Los Angeles Kings Prospect Report - October 10, 2011

When training camp began back in early September, we ranked the top ten prospects in the Los Angeles Kings organization...and it's that list that we're using today as the template for the first Prospect Report of the new season.

- Goalie Martin Jones:  While many expect him to battle Jeff Zatkoff for playing time in Manchester (AHL) this season, he is the Monarchs starting goalie - for now. Per NHL rules, the Kings were allowed to take three goalies on their season opening trip to Europe. As such, Jones started both games over the weekend and posted a 1.52 goals-against average, giving up two goals on Friday and only one goal on Saturday. His save percentage sits at .940 for the moment.

[note: The Monarchs are now off until Friday. Earlier today, the Kings returned Zatkoff to the AHL. So, expect him to get some playing time in at least one of the three games next weekend.]

- Defenseman Jake Muzzin: He has not played since the first pre-season game of the year vs the Phoenix Coyotes. In that game, he was hit from behind by Mikkel Boedker (photo here) and has been suffering headaches and neck stiffness ever since. Last Thursday he was activated from the injured reserve list and loaned to Manchester, where his status for next weekend's games remains TBD.

- Forward Tyler Toffoli: Last week he was named the assistant captain of his junior team, the Ottawa 67's (OHL). The player with the most goals in all of junior hockey last season (57), Toffoli has picked right up where he left off, scoring five goals in his first five games. The 67's next play on Friday vs. Peterborough.

- Forward Brandon Kozun: After the first pair of games in Manchester this season, Kozun has zero points, two shots on goal and is a minus-one. Expect more production in the weeks to come. This will be Kozun's second year of pro hockey.

- Forward Andrei Loktionov: He continues to shoot the puck in the early part of the season. Loktionov leads the Monarchs with six shots on goal after their first two games. He also leads the team in assists (three) and is has a plus-two rating.

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:

Kitsyn and the Majors are on the board

After dropping their opening game on Friday night to the Saint John Sea Dogs 4-3, Maxim Kitsyn and the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors picked up their first win of the Memorial Cup tournament yesterday.

Sunday's game pitted them against the Kootenay Ice, champions of the WHL. Cody Eakin (Capitals draft pick) put the Ice up first. Then, Kitsyn tied things up with his first point of the tournament. Rob Flick (Blackhawks draft pick) scored the final goal of the game half way through the third period and the Majors went on to win 2-1.

Mississauga was the top team in the OHL's regular season. However, they were defeated in the OHL Finals by the Owen Sound Attack - who they'll play in their next game (Wednesday night). The semi-finals will be played Friday and the 2011 Memorial Cup Champion will be crowned after the final game on Sunday.

It's been quite the year so far for Kitsyn, who wasn't even playing in North America when the season began. His Russian team won the Super Series in November - a tournament featuring a Russian all-star team vs. two games each against the WHL, OHL and QMJHL. He topped that by winning a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in January. Then he joined the Majors and finished the regular season with 26 points (9 goals, 17 assists) in 32 games. He also had 19 points (10g, 9a) in 20 OHL playoff games.

Kitsyn is the lone Kings prospect still playing. After higher ranked prospects and draft picks, like Brayden Schenn and Tyler Toffoli, were eliminated, Kitsyn - a sixth round pick in the 2010 NHL Draft - finds himself just a few wins away from junior hockey's ultimate prize.

That would be quite a hat trick...of hardware.



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RELATED ARTICLES:

Interview with Maxim Kitsyn

Interview with Brayden Schenn

NCAA Playoff Preview: Interview with Derek Forbort - the Kings 2010 first round draft pick

All three Kings prospects earn medals at World Junior Championships

Kings' Junior Prospects Come Up Empty

Unlike the Kings, who limped into the playoffs (winning only one of their final six games in regulation), the team's prospects were riding high as the post-season arrived.

They had the WHL scoring champion (Linden Vey, Medicine Hat Tigers), a player on the top team in the WHL (Brayden Schenn, Saskatoon Blades), the OHL scoring champion (Tyler Toffoli, Ottawa 67's), a player on the top team in the OHL (Maxim Kitsyn, Mississauga St. Michaels Majors), one of the top goaltenders in the QMJHL (JF Berube, Montreal Junior) and one of the top defensemen in the 'Q' (Nic Deslauriers, Gatineau, Olympiques).

