NHRA champ Tony Schumacher talks Blackhawks, Kings

Tony Schumacher (photo: NHRA)

Tony Schumacher may drive an NHRA top fuel car for a living, but he easily relate to the pressure that must come from playing in overtime of a game seven during the Stanley Cup Finals.

Yes, he's a seven-time World Champion. Yet, perhaps his defining sports moment was in 2006. Entering the final race of the season he and his U.S. Army sponsored crew needed to do just about everything to overtake the points leader - including win the race and set a new elapsed time record. In one of the most unlikely scenarios, it all came down to what's now known as 'The Run' - where he made one pass down the track to win the race, set the record and capture the championship.

Sudden death if there ever was one.

Away from the drag strip, his passion is simple to understand.

"I love hockey," said Schumacher during a recent conversation. "I grew up playing hockey with the St. John's Military Academy. If I'm not racing, and people ask me what kind of sports I'm watching, I'm watching guys on ice knock each other over and scoring goals. It's amazing what the sport has done since the rule changes a few years ago - it is so fast, so good. It's mind boggling, how a man can put on a pair of skates and be that good at anything."

When the Kings and Blackhawks battle on the ice tonight, you can bet 'The Sarge' will be watching.

"I live in Chicago, so I'm obviously a Blackhawks fan," Schumacher shared. "But, the only other jersey I have hanging there is an LA Kings jersey, signed about four or five years ago by the whole team."

Originally from Southern California, Schumacher still marvels that hockey has become so popular on the west coast.

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 - 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...

High / Low with Terry Murray... on players cut from roster

Schumacher in rookie game (photo: CIKIRI)

Just before game time last night, the Kings released the names of 11 players who had been cut from their list of 60+ players in camp.

Eight of them were camp invitees and the other three were former LA draft picks - Christopher Gibson, Michael Schumacher and Jordan Weal.

Interestingly, the latter group will be heading to three different junior hockey leagues - Gibson to the QMJHL, Schumacher the OHL and Weal goes back to Regina in the WHL.

After the first round of practice today, I asked coach Terry Murray for some highs and lows that each experienced in camp this month.

The normally positive, or at least even-keeled, Murray actually had some pointed criticism of Gibson. Apparently, the five goals he gave up in the third period last week vs. a team of Phoenix Coyotes prospects left a lasting impression...

Murray on Gibson - "Clearly (after) the game that he played, he has a lot of improvement that's needed. First of all, he has to be able to handle his emotions. You're going to be put under the spotlight as a pro player. So, get used to it kid. You have to find a way to get into a game where all your management and coaches are fans are watching and have high expectations of a second round pick. So, you have to get through that and then you take it from there. Working on your game never goes away. He left here with a lot of information from our goalie staff and they'll follow up with him in junior and keep pushing his game along."

POLL: Most impressive King in Rookie Camp game two?

After the Kings-Coyotes first rookie game on Wednesday night, readers of MayorsManor voted Brandon Kozun as the most impressive LA prospect in the game.

He captured 40% of the votes, just enough to beat out Andy Andreoff's 38%.

Yesterday afternoon, the Kings beat the Coyotes 4-3 (game recap here).

If you were at the game or watched it online, who do you think was the most impressive?



Poll closes Saturday at noon.

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

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 M. Schumacher

Los Angeles Kings coach Terry Murray spent some time with me yesterday to provide insight on what he's seen from several of the attendees from Rookie Camp.

First up, we take a look at Michael Schumacher. He's the tallest kid in camp and is the only player who came over from Europe to participate. Drafted in the seventh round of this year's NHL Draft, he's scheduled to play in the OHL this season for the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds.

Murray - "I think keeping up with the pace of the play in the camp right now is very demanding for him. So, it's going to be interesting to see how he rebounds. This is kind of a hump day for him and all these young kids, it's a very demanding skate to finish it off. I think when we get into the games (against Phoenix on Wednesday and Thursday), I'm going to watch him very closely. He's a nifty guy and he has lots of skill. I like what I saw in the Development Camp. He's a player who's the perfect example of what a process is all about. He's 6-foot-5. He's going to take time to mature, to get stronger, to catch up with where some of the players already are at this rookie camp. When you start comparing him to the NHL players, clearly on the physical strength and maturity side, he has a long way to go. But, he has skill - and that's something a lot of players don't have.'

