Tyler Toffoli - Team Canada's only Kings prospect?

The times they are a-changin'. Or are they?

For the last few years, the Kings have had more prospects invited to Team Canada's World Junior evaluation camps than just about any other NHL club. Last year alone, they had Brayden Schenn, Linden Vey, JF Berube, Kyle Clifford and several others on the list.

The Kings have also had several players put in leadership roles for Canada at the tournament itself - as Schenn, Thomas Hickey and Colten Teubert all wore letters on their chest in recent years.

However, as of right now, Tyler Toffoli is the only Kings prospect set to attend this summer's evaluation camp for the 2012 World Junior Championship.
That could change after next weekend's NHL Draft though, as 20 of the 46 players invited are draft eligible - and are expected to be selected.  Who knows, maybe the Kings will nab a few of those.

So, the final prospect count is really still TBD.

As reported last week, Derek Forbort and Kevin Gravel (both selected by the Kings at the 2010 NHL Draft) were invited to attend the upcoming Team USA evaluation camp.

Toffoli, who led the OHL in scoring this past season, was a guest on MayorsManor right before the playoffs began - click here if you missed it.

To read Clifford's exclusive Team Canada report from last summer's camp - including his thoughts on the other Kings prospects - click here.

Meanwhile, Toffoli has been working out in Ottawa with the gang at Greco Lean and Fit. He's expected to be in Los Angeles for the Kings annual Development Camp in a few weeks. More on that later.

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Matt Greene tattoos his Los Angeles Kings teammates

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Tired of hearing about the Bruins and/or the Canucks? Fear not, that will die down in the next week of so. Plus, you have the NHL Awards coming up next week. Then, the NHL Draft next weekend. Before you know it, free agency will be here.

For now though, how about a Kings related story to get your weekend off to a great start...

A few months back Matt Greene was the judge of a tattoo contest on LAKings.com. Basically, fans were encouraged to send in photos of their ink and Greene would determine who had the best stuff.

Why Greene you ask? Well, the man knows tats - as evidenced by his left leg. Rather than a half-sleeve, I'd guess you'd call it a full-quad? I don't know.

Anyway, throughout the season during various conversations I asked Greener for his opinion on different teammates. As he looked around the locker room he would offer up his suggestion on their first trip to a tattoo parlor.

With some never before published comments, here's what each of these guys should get, according to Matt Greene...

Drew Doughty - "He wants to get his family crest, but I doubt he'll actually pull through on it. He's a little gun shy about the whole 'it's there for life thing.'"

Jack Johnson - "Bald eagle, right across the chest."

Willie Mitchell - "Maybe a stock portfolio, somewhere on his arm."

Kyle Clifford - "Something really tough, maybe brass knuckles. But, when we talked to Cliffy about it he wants to get a big wolf."

Ryan Smyth - "I don't Smitty's going to get a tattoo. But, if he did, it would be Canada. It would be a maple leaf, like 70% of the other Canadians that you play with."

Alec Martinez - "A Louisville Slugger. His girlfriend's from Louisville and she used to work at the Louisville Slugger plant."

Rob Scuderi - "The Jets. New York Jets, right on his heart."

Dustin Brown - "His kids portraits, right across his back."

Jarret Stoll - "Stolly? That's tough. It's always changing with his style. That would be a temporary one, for sure."

Jonathan Bernier - "He already has enough. I might take a couple of his off. He has some bad ones. He knows which one too."

Jonathan Quick - "He got one last summer, so he's pretty fresh. I can't give him anymore right now. He's joining in though. He's going to get some more."

With dozens of tattoo shops in Vegas, who knows - maybe he can get some fresh color during the NHL Awards next week. If I see him there, expect a a follow-up to this article.

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Which Team Won't Be Back?

The NHL's 2010-11 season is now over, with the Boston Bruins crowned as Stanley Cup Champions.

For those ready to turn the page and look ahead, let's talk about the Western Conference standings.

Every year there is a certain amount of turnover within the eight teams qualifying for the post-season. For example, last season, four 'new' teams made it in the West compared to the 2008-09 campaign.

However, this season, only one team didn't return - Colorado was replaced in the pack by Anaheim.

So, of the eight Western teams that took a shot at the Cup this year, which do you think is most likely to have a drop off...and not return to the playoffs next season?



Results will be posted Monday.

The Mayor
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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
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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.

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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
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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.



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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
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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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