) in Sunday's loss...Andrei Loktionov still leads the team in points (three goals, nine assists) and has a plus-5 rating.

- Starting tomorrow night, the Monarchs will play one of those Manchester specials - a three-fer - with games back-to-back-to-back, Friday through Sunday.

Los Angeles Kings Prospect Report - October 24, 2011

It wasn't a good week for the slew of goaltending prospects throughout the Kings organization.

First off, in LA, Jonathan Quick kept Jonathan Bernier from getting any playing time - especially after posting three straight shutouts.

In the AHL, things went south for the Kings' top two prospects in Manchester. After giving up a total of five goals in his first four starts, Martin Jones gave up four goals on Wednesday night and another five on Friday. Ouch! Jeff Zatkoff fared only slightly better, giving up three goals in a 4-2 loss yesterday.

Down in the ECHL, JF Berube - who was looking to rebound after a disappointing 5-4 loss on opening night a week ago - was back in the net for Friday's game in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, he gave up another four goals and the Ontario Reign lost 4-1.

Here's a quick look at several of the Kings' other top prospects...

Los Angeles Kings Prospect Report - October 17, 2011

This weekend looked to be a rough one for the Manchester Monarchs - the Kings top farm team. Their schedule saw them playing three road games, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Fortunately, they came out of it with a 2-1 record and scored a total of 15 goals. Martin Jones was in net for the two wins, giving up only one goal in each game. He's looked every bit the part of the goalie many have predicted a big season for - now giving up only five goals total in his four starts (1.26 goals-against average with a .956 save percentage). His only blemish on a 3-1 record was a game he lost 1-0 last weekend.

Jeff Zatkoff, who Jones split time with in goal last season, made his first start of the season in yesterday's 5-2 loss. He made 22 of 27 saves. It was his first game action of any kind in quite some time, as he accompanied the Kings to Europe as a three goalie.

Here are some additional early season notes on a few other Kings prospects:

DEFENSEMEN

Jake Muzzin (ranked second among the Kings top ten prospects heading into the season) - this weekend marked his returned to action after suffering a head/neck injury in training camp...he picked up a pair of goals in the three games played...was credited with seven shots on Goal in yesterday's game, doubling is season total to 14

POLL: Most impressive LA King in Rookie Camp game one?

This poll is going to be a quick one, as voting will end at 1:30 pm PST today.

If you were at the Rookie Game last night versus Phoenix or watched the game online (right here on MayorsManor!)...who were you most impressed with?

Stats don't always tell the full story of a player's contribution on the ice. However, here are some numbers for your reference:

Andy Andreoff - two goals, plus-2, nine PIM, five shots

Martin Jones - 28 of 31 saves in 40 minutes played

Ray Kaunisto - one goal, one assist, five shots, five hits

Brandon Kozun - two goals, one assist, four shots

Jake Muzzin - two assists, plus-1, seven PIM, one shot, two hits

Michael Schumacher - two assists, plus-3, two hits

If you don't like any of those, feel free to suggest your own...




REMINDER: We'll have a free live stream of the second game between the LA Kings and Phoenix Coyotes right here on MayorsManor, beginning at 1:45 pm PST. Don't miss it!

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL 
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor  

LA vs PHX - Wednesday's post-game notes and quotes

Goalie Chirstopher Gibson (photo by: Cikiri)

Rookie game tournament or not, the Kings brass can't be pleased with what they saw on Wednesday night - especially in the third period.

Leading 6-3 after 40 minutes, the Kings came from ahead to lose the game 8-7 after a disastrous final period - where goalie Christopher Gibson gave up five goals.

Brandon Kozun, one of the assistant captains in the game, called the loss "unacceptable" and declared, "We cannot let leads like that get away."

What happened? Well, "there were a lot of nervous guys in that dressing room," Kozun surmised.

Martin Jones started in net for the Kings and stopped 28 of the 31 shots he faced in two periods. Coach Mark Morris (of Manchester) elected to put Gibson in for the third - a move he had planned out even prior to the game starting.

Gibson gave up five goals on 13 shots - three of them were with the Coyotes on the power play.

"All those goals weren't one guy's fault," said Kozun. "They were the entire team. I feel bad for Gibby because we put him in a pretty tough spot out there. It's tough, but everyone has to be reliable out there. It's not one guy, it's the whole team."

On the positive side, Kozun had a pair of goals and led all Kings players with three points.

Joining him with a pair of goals was a player who is quickly growing on coach Terry Murray, 2011 draft pick Andy Andreoff.

The 6-foot-1 center was exactly as Murray had advertised during his MayorsManor interview earlier in the week - gritty and a goal scorer.

Andreoff first scored midway through the first period, then just five seconds later got into a scrap off the ensuing faceoff.

After the game he said "I'm just trying to play hard and get used to the experience here at the camp - getting used to the speed and size and toughness here."