They all stopped by MayorsManor to offer playoff previews.  And they all had such high hopes.  Yet, over the last six weeks they've all been bounced, one by one.

Toffoli exited first, in a four game sweep. Next was Schenn, swept out of the second round.

Berube and Montreal also lost in the second round - although their series went six games.

Vey and Medicine Hat were swept out of the WHL's Western Conference Finals.

Gatineau pushed the QMJHL Championship series to double overtime of game six last night. Unfortunately, they came up on the losing end, 3-2...and lost the series 4-2.

Deslauriers did finish as the highest scoring defenseman in the QMJHL playoffs though (20 points - 5 goals and 15 assists - in 24 games).

Kitsyn and the Majors made it all the way to overtime of game seven of the OHL Championship. Still, they lost 3-2.

And with that, it's over. All of the league championships have now been decided.

None of the Kings' prospects came away with a title.

Now, it's on to the Memorial Cup. For those unfamiliar, it's a four-team tournament comprised of the three league champions (WHL, OHL and QMJHL), along with the host city. This year, it will be in Mississauga. So, Kitsyn still has one more shot at hoisting something this spring. Things get underway Friday.

For the record, the last Kings prospect to win the tournament was Andrei Loktionov with the Windsor Spitfires in 2009.



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RELATED ARTICLES:

Interview with Windsor GM (and former King) Warren Rychel

Interview with WHL Scoring Champion Linden Vey

Interview with QMJHL defenseman Nic Deslauriers

Interview with Russia's Maxim Kitsyn

Interview with Hockey's #1 Prospect - Brayden Schenn

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LA Kings Prospect Report - Game one and Game Seven

Each game over a seven-game playoff series brings a different feeling, a unique flavor. In the middle, you have the 'who can push the momentum?' scenario - i.e. can a team take a 3-1 lead or will the other side tie up the series 2-2.

And while each contest is usually filled with pre-game excitement, nerves and anticipation that far surpasses a regular season contest, by far, the most exciting are game one and game seven.

For the Kings - or at least two of their prospects - tonight will feature both.

In the quirkiness of scheduling that often occurs in the playoffs, forward Maxim Kitsyn (2010 6th round draft pick) and the Mississauga St. Michael's will open the OHL Championship series tonight vs. the Owen Sound Attack. Mississauga is riding high right now, having only lost one game total to their first three playoff opponents. Can they possibly pull off another sweep here and claim the OHL title?

The series opens tonight and then moves to Owen Sound for game two on Thursday. Due to proximity, the two teams will alternate home games throughout the series.

Over in the QMJHL, it's a completely different story. Defenseman Nic Deslauriers (2009 3rd round draft pick) and the Gatineau Olympiques will be fighting for their playoff lives in a game seven that almost never was.

The series opened with a Gatineau win. However, they then lost three straight to Quebec. Gatineau clawed their way to a 5-3 victory in game six on Friday night and decisive 4-0 win on Sunday to force tonight's game seven. In those two games, Deslauriers had a goal and four assists.

Tonight's winner will face the Saint John Sea Dogs for the QMJHL Championship beginning Thursday night.

The Kings no longer have a representative in the WHL playoffs, as Linden Vey (the 2011 WHL scoring champion) and his Medicine Hat Tigers were swept in the semi-finals by Kootenay.

As mentioned in previous reports, the WHL, OHL and QMJHL champions will meet up in the Memorial Cup tournament to determine the overall CHL champion later this month.



The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Interview with Maxim Kitsyn

Playoff Preview with Nic Deslauriers

Interview with Hockey's #1 Prospect - Brayden Schenn

LA Kings Prospect Report - for some, the playoffs continue

The herd is starting to thin.

When the junior hockey playoffs began a few weeks ago the Los Angeles Kings were well represented. They had the WHL scoring champion (Linden Vey), a player on the top team the WHL (Brayden Schenn), the OHL scoring champion (Tyler Toffoli), a player on the top team in the OHL (Maxim Kitsyn), one of the better goalies in the QMJHL (JF Berube) - plus a few others.

Now, we're in the third round and many of them have been eliminated. Ironically though, the Kings still have one player left in each league...

