LA prospect Jeff Zatkoff named AHL Goalie of the Month

Jeff Zatkoff has reemerged as the top goalie in Manchester.

For those unfamiliar with the goaltending situation with the Kings top farm team, the Manchester Monarchs (AHL), here's a quick, watered down version...

Jonathan Bernier was the starting goalie there two years ago. Zatkoff was his understudy and was expected to be the number one guy last season. Things started out that way.  Yet, soon thereafter, rookie Martin Jones stole the show and his spot - riding his early season success all the way to the AHL All-Star Game. Then, Stella got her groove back and Zatkoff was strong down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Even so, Kings coaches and management continued to heap lots of praise on Jones during last summer's Development Camp and it looked like Jones would most likely get the bulk of starts in Manchester this season.

Zatkoff was selected to join the Kings as the 'third goalie' on their season opening trip to Europe. However, it was more for the experience than anything else.

Once he returned to the U.S., the Monarchs were off to a rough start and neither he nor Jones were looking too good in net, with highly inflated goals against numbers.

Well, all is forgiven and life has returned to normal.

VIDEO: Barry Melrose gives Kopitar 'Mullet of the Week'

In what has to be the greatest hockey award ever created, Barry Melrose put out his 'Mullet of the Week' award winner today...and Anze Kopitar, who played like a mad man in the Kings first two games of the season, was the proud recipient.

Who ever would have thought after the trading of Ryan Smyth a few months ago that any member of the Kings would be winning a mullet award so soon?

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2011 Eddie Joyal Award winner announcement

Over his five pro seasons in the NHL, center Anze Kopitar has averaged 26 goals and 44 assists. Yet, he'd have to be near the top of any 'underrated player' list.

Few outside Los Angeles - or maybe the Pacific Division - are aware of just how good he truly is. Last year he became even better too, posting a plus-25 and getting some early talk as a Selke nominee before suffering a late-season injury.

He's also one of those rare players who is good all the time. A few friends could ask him to play a pick up game late one night and he'd still dazzle and amaze at both ends of the ice. Mailing-it-in must not translate to his native language.

[note: apparently, awesome doesn't either...as he explains here]

You can argue that pre-season stats are meaningless, just don't tell Kopitar those games don't mean anything. If he's on the ice with a stick in his hand, he wants to score or be involved in a scoring play.

Two seasons ago, he posted five goals and three assists during the NHL exhibition season - earning the inaugural Eddie Joyal Award (given to the player who leads the Kings in pre-season points, honoring a member of the organization's first squad back in 1967 - more on that in a moment).

Last year, Jack Johnson edged out Kopitar for the 2nd annual award.

Borrowing a phrase that Kings fans hope they'll hear often about Kopitar in the months to come, he was back with a vengeance this pre-season.

Showing no signs of the leg injury that forced him to miss the final weeks of last year's regular season and all of the playoffs, Kopitar - who says he trained harder than ever this summer - appears more than ready to start the new season tomorrow.

Anze Kopitar in the lead for 3rd annual Eddie Joyal Award

Eddie Joyal, early LA Kings star

At the end of Spring Training, the Dodgers hand out the Roy Campanella Award, to a player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the team's former Hall of Fame catcher.

On a more humble note, for the past few seasons, MayorsManor has recognized the player who leads the Kings in pre-season points with the Eddie Joyal Award. It's a small way of recognizing and remembering one of the early stars in Los Angeles.

As the Kings were assembled for their first season in 1967-68, they were a hodgepodge of guys picked and plucked from various clubs across North America. Jack Kent Cooke's upstart group was made up of pieces acquired from the original six teams; plus some free agents, misfits, leftovers, cast offs and other assorted guys on skates. Nobody was quite sure what would emerge.

Joyal, a 6-foot center who had played only 121 NHL games for two different teams over the previous five years, broke out of the pack as one of the early stars. He went on to lead the team in points that year with 57, after assisting on the Kings first ever regular season goal.

More on Joyal in a moment though.

Let's take a look at past award winners and this year's current standings...

The inaugural award was given out in 2009 to Anze Kopitar. That year, he finished the NHL's exhibition season with eight points (5 goals, 3 assists), just ahead of defenseman Jack Johnson's seven points (2g, 5a).  Then, last season, Johnson moved from bridesmaid to the top of the heap. He actually posted the exact same numbers, yet beat out Kopitar for the award.

