LA Kings Roundtable - Stanley Cup Conteners in 2012?

On the eve of the NHL's post-season coming to end, there are still two open questions - who will win the Stanley Cup this year, Boston or Vancouver?

And what about the Kings?

For more on that second one, the guys over at KingsCast pulled together a panel, consisting of people like Dennis Bernstein of The 4th Period, Jon Moncrief of the Examiner and Dave Joseph of ESPN to help explore the issue.

Over the last few weeks several videos have been posted on various topics surrounding the Kings past, present and future. Below is the final installment - where we talk in-depth about the players, attitude and philosophy needed for the LA Kings to become Stanley Cup contenders next season.

Some of the conversation centers around Willie Mitchell vs. Chris Pronger, who will win the Pacific Division, can the Kings challenge for one of the top spots in the Western Conference and much more.



If you haven't been keeping up with the whole series, here's a recap with links:

Part one - discussion on Drew Doughty

Part two - discussion on the power play and prospects

Part three - lots of talk on free agents, trade rumors, Kopitar, Bernier, Penner, etc.

Part four - focus on coaching and Johnson vs. Doughty

Part five - debating player contracts and roster changes

Be sure to check back next week for plenty of coverage live from NHL Awards week in Las Vegas - the parties, the players and all the scoop.

The Mayor
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LA Kings Roundtable on player contracts, roster changes

Just in time for the weekend - part five of the recent roundtable discussion on the Los Angeles Kings is now available!

Joining me on the panel were Dennis Bernstein of The 4th Period, Jon Moncrief of the Examiner, Dave Joseph of ESPN and several others.

The group was pulled together by the guys over at KingsCast and in this segment we talk in-depth about which players will be back next year, a certain player that has privately said he's willing to come back at a discounted rate and roster changes that need to take place for the team to become Stanley Cup contenders. Plus, some lively debate on Jarret Stoll, Ryan Smyth, Michal Handzus, Willie Mitchell, Brad Richardson, Trevor Lewis and more!



If you haven't been keeping up with the whole series, here's a recap:

Part one of the roundtable featured discussion on Drew Doughty - click here to watch now.

Part two featured discussion on the power play and prospects - click here to watch now.

Part three had lots of talk on free agent signings, trade rumors, Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Bernier, Dustin Penner and much more - click here to watch now.

Part four went up earlier this week and was mainly about coaching and Johnson vs. Doughty - click here to watch now.

More videos will be released by KingsCast in the weeks to come.

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

RELATED ARTICLES:

Prospect Report - Kings had #1 player, now ranked #1 team

Prospect Report - notes on Derek Forbort, Kevin Gravel and Team USA

Clearing the Crease... with Jonathan Bernier

LA Kings Prospect Report - notes on Forbort, Gravel

The Kings top pick from last summer's draft, defenseman Derek Forbort, has been invited to this summer's Team USA evaluation camp.

The sessions, held each August by Canada, the U.S. and other countries are the first step to assembling rosters for next winter's World Junior Championship - which will be played in Western Canada, starting the day after Christmas.

At the 2011 WJC, Brayden Schenn and Canada were denied gold by Team Russia (which featured Kings prospect Maxim Kitsyn). Meanwhile, Forbort and Team USA picked up a bronze medal.

Set to attend this year's camp with Forbort are several names that may also be familiar to MayorsManor readers, including - Kevin Gravel (also a Kings prospect), 2010 NHL first rounders Nick Bjugstad (Florida), Charlie Coyle (San Jose) and Emerson Etem (Anaheim), plus Matt Nieto (Long Beach native, currently at Boston University and 2011 NHL Draft eligible).

Gravel was a freshman this year at St. Cloud state.  He played in 36 games, scoring six points (one goal, five assists).  Forbort, also a freshman, reached the NCAA Frozen Four with North Dakota.  However, they lost in the semi-finals to Michigan (yes, Jack Johnson was happy...Matt Greene was not).  During the regular season Forbort played in 38 games, picking up 15 assists (no goals).

The camp will be held in Lake Placid, N.Y. and overseen by coach Dean Blais, who returns to Team USA after guiding the 2010 squad to WJC gold. Former King, turned Stanley Cup winning coach, Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins will also serve as part of the camp's coaching staff.

Which NHL team will have the most prospects? That's the Chicago Blackhawks, with three. The Kings are tied with three other teams, each having two prospects at the camp.

To read more about last summer's camp, click here - see what Bjugstad and Coyle shared on MayorsManor (including their thoughts on Forbort's performance).

Meanwhile, Forbort and Gravel, both Kings prospects - and two huge defensmen - squared off several times this season...something we chronicled here.

Kyle Clifford and JF Berube filed reports from Team Canada's camp last summer too - those interviews can be found here (KC) and here (JFB).  See what they had to say about fellow Kings prospects like Schenn, Tyler Toffoli, Nic Deslauriers and many more.