LA Kings coach knows exactly what he wants tonight

The time has finally arrived.

Tonight there will be something more meaningful than an intrasquad scrimmage taking place on the ice at the Kings practice facility.

Sure, it's not an NHL regular season game - we'll slowly build back up to that over the next few weeks.

However, a division rival is sending over their best prospects and rookies to take on a Kings team that will include Tyler Toffoli, Brandon Kozun, Jake Muzzin, Nic Deslauriers and others.

Phoenix Coyotes vs Los Angeles Kings at 6pm PST in game one of a two-game tournament. You can watch all the action live on MayorsManor, we'll post the video stream later today on the homepage.

Head coach Terry Murray walked me through the process of putting the line-up together for tonight...

"We (Murray, Manchester coach Mark Morris and the rest of the coaching staff) get get together with the amateur scouting staff also. Mike Futa (co-director of amateur scouting for the Kings) knows these guys very well. He gives us some advice, recommendations, opinions on what the players' strength and weaknesses are. So, we try to sit down as a community thing - get our heads together and put players in a position where they can be successful most importantly."

Second only to 'Who is starting in goal?' - perhaps the most often asked question last year of Murray had to do with the line combinations.

For tonight's rookie game, he said "It won't look too far away from what we've been looking at the last few days. It will be close."

Which means you can probably expect Linden Vey and Kozun together on one line, with Toffoli and Jordan Weal on a different line. The other line to keep an eye on features Michael Schumacher and Andy Andreoff. Closer to game time I'll post the official line combos on twitter/facebook.

Rookie Camp Report: Coach Murray on Andy Andreoff

So far today, we've posted comments from Kings coach Terry Murray on prospects Michael Schumacher (forward, 2011 draft) and Nicolas Deslauriers (defenseman, 2009 draft).

Now, he shares a few thoughts on forward Andy Andreoff, selected by the team in the third round of the this past June's draft.

As you may recall from a recent interview posted with Andreoff, he's an over-age player, meaning he can turn pro this season or go back to the OHL for one more year.

And where he might end up is apparently already on Murray's mind...

"I've asked that question myself already coming into camp because I liked what I saw in the Development Camp in July. He's a pretty gritty guy. He's in everybody's face right away - 'You want to try me out, let's go!' Physically, he's a pretty mature kid. I don't want to talk in-house secrets, but he might be penciled in to be a player who gets a look here in Manchester at the start - go to the (main) camp, get into a couple of exhibition games, see what happens. Then, we can always make a decision from there. To me, he's right on the cusp of being able to make that jump."

Leave it to Murray to change the question. Just when it looked like the majority of attention for the games against Phoenix could be placed on Brandon Kozun and Tyler Toffoli, the coach stirs things up.

Tomorrow night should be fun.

To read Andreoff's interview posted a few days ago, click here.

For thoughts from Murray on some of the other campers this week, use these links - Deslauriers and  Schumacher...and to see what Kozun and Toffoli had to say after day one of camp on Saturday, click here.

Finally, just a reminder - we'll be on hand with live updates and interviews from the Rookie Camp Tournament against the Coyotes tomorrow night and Thursday afternoon.  Be sure you're following along at one of the links below to get all the real-time info.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor  

order here --> MayorsManor Store

View the store to see full line of shirts for men and women, dozen of styles and colors

Robbie Czarnik, the somewhat forgotten LA Kings prospect

Czarnik at Kings DevCamp (photo by K. Spatz)

Earlier today we took a look at Kings prospect Andy Andreoff and his possible move from the OHL to the AHL this season.

You can definitely count on fellow Kings prospect, Robbie Czarnik, leaving the OHL though - he's out of junior eligibility.

The 6-foot center was originally selected by Los Angeles in the third round of the 2008 NHL Draft.  He began playing college hockey at the University of Michigan - who gave him a full scholarship at 15 years old - before moving on to play for the Plymouth Whalers.

Last season you didn't hear much about him though, given that Tyler Toffoli was running away with the goal scoring title and Russian superstar-to-be Maxim Kitsyn came over to play in the OHL after the World Junior Championships in January.

So, I asked him, does he feel like the forgotten prospect?

"No, not really," he said. "I don't really look at it that way. They're goal scorers, but I put up points too and I have another side of my game. I'm excited that I’m a two-way forward."

When he was in LA for Development Camp in July he says there wasn't one particular part of his game he was trying to show off. Instead, he wanted the coaching staff to see that he's continued to make improvements in his all-around game - including "puck protection, competing at all times and defensive-zone coverage."

Once Dev Camp was over though, he headed to Miami for a little R&R.

"My girlfriend lives down there," he explained. "So, I went and visited her for a little bit. She goes to Michigan with me. I had never been down there before, but it was a good time. We went to the beach and spent time in downtown Miami, South Beach and then went to the Keys for a few days."

