Development camp has wrapped up, on ice, for the day. Coaches decided to skip the second on-ice session and have players do off-ice work.
The scrimmage ended with a score of 5-1, as Bud Holloway and Robbie Czarnik each had two goals. Trevor Lewis had one and Jordan Weal scored on a penalty shot. The game started with a bang, when Justin Azevedo got around Derek Forbort, got to the front of the net and crashed into goalie Martin Jones. Everyone played except Brayden Schenn, Colten Teubert, Brandon Kozun and Tyler Toffoli, who are apparantly nursing minor injuries.
I’ll be getting a few interviews when the off-ice wokouts end..
Welcome to the NHL prospect pool Four-bort! SCHOOLED….
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And Bud starts his campaign to make the Big Club with two early goals…
Go Bud!
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wavesinair Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy, I could see him becoming a real-deal sniper.
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Sucks those are 4 of the most dramatic prospects in terms of who people and the org. probly want to get a look at.
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hockey jockey Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
@Mike,
Exactly!!
one day I had to be there.. I did not see injury
out list.. kept looking for 55.. damn
but what ya gonna do/
By the way.. Derek Forbort looked pretty impressive.. even with that one play .. got some nice skilss going for him.. he is a keeper.
And Justin.. still as speedy as ever.. too bad he
is so small.. now a days .. size really is important.
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Bernier45 Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 8:03 pm
@hockey jockey, Don’t count azzy out his small size is made up with his BIG HEART!he is a hell of a player as i am a season ticket holder in Manchester and watch him play every game including plenty of road games. he is quick, has great hands, and is NOT afraid 2 go after the puck in the corner and WILL stand up 4 his team mates any time against anyone and im talking the TYLER MYERS of the AHL!! Think of Justin Azevedo as an up and coming Mark Recchi or Martin St.Louis!! Glad 2 here azzy schooled Derek but i hear he is pretty good and hope his camp gets better. oh if u can keep an eye on Jake Muzzin and Kyle Clifford. those guys are fun 2 watch as well. you have seen what Bud can do so just sit back and enjoy watching the future of that franchise.
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holly Reply:
July 2nd, 2010 at 6:33 pm
@hockey jockey,
There are plenty of guys who can make up for small stature in other aspects of play. Azevedo seems well aware that his size counts against him and plays that much harder each and every shift. He’s not afraid to play a physical game, regardless of the size of his opponents. He’s a real nose to the grindstone kind of guy.
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Careful Azzy!! Don’t hurt Marty
POS traded to Phoenix for Vandermeer lol… will be good to see POS 6 or 7 times a year. Should bring Phoenix’s potential down a little.
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txkingsfan Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 11:11 am
@VanKingsFan, POS will most likely be bought out by Phoenix and become an unrestricted free agent.
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variable Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 11:18 am
@VanKingsFan,
jinx…:)
i guess i didn’t see yr post or we posted quite close to each other…
yep…
so that concludes the jw/pos 1 1/2 year fight on here…(yaaaay!)
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txkingsfan Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
@VanKingsFan, CORRECTION *** the Phoenix Coyotes have ALREADY bought out Patrick O’Sullivan, as per Pierre LeBrun. Sorry. POS is not a free agent.
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txkingsfan Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
@txkingsfan, sorry, POS IS a free agent
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USHA#17 Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
@VanKingsFan,
Its was “hit bottom” moment for O’S with Phoenix and Edmonton getting the last laugh.
Phoenix dumped a little over $2M/year by sending VAndermeer to Edmonton in exchange for POS.
They then bought out O’S for a mire $780K. Poor Pat, knows everything about hockey except where he is going to play next year.
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Bud Holloway is my pick for making the team out of training camp next season. This year’s, Moulson, Boyle or Purcell–lets just hope he fairs much better.
Out of the mighty mights–Kozun, Azevedo and Weal, I think Weal may be the real deal. He’s got that drive that the smaller guys need to make it in the NHL.
I would love to see the Kings have there own “little ball of hate”.