WHL - Vey has continued to put up numbers in the playoffs and still leads 'the Dub' in post-season points (12 goals, 13 assists, 25 points). However, his team is facing a daunting 3-1 hole heading into game five tonight. Even more troubling, his team's high powered offense has gone silent - scoring just one goal total in the last two games. His Medicine Hat Tigers will need to beat the Kootenay Ice in their barn if they plan on seeing a game five in this series. Note: Kootenay was the the team that beat Brayden Schenn's Saskatoon Blades in the last round.

OHL - Kitsyn's Mississauga St. Michaels Majors are already guaranteed a spot in next month's Memorial Cup tournament. However, the OHL's regular season champs aren't resting on their laurels. They swept their opponents in the first and second rounds, then finished off the Ice Dogs in five games to take the Eastern Conference Championship. Now they'll move on to the OHL Finals, where they'll play the winner of the Windsor Spitfires v Owen Sound series (Owen Sound currently lead 3-1 and game five is tonight. You may recall that Windsor is run by former Kings enforcer Warren Rychel and they're the two-time, defending OHL Champions. Their first title team included Kings prospect Andrei Loktionov). Kitsyn had a goal last night, his seventh of the playoffs.

QMJHL - Defenseman Nicolas Deslauriers and his Gatineau Olympiques teammates trail the Quebec Remparts 2-1 in their series. Gatineau opened the series with a win, but have dropped two straight. They'll be looking to tie things up tonight in game four, before the series returns to Quebec on Friday night. Deslauriers scored in game two of this series and his 11 points (three goals, eight assists) are fifth best among defensemen in the QMJHL playoffs.

Each league will crown a champion in about two weeks time and then they'll all compete in the 2011 Memorial Cup beginning on Friday, May 20th.

The Kings Prospect Report will continue here on MayorsManor for the duration of the playoffs and into the summer months.



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RELATED ARTICLES:

Interview with WHL Scoring Champion Linden Vey

Interview with Russia's Maxim Kitsyn

Interview with QMJHL defenseman Nic Deslauriers

Interview with Windsor GM (and former King) Warren Rychel

Playoff Preview with Hockey's #1 Prospect - Brayden Schenn

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LA Kings Prospect Report - Sweeping Through the Playoffs

Things are moving right along in the junior hockey playoffs.

And if there is a theme so far, this may be the year of the sweep.

Among the Kings prospects participating in post-season play either in the WHL, OHL or QMJHL, there were three series that ended in sweeps during the first round - followed by three more that just took place in the second round.

First out was Tyler Toffoli, who was then signed in Manchester (AHL). He was followed by Brayden Schenn after the Saskatoon Blades were - surprisingly - swept out of the second round.

(More on them later today in the Monarchs report)

On the flip side, Maxim Kitsyn and the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors completed their second consecutive series sweep and have advanced to the Eastern Conference Championships, where they'll play the Niagara Ice Dogs starting tomorrow night.

LA Kings Prospect Report - 2011 Playoffs, Round 2 Updates

While the Kings get ready for their opening round showdown with the San Jose Sharks later this week, their junior prospects are already two games into the second round of the CHL playoffs.

Below is a brief overview of how each of LA's top prospects have fared so far, plus a look ahead to the Manchester Monarchs (AHL) post-season plans...

Western Hockey League (WHL)

Brayden Schenn - The team that was tops amongst all WHL clubs this season enters tonight down 0-2 to the Kootenay Ice, who will now host games three and four. Schenn produced ten points in six first round games, posting five goals and five assists. Kootenay's ability to limit him to just one point in the first two games of this series has been a major story line so far. Can the Ice possibly sweep the Saskatoon Blades right out of the playoffs? It sure would make for an interesting conversation about Schenn's immediate future.

Linden Vey - He leads all WHL players with nine goals and 18 points in the playoffs. Exactly what you'd expect from the 2010-11 WHL Scoring Champion.  Vey was also just named the WHL Player of the Week, rightfully so. His Medicine Hat Tigers crushed the Red Deer Rebels in the first two games of this series by scores of 9-1 and 5-0. Vey had a pair of goals in each game. The series moves back to Medicine Hat for games three (today) and four (tomorrow).