Entering tonight's game in Las Vegas - with only two pre-season games left for the Kings - Kopitar again leads the team with five points (4 goals, 1 assist). Close behind are Trevor Lewis and Dustin Brown (each with four points), followed by Slava Voynov, Justin Williams, Jarret Stoll and Johnson (all with three points).

Kopitar is also the all-time leading scorer over the course of the previous 13 Frozen Fury games (5g, 4a, 9 points), so that bodes well for his outlook later tonight.

Now back to Joyal...

More from Laperriere - talking Luc, health, life after hockey

A few days ago Ian Laperriere joined us to talk about the Mike Richards trade. Did the Kings get good value in the blockbuster swap with the Flyers? Lappy thinks so. If you missed the full interview, you can read his thoughts here.

Because everybody loves Lappy, he's back today for more. This time around we cover his health, winning the Masterton Trophy at last week's NHL Awards and his plans for life after hockey.

MM: People always want a health update. So, how are you feeling these days? Any news?

IL: You know what, I feel pretty good. Other than my eye, that's what drives me nuts, I still have issues with blurry vision in my right eye. Other than that, I feel great. I've been training hard and I'm probably in the best shape of my life. But, still, when I'm on the ice, with my eye, I don't feel quite myself. Until that goes away, I don't plan on going back. At least I'm feeling pretty normal though.

MM: So, you're not using the 'R' word yet?

IL: I still have a year left on my deal and I'm going to give myself that year. If my eye doesn't get any better, I'm just going to call it a career. It didn't get that much better over the last year, so I don't expect it to be cleared in one more year. But, if it does, great. If it doesn't, I'll move on and do something else. Either way, I'm OK with it.

MM: Last time we spoke you were spending quite a bit of time with some of the younger players in the Flyers organization. Is that something that you're still involved with?

Dustin Brown Evaluates the Rookies, Crowns Kings ROY

Over the weekend we took a look at the four leading candidates who were vying to become the Kings' Rookie of the Year - Jonathan Bernier, Kyle Clifford, Trevor Lewis and Alec Martinez.

Each gave their thoughts on the other three candidates and then selected the player they felt was most deserving of the honor. Lewis and Clifford both received one vote and the other two claimed it was a three-way tie.

On the same subject, coach Terry Murray was very complimentary of Bernier, especially his play in the second half. Yet, ultimately, he went with Clifford as his pick.

Now, let's talk to the team captain, Dustin Brown. First he sizes up the play of all four rookies before choosing his winner...

Coach Terry Murray Selects His Kings Rookie of the Year

Moving right along here in our weekend series focusing on the best Kings newcomer this season...

The four leading candidates for the title - Jonathan Bernier, Kyle Clifford, Trevor Lewis and Alec Martinez - have all weighed in with their opinions on each other and made their selection for who should win.

Essentially, we had two ties, one vote for Lewis and one vote for Clifford.

To bring things to a decisive finish, we have two more people to check in with today. First up, here is what coach Terry Murray had to say when asked who he would pick as the Kings Rookie of the Year...

"I really like what Bernier has done in the second half. His game has been quality and he won some huge games for us. I think Clifford, as a young guy coming in, not having any pro experience at all - out of juniors, surprising us, making the team, making a difference in games, trying to get energy into a team, maybe, on a tough night, tough game, by going out and fighting somebody - that's a hard job. He deals with it, he handles it, he does it just on his own, he figures that part of it out. Now he's playing an important role on this hockey club. So, you'd probably have to look at him."

Later today we'll see what Dustin Brown has to say. After all, he's the captain - it is his team.
[update: Brown's analysis of the rookies and his vote are available here]

To read the comments from all four candidates posted earlier in the series, simply click the name of the player here: Bernier, Clifford, Lewis or Martinez.  Each article has them talking about the other rookies and trying to identify who was the best.



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Alec Martinez Helps Evaluate the Kings' Rookies

When the season began, a number of rookies had earned key roles on the Kings roster.

As things wind to a conclusion this weekend we've been looking at which newcomer was the best-of-the-best. And who better to ask than the four leading candidates?

In a series of articles that began here, Jonathan Bernier said he'd go with Trevor Lewis. Kyle Clifford couldn't decide and went the safe route with a three-way tie. Lewis ultimately chose to select Clifford the winner. So, we don't have a consensus yet.

