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| Martinez, Parse, Lewis at Dodger game |
Despite begin taken 17th overall at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, you rarely hear about him as a 'former first rounder' like you do with Jonathan Bernier or Thomas Hickey.
At the time, he was playing in the USHL - not major junior in Canada or NCAA hockey in the U.S. Perhaps that's part of it.
This past season, in very under-the-radar fashion, he became one of the Kings best defensive forwards.
He also comes from Salt Lake City, Utah. A place not exactly known for being a super flashy town.
Tanned and freshly rested from last weekend's Kings cruise, Lewis was with a group of about a half-dozen teammates at Dodger Stadium Friday night. Before he took part in the first-pitch ceremony, I had a chance to catch up with him for a few minutes.
Even though it was his frist trip to Chavez Ravine, Lewis knew that it was commonly referred to as 'Blue Heaven on Earth' and described the place as simply "awesome," while looking around to soak it all in.
He shared that he was still "a little bit" of a baseball fan, having played a lot while growing up. "However," he added, "I haven't really watched a lot since."
Set to take the mound with him were Dustin Penner and Alec Martinez. Apparently, he had heard about Penner's rigorous workouts this summer though because, of the three, he predicted Penner was the one who was "probably going to throw some heat."
As for hockey, well, it's still a good six weeks away. And with the Kings recent additions of Mike Richards and Simon Gagne, it makes an already tight roster even tighter. Plus, the team now has at least six centers - counting him, Andrei Loktionov and Colin Fraser.
Yet, in typical laid-back Lewis fashion, "I like it," he said. "It's always good to push yourself in camp. Then you know you're ready for the season. I think a lot of us can play either center or wing too. So, we'll see what happens. I'm just excited and ready to get it going. It should be a good team. We look pretty good on paper so far. Hopefully, we'll have some good chemistry too."
Still, fully aware that he could possibly be squeezed out of a center spot in camp, I followed-up on his comment about playing wing too - "Honestly, I really don't care," proclaimed Lewis. "But, I've played center most of my life. I'm used to the wing too though. So, it doesn't really matter to me."
If he was moved to wing, does he have a preference to either side? "Not really. I've played both."
So, it must be minutes that he's after then, right? "Yeah, many minutes," Lewis said with a big smile on his face. "That would be nice."
Finally, I asked if he had already established any personal goals for the season. In true Lewis fashion, he downplayed the whole thing - "I have a number in my mind. We'll see what happens," said Lewis.
Not giving up a lot tonight, huh? "No," said Lewis, as he laughed.
As I walked away, my mind wondered back to a conversation with coach Terry Murray after practice one day. The late Jonathan Moncrief asked Murray how many points he wanted the Kings to get on that crazy 10-game road stretch in February. He played coy, saying he had a total in mind, but wasn't sharing.
Things worked out pretty well for the team as they made their way through the Eastern Conference that month, with their only regulation loss coming to the Islanders.
If Lewis' season can end up as well as that road swing, I'm sure he'll exceed those still-secret goals.
Who knows, perhaps he won't even do it very quietly.
The Mayor
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