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Joel Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 11:41 am
@NMKingsFan, If the Kings land Kovalchuk, Holloway is a long shot to make the team. If Kovi doesn’t sign, he might be able to beat out Parse for #2 left wing, but even that would be tough to win. Either way, I would love to see Holloway make Lombardi’s job difficult.
Lewis and Clifford seem to be the best fit to win roster spots this year since they appear to be capable 3rd and 4th line wingers. I personally hope Lewis breaks past whatever barrier has kept him from becoming an impact player thus far, because he has the speed and ability to be a playmaker on offense and defense.
I’m curious to know from anyone who actually attended the development camp how Hickey, Muzzin and King performed.
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wavesinair Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
@Joel, I was not impressed by Hickey yet again. I just don’t see it. Not terrible but nothing special. Muzzin looks SOLID. There were 2 Kings! (which doubles our chances of having a King on the Kings). I actually noticed Dylan’s defense more than Dwight’s offense. I have no idea who Dylan is but he looks pretty good to me.
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Joel Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
@wavesinair, Yeah, I was definitely contemplating Dwight King. Instead of bringing Modin back as another big body to crash the net, I was thinking King might be able to assume that kind of role.
That’s disappointing about Hickey. I hope he steps it up.
hockey jockey Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
@wavesinair,
agreed Dylan King did look good.
And unfortunatley Hickey did nothing to really stand out
bernier45 Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 8:12 pm
@wavesinair, to everyone out there dogging on Thomas Hickey…. I assure u he is top notch.. he is just getting over an ankle injury he ended up with in the calder playoffs round 3 versus Hershey so it hasnt been quite a month and im actually surprised im hearing he is skating already. Dwight King is a hard worker and has a nose 4 the puck he is a big body and is still learning the game in a few years i c him taking modins or anyone elses spot so enjoy the camp guys!
Robbie Czarnik is one of our most underrated prospects, watch him in Manchester this year
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Riofan Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
@AK47, Czarnik was flying all over the ice.
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fyi…
pos traded today to the coyotes for vandermeer after a confusing buy-out situation…
in three years, pos has gone from being the prize player the kings sought in the demitra deal to being traded for a 6/7th depth d-men that will probably play against pos in the ahl…
ohhhh ANTHONY(Y)….?!?!?….
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KOHO Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 11:45 am
@variable,
Meanwhile back at the ranch Justin Williams is licking his wounds/ego after a another breakout season on the IR.
The Oil got rid of their mistake…will the Kings?
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Mongo88 Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
@KOHO,
I couldn’t agree with you more. Id rather keep Stoll and Zues. Get rid of Williams. He just eats up $$$, and will be on the IR 80% of the time. I’d rather see little Moller in his spot or any other young player.
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BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
@KOHO/Mongo88,
JW will spend 80% of the time on the IR in 2010-2011, eh?
I smell another bet coming on, yes I do!
How ’bout a home black-N-purple Simmonds jersey for me if I win and JW doesn’t spend 80% of the season or more on the IR (4/5 of 82= >65 games). For you, home or road player jersey of choice if JW goes all IR again and doesn’t play in 17 or more games…
Game? Either one of you?
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KOHO Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy,
The only bets I make are with Vegas. Plus, I wouldn’t make a bet on anyone getting hurt..I don’t need that karma.
Though I do find it funny you want to make a bet on JW to get a Simmonds jersey. lol Are you not a JW man?
= )
USHA#17 Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
@BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy,
Think he play sixty? Or a magic 70?
I know it weird but some people just always seem to get hurt. I don’t want to believe it but I’ve seen it…
Williams, also a guy I used to ride motocross with…every time. Uncanny.
BakoCAkingsCondorsGuy Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
@KOHO,
Williams is not my guy. It’s just that whenever someone puts out a harsh comment against someone that has not only been unlucky but has shown the stones to come back hard time and time again after hugely painful debilitating injuries–and do it in each case AHEAD OF SCHEDULE–I’ve gotta have that man’s back.