[update, Tuesday 4/12/11:  Vey has been announved as the CHL Player of the Week too, so not just the WHL - but, now all of Canadian junior hockey]

Ontario Hockey League (OHL)

Kings Prospect Report - Round 1 Playoff Updates

While the Kings and nearly all of the Western Conference teams are still fighting for their playoff lives in the NHL, this weekend marked the beginning of post season play for the Canadian (Junior) Hockey League and the NCAA.

As noted last week, all of the Kings top prospects - with one exception, Jordan Weal (who is now in Manchester) - had qualified for the 'second season.'  Here's an overview of where things stand...

Brayden Schenn - his Saskatoon Blades entered the weekend as the #1 seed in the WHL and won both of their opening round games over the Prince Albert Raiders. Schenn had a goal in the first game and a pair of goals in the second. The series resumes Wednesday in P.A. Schenn stopped by MayorsManor last week, the article is available here.

Linden Vey - the 2011 WHL Scoring Champion picked up a goal in each of the first two games for his Medicine Hat Tigers. However, their series with the Brandon Wheat Kings is tied 1-1. Game three will be tonight in Brandon. Vey was a guest on MayorsManor last week, the article is available here.

LA Kings Prospect Report - Close to The End

The college hockey season is over, junior hockey wraps up this weekend and the AHL isn't far behind.

That's right - the playoffs are almost here.

Most junior teams have a pair of games left this weekend and nearly all of the Kings top prospects in the CHL are poised for great playoff runs, as detailed below.

Also making the rounds recently is The Hockey News 'Future Watch' special edition, which crowns Brayden Schenn as the number one pro prospect.

Other Kings in the top 75 were Andrei Loktionov (#39), Derek Forbort (49), Tyler Toffoli (51) and Viatcheslav Voynov at (54).

Here's a quick run down on those five and a few other notes on the CHL and NCAA playoffs...

Schenn - has posted incredible numbers since being acquired by his hometown team, the Saskatoon Blades, at the trading deadline (20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points in 25 games). Regardless of the outcome in their final games this weekend, the Blades will end the regular season with the best record in the WHL. Thus, they're heavy favorites to win the league championship and move on to the CHL's Memorial Cup.

Special Seasons Continue for LA Kings Prospects

Over the past few seasons the Kings have been blessed with stellar performances from several of their prospects playing junior hockey.

Andrei Loktionov won a Memorial Cup in 2009, Thomas Hickey captained Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, Brandon Kozun was the CHL's Top Scorer and Martin Jones the WHL's Top Goaltender - just to name a few.

This year, the club has already had a representative on all three medal winning teams at the World Junior Championships (Maxim Kitsyn/Russia gold, Brayden Schenn/Canada silver and Derek Forbort/USA bronze).

And things are heating up in all three of the CHL circuits, the WHL, OHL and QMJHL.

In fact, it's not inconceivable that the Kings will have representatives on all four teams that make the Memorial Cup Tournament (comprised of the three league champions and the host city).

Kitsyn is now playing for the OHL's Mississauga St. Michael's Majors. They're hosting the tournament, so he's in.

Here's an update on three of the other leading candidates:

...And Now You're Caught Up

Too many home games lately, not enough time to keep up with all the Kings related news going on? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Here's a quick overview of the ten things you need to know - including a few trade rumors, when Schenn will play again, goaltending notes and more...

* Kitsyn vs. Toffoli - Two of the Kings top prospects were scheduled to faceoff today in what looked like a showdown in the making. Instead, it was a beatdown. Tyler Toffoli (Ottawa 67's) came into the game riding a 25 game point streak. His team lost 6-1 without him picking up a point and he was minus-4 to make it hurt even more. Maxim Kitsyn had an assist in the game, pushing his totals to seven points (3g, 4a) in five games since coming to the OHL.

* Rumors continue to swirl around Dustin Penner possibly being targeted by the Kings. Why? He's not a good fit on this team.  There are plenty of better options at left wing.  Unfortunately, Ryan Malone (Tampa Bay) is probably not one of them.  Word is, he doesn't want to waive his no trade clause.

* Speaking of trades, two notes on Brayden Schenn. First off, as you may have heard, he was traded by his last place junior team (Brandon Wheat Kings) to the WHL leading Saskatoon Blades (his hometown team). However, due to a shoulder injury he sustained at the recent World Junior Championship in Buffalo, he has yet to make his debut with the new team. Barring a setback, it looks like that first game will now take place on January 22 vs. the Calgary Hitmen.