Additionally, the group of rookies offered comments on each other, as well as fellow rookie, defenseman Alec Martinez. So, what about the young blueliner - what did he have to say about all of this? Take a look...

On Bernier - "He's a really good goalie. He's done a great job when he gets the call and he's had a great year. I think that the team is really confident in him too. So, he's a great asset to have."

On Clifford - "Obviously, Cliffy's a huge part of this team. He works really hard. He does a lot of things, he works in the corners, he grinds, he makes plays and as we saw the other night, he can score goals too. He's a good force, toughness-wise, as well. If we need a kick in the rear during the game, he's not afraid to step up and get a scrap or something, get the team going. So, he's really important to our team."

Kyle Clifford Helps Evaluate the Kings' Rookies

Late yesterday we heard from Kings goalie Jonathan Bernier, as he first weighed in on the other three rookie's vying for the team's best newcomer title...and then actually shared who he'd select from the group.

Now, in the second part of an exclusive MayorsManor multi-part series, Kings rookie - and fan favorite - Kyle Clifford offers up his opinions on the field of entrants and who should win...

On Jonathan Bernier - "First full season in the NHL and he's done a great job. When he gets in, he's stellar out there and he makes big saves for us."

On Trevor Lewis - "He's our hidden weapon, really. He's one of our best penalty killers, a really hard worker and I think he's definitely deserving (of the award)."

On Alec Martinez. - "He came in in late November and really made an impression from the start. He's done a great job with the power play and he's been a big part of our d-core."

I then asked, among those three, who would he pick as the best rookie this season?

Clifford responded with "I'd have to say three-way tie. Keep it safe."

To read Bernier's thoughts on the nominees and to see who he voted for (it wasn't a tie!), please click here.

Coming up next, Trevor Lewis.



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Evaluating the Rookies with Jonathan Bernier

Over the next 24 hours MayorsManor will provide a multi-part series on the Kings' Best Rookie of the 2010-11 season, as determined by the players.

The four most likely candidates to win this award are (in alphabetical order) - Jonathan Bernier, Kyle Clifford, Trevor Lewis and Alec Martinez.

I've spoken with all four, plus coach Terry Murray and the captain, Dustin Brown. While there were some similarities in who they selected, it wasn't a consensus and each offered a slightly different take on the pool of players.

First up, let's see what Bernier thought...

On Clifford - "Amazing for a 19-year old kid to join the league and come out and fight some tough guys. He's been really good at giving us that energy sometimes. I think that's what they (management) wanted from him and he's done a tremendous job."

...And Now You're Caught Up - April 4, 2011

Opening weekend of Major League Baseball, the Final Four, WrestleMania, a Kings game, the Stars-Ducks game and the list goes on - it was a busy sports weekend for some of you.

So, here are the top ten Kings-related stories you need to know about or may have missed...

* Defenseman Willie Mitchell has been selected as the Kings’ nominee for the 2011 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy - awarded annually to the player who best exhibits perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey (press release). A Kings player has won the award three times previously, Butch Goring 1978, Bob Bourne 1988 and Dave Taylor 1991.

* If you want to relive the Mike Ribeiro Hit On Michal Handzus from Saturday's Stars-Kings game, video is available here.

* Jonathan Bernier's stellar 4-0-1 record in the month of March, including two shutouts, weren't enough to win him Player of the Month honors. Fans instead voted Dustin Brown the winner for the second time this season. See the full results for March and list of all winners this season at this link.

POLL: LA Kings Player of the Month (February)

February saw the Kings climb back into the Western Conference playoff race with a record of 8-2-3. The 19 points tied their season high in a month, set in December (9-4-1 record).

As far as their Player of the Month goes, for the first time all season you can probably make a legitimate argument for three to five different players.

As noted below, Jonathan Quick dominated the votes during the first two months of the season. Then, the forwards took over.

Past Player of the Month results:

October - Jonathan Quick 51%, Justin Williams 21%
November - Jonathan Quick 52%, Justin Williams 22%
December - Dustin Brown 41%, Anze Kopitar 33%
January - Ryan Smyth 46%, Jarret Stoll 29%

With voting now underway for February, the honor could go back to Quick...or several forwards...or maybe even a defenseman for the first time this season.