After being selected by the Kings in June, Schumacher stopped by MayorsManor for an interview - you can read that conversation by clicking here.

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

LA Kings 2011 Rookie Camp Primer - the forwards

Business is about to pick up...

Fresh on the heels of yesterday's official release of the Kings 2011 Rookie Camp roster and schedule, below is some additional information to get you primed and ready to go.

KINGS PROSPECTS

Andy Andreoff – 6-foot-1 center, drafted in 2011, third round - played 66 games for Oshawa (OHL) last season, scoring 33 goals and was impressive at the Kings' July Development Camp - if he a signs pro contract, could end up in Manchester this season - his most recent MayorsManor interview was just yesterday morning, linked here

Robert Czarnik — 6-foot forward, drafted in 2008, third round - originally was at the University of Michigan, then 'transferred' to the Plymouth Whalers (OHL) - scored 33 goals and 44 assists last season - most recent MayorsManor interview went up yesterday also, linked here

Ray Kaunisto — 6-foot-3 left wing, signed as a free agent in 2010, following his college career at Northern Michigan - played 57 games for Manchester last season - one of the best (and most respected) chirpers among the prospects - gave an epic interview on MayorsManor earlier this week, where he provided his 'bucket list' - check it out here

Brandon Kozun — 5-foot-8 forward, drafted in 2009, sixth round - has proclaimed he's 'ready for the NHL' - played 73 games for Manchester last season (23 goals, 25 assists) - expected to get a long look by the Kings leadership group at this year's camp - frequent guest on MayorsManor, with his most interview posting later today (in what will be a partial follow-up to Kaunisto's bucket list)...update: it's been posted, link here

More post-scrimmage comments from Kozun, Vey, Lowry

Los Angeles Kings Development Camp recap, day one...

Here are a few more comments from some of the prospects following yesterday's scrimmage:

Question - Were there any takeaways from the first game?

Brandon Kozun - "It's tough, it's July and you jump right into that - you get right into a game. But, it was still fun to get back into that competitive spirit and play a game."

Joel Lowry - "The speed is definitely pretty high. You don't have too much time out there to make a play. So, tomorrow (Tuesday) I'll just try to make quick plays, I guess - puck on-your-stick and off-your-stick kind of thing.

Michael Schumacher on how he held up against the competition in Monday's scrimmage - "It was my first game this year, so I did OK. I think we deserved to win the game. You know, that was a bad penalty there (in the final few minutes of the game)."

Linden Vey on if any of the new faces in camp this year have stood out to him yet - "It's tough, it's a short camp and you're really focusing on what you're doing. But, I came to the (rookie) camp last year with (Tyler) Toffoli and we got together a little bit at World Junior camp (for Team Canada) and I got to know him. He had a great season as well last year - when you score 57 goals in the OHL it's a good year. He's having a really good camp (here) as well."

Game two is today at 9:30am PST.

Links to several of the MayorsManor EXCLUSIVE pre-camp interviews can be found below.

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

RELATED ARTICLES:

EXCLUSIVE: Pre-camp interview with Tyler Toffoli - 2011 OHL scoring champion

EXCLUSIVE: Pre-camp interview with Jordan Weal - talking Manchester, Kings camp, etc.

EXCLUSIVE: Kings prospect Brandon Kozun says 'I'm ready for the NHL' - also talks Toffoli

EXCLUSIVE: Pre-camp comments from Kevin Gravel - talking USA hockey, Forbort, Kings, etc.

EXCLUSIVE: Monarchs LW Ray Kaunisto talks Clune, Kozun, Dev Camp, tough guys and more

EXCLUSIVE: Pre-camp interview w/ Kings 2011 draft pick Michael Mersch - talking Shore, Forbort, etc.

EXCLUSIVE: Invitee Interview - conversation with David Friedmann

Interview w/ LA Kings 2011 draft pick Michael Schumacher

Michael Schumacher is a man of many teams.