Prospect Report: Tyler Toffoli Terrorizing OHL

Prior the 2010 NHL Draft in Los Angeles the Kings knew all about Tyler Toffoli.

The same guy who turned them on to Wayne Simmonds was Toffoli's junior hockey coach with the Ottawa 67's.

Thought to be a possible late first round pick, when he was still on the board midway through the second round they gladly gave Colorado a fourth round pick for the right to move up and take him. So far, it looks to have been a smart gamble.

Toffoli's having a fantastic year in the OHL - where he's leading the league in scoring (38g, 37a in 41 games), was named the Player of the Month for December and on Monday was named January's first Player of the Week (4g, 5a in three games). It was his second weekly honor, having won it in mid-November as well.

Oh yeah, he's currently riding a 23-game point streak too, which includes six-straight multi-point games.

For some reason, Canada felt they didn't have room for him on their team at the recent World Junior Championship. Go figure.

Prospect Update and DVR Alert

Let's take a quick trip around the North American rinks and see what's going on with some of the Kings prospects...

NCAA / College Hockey

- Derek Forbort (D, 2010 first round pick), fresh off winning the bronze medal with Team USA at the World Junior Championships in Buffalo on Wednesday, returns to the line-up tonight for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. They're game with Robert Morris University will be televised nationally on FCS (DirecTV channel 617) at 5:30pm PST (replayed tomorrow morning on the NHL Network).  Saturday night's game will be on channel  623.

- Kevin Gravel (D, 2010 fifth round) is having a tough freshman year at St Cloud State, as his team is near the bottom of their conference (WCHA). However, next month they'll get a rematch with Forbort and the Sioux on home ice, after dropping a pair at UND this past November. In 18 games played he has two assists and is a minus-6.

WJC Recap and Look Ahead to 2012

Below are some post game notes on last night's gold medal contest, as well as updates on two of the key stories coming out of this year's World Junior Championship...

* Don't make plans for New Year's Eve this year. Now that Russia has jammed Canada for the gold medal this year, the pairings for the 2012 WJC have been set. Pool B features Canada, the U.S., Finland, Czech Republic and Denmark. Which means two things - Canada vs. USA on 12/31 and that if they were to meet again, it would be in the gold medal final!

* 2012 Pool A will be Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia and Latvia.

* Maxim Kitsyn (Russia), Brayden Schenn (Canada) and Derek Forbort made it a clean sweep for players representing the Kings this year - picking up gold, silver and bronze. This was at least the second time in history the Kings had current prospects on all three teams. In 2009 they had Thomas Hickey and Colten Teubert (Canada, gold); Oscar Moller (Sweden, silver) and and Viatcheslav Voynov (Russia, bronze).

Another Deadline for Brayden Schenn

Brayden Schenn will be leaving the World Junior Championship later today with another medal to add to his collection.

It could be gold.

However, if the Russian team can somehow wrestle that away from Canada, it will be silver for the second year in a row.

Schenn's only other remaining item of business at the WJC is to try to break a 33-year old Canadian record for the most points in a single tournament. He enters tonight with 16 points (7g, 9a), just two shy of Dale McCourt's 18 points in 1977.

On a quick side note, McCourt was awarded to the Kings as compensation for Detroit signing Rogie Vachon in August of '78.  He refused to come to LA and a nasty court battle ensued.  McCourt, LA and a court battle...for some reason that has a familiar ring to it.

After the game, attention will almost immediately be directed toward a new question - Where is Schenn headed next?

WJC2011: Three Kings Prospects Eyeing Gold

As noted in our World Junior Preview last week, three of the leading contenders for medals this year were the U.S., Canada and Russia.

With only four teams remaining in medal contention, all three are still alive in the tournament (along with Sweden).

Thus, each of the the Kings prospects participating in this year's WJC - Brayden Schenn (Canada), Derek Forbort (USA) and Maxim Kitsyn (Russia) - could come home with medals.

Better yet, when the semi-finals begin later this afternoon, they'll all be just one win away from the gold medal game on Wednesday.

Schenn, the Kings first round draft pick in 2009, is running away with the WJC scoring lead. He currently has 16 points, while his next closest challenger has only nine. He also leads all players in goals (7), assists (9) and plus-minus (+10). About the only flaw in his game you can find right now would be his faceoff percentage. As Canada's top center he's taken more draws than any of his teammates. However, he's only won 56% of them - a less than impressive number.