Ever see “The Hunt for Red October”? There’s the little speech from Fred Thompson, playing Admiral Josh Painter, the commander of the Navy ship from where Jack Ryan is trying to get onto a submarine but makes the mistake of wearing his uniform even though he is out of the Service and works in Washington…
[Jack Ryan, in US Navy Commander uniform, exits after meeting the Admiral and Captain of the carrier]
Admiral Josh Painter: You think he’s crazy?
Captain Davenport: Certifiable. And no matter what his credentials, I don’t care for him wearing the uniform.
Admiral Josh Painter: You see that ring on his finger? The Academy, Class of ’72. A Marine.
Captain Davenport: You’re kidding! How did you…
Admiral Josh Painter: Greer told me. Summer of his third year, he and his squad went down in a chopper accident in the Med. Bad – pilot, crew killed. That kid spent ten months in traction, another year learning to walk again. Did his fourth year from the hospital. Now it’s up to you, Charlie, but you might consider cuttin’ the kid a little slack.
–You might consider cuttin’ JW a little slack, in my humble opinion.
Any man who can come back from ACL surgery during the same season, then break his leg/ankle and come back in 3 months, that man HAS EARNED a little slack.
USHA#17 Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
@variable,
Not confusing.
Phoenix did not need Vandermeer ($2.4M/year) Edmonton did not want O’S (overpaid at $2.9M/year)
Edmonton gets Vandermeer (who will play) and gets rid of O’S for free.
Phoenix then dumps O’S in a $789K contract buyout…which is cheaper then buying out Vandermeer.
By shipping Vandermeer out then buying out O’Sullivan Phoenix cap space will increase by approx. $2M/year.
($2M/yr = Vandermeer contract less the small amount Phoenix will pay for buying out an under 26 year old player).
O’Sullivan is perhaps the one (and only) person who can’t make sense of this.
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variable Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
@USHA#17,
actually…
when i was getting the info from both pierre lebrun and darren dreger via twitter, they had both commented on how the info they initially got was “confusing” (their words)…and as they were explaining the transaction in detail, their explanation was just that – confusing…
about 30 minutes after word got out…and about the same time after my original post…a better explanation of what transpired was relayed…and everything made more sense…
so there…(!)…jk
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USHA#17 Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
@variable,
OK, OK, OK, from now on no more Mr. Serious. I’ll just go back to my irreverent snipings
Just think its all kinda funny however since to me O’S is my #3 least favorite Kings “stand out” player of the recent past.
“…Justin Azevedo got around Derek Forbort…”
This Forbort kid is a liability! We need to trade him ASAP!
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OneTimer Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 11:18 am
@MR King,
Forbort, Schenn and a #2 pick for POS – do it Deano!
(lol … couldn’t resist.)
Welcome to the NHL Derek. You’re gonna be just fine someday kid. Hang in there and savor the ride.
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Fan Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
@MR King, It’s true, he got walked around. But it’s also true he hasn’t skated in about 4 weeks, and obviously didn’t know anything about the camp.
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MR King Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
@Fan, Don’t worry, I was just kidding. I’m all for the Forbort pick this season and I hope he makes it to the big club in due time.
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Im wondering how Hickey looked. This is a pretty important off-season for him.
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wavesinair Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 11:34 am
@Seabass, I thought he looked just so so. I think he shrunk…
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losingsand Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
@Seabass, broke up a couple of plays but for the most part pretty unnoticeable. They list him as 6ft on the roster… which is VERY generous.
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Weal scored on a penalty shot? I thought I saw him make a nice move and score top shelf on a regular old offensive play…
Also, who were the coaches??? I didn’t recognize any of them!
The scoring went… Group B (black) went up 1 – 0 then Group A (white) reeled off 5 in a row. Group A’s goalie in the second half was Brandon Glover who didn’t let in a goal.
As you would expect, the AHL guys played quite well for the most part. I felt like they were clearly better.
For some reason Nic Deslauriers stood out for me among the group of “who are these guys?”
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variable Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 11:49 am
@wavesinair
you should have called me…i would have went with you…!
thanks for the updates…:)
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wavesinair Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 11:52 am
@variable, tomorrow? I think jnest is going too.