Yes, even though he took his hockey game to the OHL, he still takes classes at Michigan.  Czarnik says he has no ill feelings towards the school - in fact, he loves it. He just felt he could better develop his skills in the OHL.

Czarnik also likes to pester his girlfriend on twitter. Earlier this summer he tweeted quite a few 'Go Mavericks' blats during the NBA Finals.

"I don't really care that much for basketball," he admitted.  "I was constantly giving her a bad time when they were playing Miami and she wasn't too happy about it. I went against the Heat because she's obsessed with the team. So, it was just a funny thing I would play with her about."

He also likes to tweet about some of his favorite TV shows - like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dexter, American Idol and Gossip Girl...wait, what?

LA Kings prospect Andy Andreoff pushing for Manchester?

Andreoff at Kings DevCamp (photo: K. Spatz)

Kings GM Dean Lombardi had a bit of a reputation for loving guys from the WHL just a few years ago. Yet, the tide has turned.

Most recently, he's been stocking up on American-born players and more specifically, U.S. college players.

Then there's the OHL factor. Three of the team's prospects to not only make the club over the last few seasons, but have a significant impact, all come from the Ontario Hockey League - Drew Doughty, Wayne Simmonds and Kyle Clifford. And Tyler Toffoli is right behind them (more on that later though).

Hoping to soon follow in their footsteps is Andy Andreoff, a 6-foot-1 center the Kings picked up in the third round of the NHL Draft this past June.

While it's unlikely he'll make the main roster out of camp, Andreoff is in a bit of a unique position compared to most other junior players who will be attending Rookie Camp this weekend - he already has four years of OHL experience under his belt.

He was first draft eligible two years ago, but went unnoticed by NHL teams.

Digging into his stats, it's not hard to figure out why. Let's just say, he takes 'slow starter' to a whole new level. During his first year in the OHL he registered one point, an assist, in 25 games.

Over the next few years, he picked up his game dramatically, to where he served as an assistant captain last season for the Oshawa Generals, while posting 75 points (33 goals, 42 assists) and earning a plus-34 rating.

Some scouts project him as a future power forward and he certainly showed a nice level of grit and determination when he attended the Kings Development Camp in July.

Windsor's Jeff Brown on the 'other side' of dev camp

Jeff Brown and Martin Jones (photo: C. Spatz)

For every Tyler Toffoli at the Kings recent Development camp you had a Rob Mignardi. For every Jake Muzzin there was an Alex Roach. And for every Martin Jones there was some European goalie who had everybody asking 'How do you spell his name?'

The point being - camp rosters weren't only filled with high end prospects and top draft choices. There were also more than a dozen invitees, aka 'the other guys.'

After the bigger names went home on Wednesday that week, camp continued for a few more days. This is the story of one of those guys, Jeff Brown of the Ontario Hockey League.

Prior to camp I spoke with his General Manager, (former Kings tough guy) Warren Rychel of the Windsor Spitfires, who described him as "tenacious up and down, two-way winger, in your face type player."

Naturally, I wanted to know if that was a fair assessment. "Yes, especially come playoff time," Brown proclaimed. "You need guys like that on your team. You need the skill guys, but you also need the second/third line grinder guys who are going to where down the other team's top players. I was playing top minutes in the playoffs against the other team's top line. So, it's one of the unsung roles. But, if you do it, the team wins. I'd say it's something I grew into later in my career and it's something that will stick with me from this point forward."

One of the specific players he had the task of shadowing earlier in the season was Toffoli, the reigning OHL Scoring Champion and a second round Kings draft pick in 2010.

LA Kings Draft Update: Round three - center Andy Andreoff

Andy Andreoff welcome to Manchester, New Hampshire.

With their second selection in this year's NHL Draft - number 80 overall in the third round - the LA Kings selected 6-foot-1, 198 pound center Andy Andreoff from the Ontario Hockey League.

After posting 11 and 15 goals the two previous seasons, Andreoff exploded this season for 33 goals and 42 assists in 66 games for the Oshawa Generals.

He's an older player, who was originally draft eligible in 2009. However, he went unselected that year.

In the annual OHL Coach's Poll he was recently voted the East's most underrated player and the third most improved player.

Scouting reports suggest he's most likely a third line center with a very heavy shot, but he usually passes first.

He also is strong defensively and finished second in the OHL with seven shorthanded points.

Given his age, he'll most likely play with the Manchester Monarchs next season in the AHL. 

For more on the Kings first pick today, goalie Chris Gibson, click here.

To skip ahead and see who the Kings selected next click here.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor

RELATED ARTICLES:

Interview with the OHL Scoring Champion - Kings prospect Tyler Toffoli

Interview with Team USA's Derek Forbort - Kings prospect talks 2011 World Junior Championship

Interview with Monarchs 'Man of the Year' Bud Holloway