In alphabetical order, here are the leading candidates for February's Player of the Month...

Tony Granato on the LA Kings and GM Dean Lombardi

On January 20, 1990 the Kings traded away one of their most popular players, Bernie Nicholls, to the New York Rangers. In return they received Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato.

Even though it hurt to lose Nicholls, it might have been one of the best trades the organization made during that era. In return they received a double dose of grit and skill that helped fuel the offense for many seasons ahead.

Upon retiring, Granato moved behind the bench. After first spending time with the Colorado Avalance, he's now an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins - who are led by Dan Bylsma, another former LA forward.

Still, Granato's ties to the Kings aren't exclusive to those early '90s teams. He was also recruited by then-GM Dean Lombardi to play for the San Jose Sharks following the '95-96 season.

And that seemed like a good place to start in the first of a multi-part interview with Granato that will appear here on MayorsManor over the next two days...

[note: the podcast with Granato is available here]

MM: What were your impressions of Dean Lombardi when you signed with the Sharks in the summer of '96?

Martin Jones Named AHL Rookie of the Month

The last few days have gone pretty well for Kings goaltending prospect Martin Jones.

Yesterday, he posted his second shutout of the season, beating the Connecticut Whale 3-0.  Then, earlier today, he was named the AHL's Rookie of the Month for December.

Originally assigned to the Ontario Reign (ECHL) to start the season, Jones was called up to Manchester (AHL) once Erik Ersberg was released.  While many thought he would be there to back-up Jeff Zatkoff, Jones has continued to put up strong numbers, forcing the team to go with a more balanced workload (18 games for Jones and 22 for Zatkoff).

2010 Eddie Joyal Award - winner announced

The hockey world has many sayings.

Over the last few years, one of the more popular ones is 'You have to learn how to lose before you can learn how to win.' It was applied to the Penguins - who lost to Detroit in the Cup finals and then came back the following year to win it all. It's also been used when talking about the Blackhawks run to the Cup this past June. Many people are even predicting the Canucks to win the Cup this year, with part of the thinking being they now know how to lose.

This probably isn't one one of those cases. Nonetheless, Jack Johnson bounced back from being a bridesmaid last year, to this year's Eddie Joyal Award winner.

Named after an early star with the Kings (who actually picked up two assists in the team's very first pre-season game on September 18, 1967), the award honors the Kings player scoring the most points during preseason.

Last year, Anze Kopitar beat out Johnson and Wayne Simmonds for the honor.

Entering play last night, Johnson and Kopitar were tied for the lead.  So with Kopitar sitting out the game in Anaheim, it was essentially Jack's to lose.  However, a four point night by Michal Handzus or Justin Williams could have made things much more interesting.  Neither happened.

Johnson picked up an assist in the game, thus breaking the tie with Kopitar.  With the helper, he finished the preseason with seven points (2 goals, 5 assists).  Worth noting is the fact that Jack had the exact same totals in last year's exhibition play...however that was over six games, versus just four this year.

He's now a winner.

Congratulations to Jack Johnson - the 2010 Eddie Joyal Award winner.

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Jack Johnson - comments from Las Vegas

2009 Joyal Award winner announcement

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History of the Joyal Award
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2010 Eddie Joyal Award - game4 leaderboard update

Anze Kopitar has spoken.

The winner of last year's inaugural Eddie Joyal Award had gone silent last Thursday in his first official appearance since summer ended.

After posting eight points in five exhibition games last season (5 goals, 3 assists), he was showing a goose-egg this time around. Worse yet, with the Kings shortened schedule this year - only six preseason games - he wasn't looking like a strong contender to repeat.

Then Anaheim came to town.

The Kings seemed to appreciate the Ducks showcasing their probable back-up goalie this year, Curtis  McElhinney...so much so, that they posted eight goals on him...yes, you read that right.  EIGHT!

And that was more than enough to shake up the Eddie Joyal leader board.

Kopitar had four assists tonight to move into a tie with Jack Johnson, who he barely beat out for the award last season (when JJ had 7 points).

Here is the updated leaderboard:

2010 Eddie Joyal Award - gm3 leaderboard update

After the Kings lost to the Coyotes by a cumulative score of 5-2 tonight, some people may be asking 'Where is the offense?'