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variable Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
@wavesinair,
i can’t…working a double-shift…:(
kings4queens Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
@wavesinair,
I didn’t see you there this morning. Let’s say hi tommorrow. I’ll be there through the scrimmage, then off to work.
I had the good fortune to sit next to one of the King’s pro scouts so he knew about every player on the ice and was quite informative and interesting to talk to. He wasn’t willing to share any insider trade information with me, darn it:)
I was the most impressed with Muzzin, Holloway, Weal, and while Rich said he didn’t play, Toffoli caught my eye a couple of times in practice. I too was not really impressed with Hickey (again). I got attached to Clifford at last year’s training camp and have been rooting for him ever since, but he didn’t stand out really today either. Forbort looked like the biggest player on ice. I think he needs to work on his skating though, he seemed a bit slow and clunky to me.
Coaches that I know where on the ice were Terry, Jamie, and new assistant coach John Stevens. Could the fourth guy have been Bill Radford?
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wavesinair Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
@kings4queens, see you tomorrow!
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puck73 Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
@wavesinair, You have a good eye sir, Niclas Deslauriers was a plus 22 this year in the qmjhl. His hockey sense is very high and more established then Teubert could ever dream. I have a feeling that TM and Dean are going to give him a long look this year like they did with Schenn and Clifford last year. When you watch him play he seems to know when to pinch in and when to stay back and seems to be a very good skater. I think Niclas has the abilty to develop even faster then JJ has.
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luc20rules Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
@puck73, Thats great news. I too have heard good things about Deslauriers. Maybe the throw in pick will eclipse Myers. Well I can dream right?
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Todays scrimmage standout (to my surprise) Robert Czarnik.
By far the best on the offensive side of the puck this morning.
He had 2 goals at least 1 assist and lots of shots. When he was not making things happen, he was helping make things happen.
Very good showing!
Other thoughts:
Martin Jones got smashed in to the goal by Azevedo early, shook it off and made some very nice saves. Weal was the only one to beat him (breakaway).
Azevedo sure can get around the ice. Last year I thought he did a lot of good things too.
Hickey had some nice moments but has a ways to go to make the big club.
Clifford looked good.
Forbort and Gravel are about the same size, big! And I was in shock at the size of centers Andrew Crescenzi and Ray Kaunisto
(taking the faceoffs against normal sized centermen). I kept thinking what is Forbort doing taking the faceoff.
Goal scorers:
Weal
Czarnik 2
Holloway 2
Anyone know who I’m missing?
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wavesinair Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
@tron, LOL, did you read this post? Lewis.
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I’m glad now that I didn’t make the rush hour traffic trip. I thought about waiting to go toward the end of it and catch some of the scrimmage, (traffic dependent), and the second session.
Any more information on the injuries?
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wavesinair Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
@just my opinion, Only thing I know is Kozun had a pretty bad ankle injury during the Memorial Cup in May so I would totally not expect him to play.
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Hipfan Reply:
July 4th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
@wavesinair,
Kozun’s high-ankle sprain was actually sustained in the final championship game of the WHL, not in the Memorial Cup. He tried to skate in that tournament, but he wasn’t near 50% at that time – he was told he had to rest until rookie camp. (skip skating in the development camp)
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Was it me or did Maxim Kitsyn seem lost, frustrated, and sometimes very lethargic?
He didn’t appear to be too comfortable and with no Voynov or Loktionov there for some Russian support I don’t really blame him. I am going to chalk it up to this being his first time playing in N. America as well as the language barrier.
Just one of my observations as I was pretty focused on him when he was out there.
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Admit it everyone Hickey and Teubert were bad draft choices and will
probably never be impact NHL players.
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txkingsfan Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
@rmartin1951, too soon, relax.
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Here are the Groups for those interested…
http://deepinsidethekings.com/2010/06/30/camp-groups/
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Czarnik– i’ve been a fan for awhile, so it was great to see him stand out today. His first goal was a thing of beauty…i believe it was back hand short driving to the net, it was on the far end from where i was sitting.
