Soo Greyhounds GM says Kings getting Richard Clune II?

Michael Kantor of Soo Greyhounds

With the Los Angeles Kings annual summer Development Camp about to get underway we've been posting pre-camp comments from the players, their coaches and/or their general managers.

Among the group of 35 players who will take the ice at TSC are 14 invited guests - essentially, undrafted players, mostly from Canadian junior teams.

Two such players are coming from the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL. For those unfamiliar, it's one of the most storied franchises in all of Canada. Their alumni includes former Kings Paul Coffey, Wayne Gretzky, Charlie Simmer, Wayne Simmonds and Rick Tocchet.

Several current prospects have also spent time there - including Dwight King, Jake Muzzin and Jordan Nolan.

And now back to this year's camp...

Two players from the 'Hounds most recent roster were invited, defenseman Colin Miller and right wing Michael Kantor.

Two Minutes in the Box... with Wayne Simmonds

Whenever trade rumors involving the LA Kings come up lately, one of the first names mentioned is Wayne Simmonds.

And why not? Teams love players like Wayne. He's young, physical, very coachable and continues to improve each season.

Two years ago he burst onto the scene - forcing his way onto the Kings according to coach Terry Murray and GM Dean Lombardi. Last year, in his second NHL season, he posted 16 goals and 40 points (nearly double the output of his rookie campaign, nine goals and 23 points). Even more impressive, he led the team with a +22 rating.

However, he's yet to pick up a point in the first three games so far this season. Perhaps that will change tonight against Vancouver.

Here's two minutes with 'Wayne the Train'...

Over the summer you were on the cover of The Hockey News.  Growing up in Toronto, I'm sure you read that magazine a few times.  What did that mean to you?

I thought it was pretty special, for Chris Stewart (of the Colorado Avalanche) and I to get the cover.  They came and followed us for a day.  We got our story out and it's good for younger people with similar situations to know they can make it, they just need to be positive and they just need to stick to it.

Camping Guide 2010 - Interview with Jordan Nolan

Some players have a very linear path to the NHL. They play for one junior team, get drafted, make a brief stop with that team's AHL affiliate and then eventually make their NHL debut.

Jordan Nolan isn't one of those players.

His story reads more like the tough luck, work extremely hard for everything he's earned path.

At the 2005 OHL Draft, John Tavares was taken first overall by the Oshawa Generals. He just completed his first year with the New York Islanders. Three future members of the Kings organization were also taken in that first round - Drew Doughty (Guelph), Jake Muzzin (Sault Ste. Marie) and Michael Pelech (Kitchener Rangers).

Two rounds later, with the 50th overall selection (3rd round), the Erie Otters did the tried-and-trued hockey thing, they went the bloodlines route...taking Jordan, son of former NHL winger, turned coach, Ted Nolan.

Since then, it's one big wild ride for the big forward.  He played just one season with the Otters before ending up on the Windsor Spitfires for the next two seasons.  At that point, he requested a trade and was sent to the Soo Greyhounds.

Near the end of his first season in the Soo he was suspended 20 games.  Many felt that would be the end of his junior hockey career, as it would extended into the following season - forcing him to miss nearly one third of his over-age year in the OHL.

That didn't stop the Kings from drafting him in the seventh round just a few months after the suspension was announced (2009 NHL Draft).  They liked what they saw in the 6' 3" center-left wing.  He brought good physical presence to the organization.  Something sorely laking at that point in time.

Interview with Dave Torrie, GM of the Soo Greyhounds (OHL)

Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver...are all names that come to mind when thinking of places in Canada.

Sault St. Marie isn't one of them. Located about six hours from the hockey hotbed of London, Ontario, the OHL Arena Guide notes "For a city as isolated as Sault Ste. Marie, visiting fans are a seldom-seen rarity."

However, it hasn't stopped the locals from packing the home town building to watch their Greyhounds. Through the years the team has featured a who's who of hockey - Ron Francis, Phil Esposito, Tony Esposito, Paul Coffey, John Vanbiesbrouck, Marty Turco...and that Wayne Gretzky guy.

For the last seven years the organization has been run by Dave Torrie, a man with his own impressive resume - he owned, coached and managed the Chatham Maroons (a successful junior B franchise) for 10 years and previously served as a scout and player personnel director for the 'Hounds. Thus, the man knows hockey, especially at the junior level.

In an article a few days ago he offered up his opinions on several Kings prospects that have spent time in the Soo.  Today, he's back for more - with insight into the world of junior hockey, the art of drafting players and thoughts about a very interesting road trip they'll be taking this coming weekend as part of their training camp.

Enjoy!

MM:  Earlier this summer the Kings drafted Tyler Toffoli out of the OHL.  As a player born in 1992 he was part of the 2008 OHL draft, which has become one of more controversial drafts of late.  Several top players taken in the first round that year were accused of manipulating the draft by saying they were going to college instead.  Is this a common occurrence in junior hockey?

OHL GM speaks out on Kings prospects

If you like GMs that aren't afraid to speak their mind, leaders like Dean Lombardi and Brian Burke, then you'll probably love Dave Torrie.