Fear not, it's preseason. Not only does it not mean much in the big picture, but the games are being somewhat watered down due to the Kings setting an NHL record by inviting 427 people to training camp this year. In fact, the rumor I heard was that next year they plan on trumping their own 'super camp' idea by being the first team to ever play three preseason games simultaneously.

My understanding is they'll be hosting a game at Staples, while also playing games in Anaheim and San Jose. Should be a good time.

That's next year though...back to the updates on this preseason...

Tonight in Los Angeles the Kings had one goal, from Brayden Schenn (his first of the preseason, assisted by Dustin Brown and Jack Johnson). Over in the desert, Poni Boy (Alex Ponikarovsky) picked up an unassisted goal.

Thus, after three games we have a three-way tie for this year's Eddie Joyal Award:

2010 Eddie Joyal Award - gm1 leaderboard update

With the first preseason game now in the books for the Kings, we have an early leader for this year's Eddie Joyal Award.

Although both of the predicted winners, Brad Richardson and Michal Handzus (listed at 2-1 favorites), each scored a goal in the Kings victory over the Avs, it was two players completely off the board that took the early lead.

Justin Williams, who scored the final goal of the game, also picked up an assist on the game winner - giving him two points for the night.  Tying him with a pair of points was Jarret Stoll.

So, after one game, here are the leaders:

2 pts  Williams (1g, 1a)
2 pts  Stoll (2a)
1 pt    tied with one goal each: Richardson, Handzus and John Zeiler... yes, John Zeiler!

The 2nd Annual Eddie Joyal Award

During the offseason we've brought you many interviews with players from throughout Kings history - guys like Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne, Brian Kilrea (scored the first ever goal in team history) and Noah Clarke (first Southern California born player to score a goal with the team).

Today, we take another look at a guy from the inaugural season - Eddie Joyal.

With pre-season set to officially start later this evening, it seems appropriate to review what he did while wearing the purple and gold...and why there's an award named after him.

In the summer of '67 there were certainly plenty of questions heading into the King's first training camp. Different than a team of high-end 'assets' like Dean Lombardi has spent the last few years acquiring here in Los Angeles, it was a bunch of 'miscellaneous parts' at that point.  As an expansion team, Jack Kent Cooke's upstart group was a hodgepodge of pieces acquired from the original six teams; plus some free agents, misfits, leftovers, cast offs and other assorted guys on skates.

No East Coast Bias Here...

It can be difficult at times for athletes in California to capture the attention of the national media. Sure, players like Kobe and Manny are the exception...winning championships goes a long way. Without one, it can be a challenge. Just ask Adrian Gonzalez down in San Diego. He may be the best first baseman in baseball and his family members might be the only people that can pick him out of a line-up.

Here is Los Angeles...and now across North America...the coming out party for Drew Doughty continues.

Plenty of hockey experts were scratching their head when the 20 year old defenseman was named to the Canadian Olympic team back in December. He started the games in Vancouver as the 8th defenseman. He ended up being a leader in minutes played and left town with a gold medal.

His nomination for the Norris Trophy this morning puts an official stamp on what people in Los Angeles have been saying for almost two seasons now - this kid is a flat out stud. Good beyond his years.

NHL.com had this to say in the article announcing his nomination:

From All-Rookie Team member in 2008-09 to Norris Trophy finalist, it's been a remarkable ascent for the 20-year-old Doughty.

In 82 games this season, he had 16 goals, 43 assists and 59 points with a plus-20 rating. Among all League defensemen, Doughty was first in game-winning goals (5), second in power-play points (31), tied for second in goals and power-play goals (9), third in points, and tied for fifth in assists and power-play assists (22).
...

"His year has been spectacular through this season," coach Terry Murray said. "The points, the key situations, the fact that the team has moved up in the standings and is starting to get some recognition around the League.

"He's an anchor for us back there, and I think, right now, he's comparable, No. 1 and on the defensive part of the game, with plus/minus and minutes played."

Doughty has tough competition from Mike Green (Washington Capitals) and Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks). The winner will be announced at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas this June.

Back in November we published 10 Tidbits on Doughty. If you missed it, click here to read. You'll get a look at his first ever hockey card - at the age of four! Plus, you'll get plenty of fun facts on the player you'll be hearing a lot more about in the years to come!

UPDATE: Doughty spoke to the media following the morning skate on 4/23/10:


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