Meanwhile, left-winger Kitsyn (selected in the sixth round this past June) is having a strong tournament for Russia - including a big goal yesterday to tie the score with less than two minutes remaining in their quarter final match-up with Finland. Overall, he has seven points (4g, 3a) and is a plus-5 through the first five games.

World Juniors 2011 - What You Need To Know

If you're like most hockey fans south of Canada, you probably don't pay too much attention to future NHL prospects. Junior hockey isn't a big deal in the States and big time college hockey is limited to a handful of markets. So, it's understandable.

However, if you were going to make an exception to your normal practices, this is the week to do it.

Each year, beginning the day after Christmas (Boxing Day in Canada), the top 10 nations gather their best under 20 year old players to participate in the World Junior Hockey Championship (WJC).

Team USA won the gold last year on Canadian soil. This year the games are in Buffalo, NY and the Kings have one player on each of the three teams favored to win medals (US, Canada and Russia).

Nearly every NHL star of the past or present has participated in this event for their country. On the current Kings roster alone you're talking about Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, Dustin Brown, Ryan Smyth - heck, Marco Sturm even played for Germany.

Below you'll get a quick cheat sheet filled with what you need to know for the 2011 WJC - including the format, Kings prospects, TV schedule, top teams and key players to watch...

...And Now You're Caught Up (12/20/2010)

Hockey has a certain rhythm to it. Every shift, every game and every season is inevitably packed with ebbs and flows. Teams are never as bad as they appear during their lowest points. Never as good as they seem during their highest ones. The very best clubs then must be not just talented, but resilient. Not just hungry, but focused.

That's form the new HBO documentary '24/7' - where they're providing a raw, behind the scenes look at the Penguins and Capitals leading up to the Winter Classic. The first episode was unlike any hockey show you've ever seen and should be mandatory viewing for all fans. You can check out the PG-rated version online for free here.

Rumor has it the Kings are working on a similar all-access type show to be produced by their Kings Vision team for online viewing.  It should debut in early 2011.

Now, if shopping, back-to-back Kings games, holiday parties, etc. has been keeping you from the HBO special and other key hockey stories over the last few days, don't worry - we're here to help. Below are the twelve puck related news items you need to know coming out of the weekend...

*  Donald Fehr was approved as the new head of the NHL Players Association, effective immediately.  Exactly what this means when it comes to the impending negotiations with the league office and rumors of a possible work stoppage is pure speculation at this point. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the story (for now) is that the NHLPA constitution is publicly available on their website.  That may be a first in sports.

*  One of the greatest American born players of all-time, Chris Chelios, was honored before the Red Wings - Blackhawks game on Friday night.  Video of the ceremonies can be seen here.

[After the jump - notes on Bernier/Quick, San Jose Sharks, Mike Cammalleri, Matt Greene, Brayden Schenn, Manchester, injury updates, trade rumors and much more.]

2011 WJC Update - More Kings Added

Four Kings' prospects - representing three different countries - could be part of the upcoming World Junior Championship (WJC), including a pair of first round picks.

Team Canada's summer evaluation camp was filled with more Kings' prospects than any other NHL team. However, for various reasons, only two of those five have a shot at the final roster - Brayden Schenn and Linden Vey.

While Schenn's spot is all but guaranteed, Vey will be competing with 23 other forwards when Canada opens their selection camp this Sunday. From the 40 total players invited, only 22 will be taken to the WJC.

Russia will once again feature Maxim Kitsyn - the leading scorer at the recent Super Series (a tournament pitting top Canadian junior players vs. a Russian all-star team). Kitsyn began a pre-tourney camp with Russia today and they'll depart for North America in about 10 days.  Last winter wasn't the best of times for Russia when it came to international play.  They didn't medal at the WJC (a first in six years) and were embarrassed at the Olympics in Vancouver.  So, they'll be a hungry team and will have their hands full right from the beginning - their first opponent in pool play is Canada.  Kitsyn vs. Schenn!

Team USA announced their preliminary roster today and to nobody's surprise, this year's first round pick by the Kings, Derek Forbort, was included on the list. He's a product of the U.S. National Development program and has participated in international play for them before, including winning a gold medal at the Under-18 Championships.