He split time last season between Frolunda HC's under-18 team and under-20 team, the latter of which is part of the SuperElit, Sweden’s top junior league. In his 22 games with the big club he picked up seven points (four goals, three assists), to go along with his 12 goals in 10 games with the u-18 squad.

Then, two weeks ago, he was drafted twice in a matter of days - first by the Kings.

With Los Angeles in desperate need of some left wing depth throughout the organization, they selected him in the seventh round of the recent NHL Draft. Now, the 6-foot-3, 198 pound 17-year old is headed to California for next week's Development Camp.

Prior to departing his native Sweden for the States, I spoke with him by phone to talk about what's been going lately and his plans for the future.

MM: Starting with the NHL draft - how did you find out and did you even know the Kings were interested in you?

MS: Todd Woodcraft (the Kings European scout) called me a few minutes before they picked me and told me to watch the draft on the internet. That's how I found out.  I was first contacted by him around February or March.  So, I knew they were following me a little bit. But, I wasn't sure I was going to get drafted. It was a big surprise for me.

MM: Let's get the obvious question out of the way - how annoying is it to have people always confuse you with the race car driver Michael Schumacher?

Los Angeles Kings 2011 Development Camp Roster Notes

As previously announced, the Kings are getting ready to hold their annual summer development camp at Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, CA - with sessions open to the public on July 11 and 12. Most of the players are scheduled to arrive on the 8th.

Last year 40 players were in camp, including five goalies.

So, who's coming this year?

While the full roster is expected to be announced shortly, here are some confirmed participants, four of the tryout players and a few miscellaneous notes.

Confirmed Draft Picks

JF Berube - 2009 fourth round, Montreal (QMJHL)
Nic Deslauriers - 2009 third round, Gatineau (QMJHL)
Derek Forbort - 2010 first round pick, North Dakota (NCAA)
Kevin Gravel - 2010 fifth round pick, St Cloud State (NCAA)
Brandon Kozun - 2009 sixth round pick, Calgary (WHL)
Michael Mersch - 2011 fourth round pick, Wisconsin (NCAA)
Tyler Toffoli - 2010 second round pick, Ottawa (OHL)
Michael Schumacher - 2011 seventh round pick, Sweden
Jordan Weal - 2010 third round pick, Regina (WHL)

Invited Guests

Each year a number of guys are invited to attend camp on a tryout basis. So far, the following players have accepted and are scheduled to be in camp:

LA Kings 2011 Draft Notes - rounds four, five, six and seven

I'll have full notes on the players listed below up later. For now, here's a quick recap on some more of the Los Angeles Kings draft picks today...

Fourth Round - LW Michael Mersch from the University of Wisconsin (pictured). Yes, another college player. During his just completed freshman year as a Badger, he posted 19 points in 41 games. He's 6-foot-2, 198 pounds and is a product of the US National Program. Mersch - along with other Kings prospects Derek Forbort, Kevin Gravel and Nick Shore - has been invited to this summer's evaluation camp for Team USA's squad being assembled for the 2012 World Junior tournament.

Fifth Round - LW Joel Lowry from Victoria (BCHL). The 6-foot-1 and 180 pounder had 24 goals and 43 assists in 42 games this past season. His brother Adam was taken earlier today by the Winnipeg Jets and his dad is an assistant coach with the Calgary Flames. Joel is scheduled to attend Cornell University in the fall - the same school that turned out former Kings prospect Matt Moulson.

Sixth Round - pick was traded, along with 2012 third rounder, to move up to #82 and select Nick Shore from Denver (NCAA) - detailed in a previous post this morning

Seventh Round - LW Michael Schumacher. A formula one driver? No, a forward for Frolunda HC. Last year, Kings GM Dean Lombardi selected a Russian with his final pick (Maxim Kitsyn). This year, he went to Sweden. And yes, he was trying to fill the gaping hole at LW throughout the entire organization. Schumacher is 6-foot-3, 198 pounds.

Overall, the team took one goalie, two centers and three left wingers. By country, they selected three Americans, one Canadian, one Finn and a Swede.

Only one Canadian? My how the game has changed.

More later.

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