Finally, if you missed the previous interview with Nieto, who just may get selected in the first round later this month, check it out here.

The Mayor
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LA Kings Roundtable on Coaching, Johnson vs. Doughty

Part four of the recent roundtable discussion on the Los Angeles Kings is now available.

The conversation continues with Dennis Bernstein of The 4th Period, Jon Moncrief of the Examiner, Dave Joseph of ESPN and several others.

The group was pulled together by the guys over at KingsCast and in this segment we talk in-depth about coaching, prospects and Drew Doughty vs. Jack Johnson.


Part one of the roundtable featured discussion on Drew Doughty - click here to watch now.

Part two of the roundtable featured discussion on the power play and prospects - click here to watch now.

Part three featured talk on free agent signings, trade rumors, Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Bernier, Dustin Penner and much more - click here to watch now.

More videos will be released by KingsCast in the weeks to come.

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

RELATED ARTICLES:

Prospect Report - Kings had #1 player, now ranked #1 team

Prospect Report: Kings had #1 player, now ranked #1 team

Last month, The Hockey News crowned Brayden Schenn the number one prospect in hockey. Earlier this week, Hockey's Future announced the Los Angeles Kings as the top National Hockey League organization, in terms of their overall prospect pool.

Last Fall, the Kings were ranked as second-best by Hockey's Future. Now, for their Spring rankings, the Kings move to the top of the list on the overall strength of their top five prospects - Schenn, Jonathan Bernier, Andrei Loktionov, Tyler Toffoli and Derek Forbort.

Breaking things down by position, the defensemen listed were Forbort, Viatcheslav Voynov and Nicolas Deslauriers. The top forwards listed were Schenn, Loktionov and Toffoli. The top goaltenders listed were Bernier, Martin Jones and Jeff Zatkoff.

In other prospect news this week, the Kings singed goalie JF Berube and forward Linden Vey (both were selected in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft) to three-year entry level contracts.

Deslauriers, who just appeared in the QMJHL Chamionship Finals - and led all Quebec league defenseman in post-season scoring - is also expected to be signed before the June 1st deadline.

Finally, Maxim Kitsyn and the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors continue their quest for a Memorial Cup title when the take on the Owen Sound Attack tonight. After earning more points than any other team during the OHL's regular season, Mississauga lost the Championship in overtime of game seven of the OHL Finals to Owen Sound. So, payback will certainly be on their minds.

The winner of tonight's game will advance to Friday's Memorial Cup semi-finals, while the loser will face the Kootenay Ice in tomorrow's tie-breaker game. The tie-breaker winner will become the other participant in the semi-final game.

If you want to watch Kitsyn and the Majors, check out the game on tape delay tomorrow morning via the NHL Network.

Many of the above listed prospects are scheduled to participate in the Kings annual Summer Development Camp, expected to take place in late June. More information will be available at a later date.



The Mayor
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LA Kings Roundtable on Trades, Kopitar and Penner

Part three of the recent roundtable discussion on the Los Angeles Kings is now available.

The conversation continues with Dennis Bernstein of The 4th Period, Jon Moncrief of the Examiner, Dave Joseph of ESPN and several others.

The group was pulled together by the guys over at KingsCast and in this segment we talk in-depth about what the Kings should do in the off-season - including deals involving Brad Richards, Rick Nash, Jonathan Bernier, Philadelphia Flyers, etc. - possible future line combinations, Anze Kopitar, Dustin Penner and much more.



Part one of the roundtable featured discussion on Drew Doughty - click here to watch now.

Part two of the roundtable featured discussion on the power play and prospects - click here to watch now.

More videos will be released by KingsCast in the days to come.



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

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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.



The Mayor
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www.facebook.com/MayorsManor

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Kings Roundtable Discussion on Power Play and Prospects

Part two of the recent roundtable discussion on the Los Angeles Kings is now available.

The conversation continues with Dennis Bernstein of The 4th Period, Jon Moncrief of the Examiner, Dave Joseph of ESPN and several others.

The group was pulled together by the guys over at KingsCast and in this segment we talk in-depth about Jamie Kompon, the power play, Brayden Schenn, Andrei Loktionov and other prospects looking to make the jump.



If you missed the first segment of this roundtable, click here.

More videos will be released in the days ahead.



The Mayor
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www.facebook.com/MayorsManor

Los Angeles Kings Roundtable Discussion on Doughty

Over the weekend I joined Dennis Bernstein of The 4th Period, Jon Moncrief of the Examiner, Dave Joseph of ESPN and several others for a round table discussion about the Kings just completed season and the summer ahead.

The group was pulled together by the guys over at KingsCast and they'll be releasing the video in small, easy to digest segments over the next few days.

Up first are some discussions about the locker room mentality during the playoffs, conditioning and an in-depth look at Drew Doughty.





The Mayor
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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.



The Mayor
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