For the last seven years he's been at the helm of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL.  Although he could be described as an Ontario, Canadian hockey lifer, his ties to Los Angeles are extremely strong.  When you look down the list of current Kings prospects, he's played a role in the development of many, including Kevin Westgarth and Jake Muzzin.

Then, there's this guy named Wayne Simmonds.  Torrie was so high on him, he once made a three-for-one swap to acquire him in a 2008 trade-deadline deal. 

There is no doubt Torrie knows his hockey too - he's been a scout, an owner, a coach, a director of player  personnel...and the General Manager of the 'Hounds since 2003.  We covered a lot of ground, so it's best to split this up into two parts. 

First up, let's get some thoughts on a few Kings prospects and that big trade he made to acquire Simmonds...

Late in the '08 season you traded for Wayne Simmonds.  What was it about his game that made you want him for the 'Hounds playoff run that year?

At that time we were one of the top four or five teams with a legitimate shot at the OHL Championship.  We felt Wayne was probably the most impactful player that was going to be available at the trade deadline, so we worked hard to get a deal done. He's a guy who came into the OHL late, but very quickly developed a reputation as an impact player by contributing good offense, along with great aggressiveness and great energy.  Looking at him you thought 'When the games get tough, he'll be the type of player that will help your team win those one goal games.' We paid a big price in the package we sent to get Wayne and we eventually lost in the Conference Final to Kitchener.  But in the end, no regrets. He brought a lot of attributes to our team.

What do you think of his game today, has it progressed like you thought or is there still some upside left?

Future Fridays - Interview w/ Brock Beukeboom

Call it the Jeff Halpern pick.

Kings GM Dean Lombardi has been known to wheel and deal his draft picks - trading up, trading down and often bundling them with an 'asset' when trading for another team's player.

At the 2009 NHL Draft, Lombardi did a two-for-one deal, sending the Kings fourth and fifth round selections (#107 and #138 overall) to Florida in exchange for the Panthers' third round slot in this year's entry draft.

Then, at the trading deadline in March, Lombardi packaged that pick with Teddy Purcell, sending them both to Tampa Bay for Jeff Halpern - a move Lombardi thought would help the Kings down the stretch and in the playoffs.  After all, Halpern had played in 24 post season games - which was 24 more than Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty had at the time.

This article isn't about the Kings playoff run though.  Instead, we take a look down the other side of the fork in the road created by the Kings-Lightning trade.  

New Lighting GM Steve Yzerman used that third round draft pick to select Brock Beukeboom.

If that name sounds familiar, it should.  Brock's father is Jeff Beukeboom, who was a punishing defenseman for the the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers.  He collected four Stanley Cups before his career ended in 1999.

Like most recent drafts, bloodlines were a common theme at this year's event.  Jarred Tinordi, the son of former NHLer Mark Tinordi, was the Canadiens' first-round pick.  Fellow first rounder Nick Bjugstad is the nephew of former Kings forward Scott Bjugstad.  Charlie Coyle, selected by the San Jose Sharks, is a double-dipper - he's related to Tony Amonte and Bobby Sheehan.

But Brock's current GM, Dave Torrie of the Soo Greyhounds, thinks there is more than just an obvious family connection with his player, saying "Brock Beukeboom is steadily becoming a force in the OHL. He has good offensive tools and also has the ability to throw big open ice hits that can change the tempo of a game."

In the interview below, The Mayor catches up with Brock on a variety of topics - including the draft process, living with the pressure of a famous father and playing for the legendary Soo Greyhounds in the OHL.

Draft 2010 - Interview with Brandon Archibald

Defense wins championships...and you can't teach size.

Two truisms in sports that are rarely proven wrong.

In this prospect profile we introduce you to a Brandon Archibald - a 6'4" American born defenseman who plays junior hockey with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.  Currently ranked 64th by NHL Central Scouting, he hopes to someday parlay his size and skill into helping an NHL team win the Stanley Cup.  Once again giving credence to the above axioms.

He reportedly drew interest from big time college hockey programs like Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Michigan State. Ultimately, he signed with the Soo, where he just completed his second full season.

In his rookie season he had 8 points in 61 games and was named the team's Co-Rookie of the Year. He found the ability to add some offense to his game this past season, picking up 33 points in 68 games.

If you're only as good as the company you keep, he's doing just fine. His primary defensive partner was Kings prospect (and OHL Defenseman of the Year) Jake Muzzin. And another member of that team's d-core is Brock Beukeboom, who is also expected to go in the first half of the draft this weekend (we'll have an interview with him up sometime tomorrow).

To balance all the hype, it should be noted that Archibald's draft combine scores for fitness were not at the elite level.  Not saying he isn't in good shape, only noting that he placed in the top-10 in only three of the 31 tests given. What does that mean about his ability to play in the NHL? Nothing.

It's widely expected that this draft will be a real coming out party for American born players.  Archibald looks to be part of that high-end U.S. contingent - having already played for Team USA internationally, he was invited to attend the upcoming World Jr evaluation camp later this summer.

His interview with The Mayor gives you a glimpse into the mind of a kid that grew up a Red Wings fan and is now headed to this weekend's draft in LA...