Deslaurier– another stand-out for me today, got a couple of nice assists, one was a nice back hand pass off the boards to czarnik. He pulled some sweet drew doughty moves in his own end to buy time to make a break out pass.. one was the spinorama, the other was a fake-pass-quickstop-headfake-outlet pass to a forward. The kid is savvy and he stood out to me in the poise/skill/smooth department. Found the perfect moments to jump in as well.
Weal– One of the few bright spot for the “visitors”. Every shift he had he was doing something good. He got the penalty shot because he blocked a shot and immediately turned up ice with it and the Defenseman had to hook him. He an Moller looked great together and overall just made most of his ice time… very productive/impressive… especially offensively.
those are my quick bright spots i have so far.
i’ll write something more in depth later on LGK when i have my notes in front of me,
jose
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puck73 Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
@losingsand, Again, Niclas Deslauriers hockey sense is very high, and I do believe he will develop even quicker then JJ. I am not saying he will be better then JJ, that remains to be seen but he will definately be playing in some exhibition games this year and make Tm and Dean think about it.Lets put it this way..I would be shocked if he was traded away in any package for any player!
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I actually met Weal at the draft… nice YVR kid… He was rather incredulous to find out he was going to camp this week. Don’t think he will be that “little ball of hate” though. Wish I could go to camp and check him out…
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Does anyone know the word on whether Kozun is done in the CHL or if he has another year?
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-J Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
@KINGKRAZY,
He’s 20 so he’s done (unless for some crazy reason he says on as an overage player).
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I always liked Nic Deslauriers, I hope he plays with Manchester next season. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t really like the Forbort pick, we have so many defenseman with top 4 potential, Voynov, Hickey, Muzzin, Deslauriers, etc.
It would’ve been nice to see Etem picked, but oh well, we got to move on and TRUST Deano & his scouts
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VanKingsFan Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:22 pm
@AK47, Forbort is committed to North Dakota, so we can let him chill there and develop for 4 years. I’m sure in 3 or 4 years we will need him; just some extra long term planning by Deano
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KingNewfie Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
@AK47,
I just found out that a bunch of future prospects are coming to Newfoundland in August for the National Junior Training Camp. There’s 6 Kings invited and Deslauriers is one of them. I’ll let you know what I think of him.
The others include Schenn, Clifford, Toffoli, Vey and Berube.
http://www.tsn.ca/canadian_hockey/story/?id=324329
I’m pretty pumped!! This could be the only chance I have to see any Kings players play. I’m very very excited.
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puck73 Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
@KingNewfie, Look forward to your reports on these players, I am going on friday to see the last day of this camp so I will give my thoughts and observations as well. One day I will hopefully get to visit Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, I gotta feeling that will be way cool !
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Wasn’t there but as far as kitsyn goes I’m sure the language thing was tough but he may not have had his gear either which can really throw off a player.
It seemed like a number of the recent draftees were surprised to hear they’d be in camp in less than a week. North american kids could probably get their stuff shipped down but probably not for someone from russia.
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Considering the level and experience of most of these players, I would have expected Moller to be noteworthy.
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So any info. as to how Manchester’s favorite defenseman, Andrew Campbell is doing???
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tron Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
@Simarosa, He played and I remember him catching my attention, but I can’t recall if it was for good or bad play.
I will try to keep an eye on him tomorrow.
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tron Reply:
July 1st, 2010 at 11:33 pm
@Simarosa, Today Campbell had a nice assist on Weal’s goal
but didn’t really standout. Nic Deslauriers was the standout
on defense.
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anybody know why gabe gauthier isn`t here at camp?
i hope the kings pass on the free agents and give the kids a chance.
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USCG Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
@paul, cool yeah lets miss the play offs cuz we want our rookies to go out there and get their heads cut off.
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Tracey Reply:
July 22nd, 2010 at 12:38 pm
@paul, Gabe isn’t at camp because he is a free agent and was not picked back up by the Kings.
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Holloway’s a great looking player. I saw him play when he was with the Reign. Impressive kid. I’d like to see him make the team this year, or at least play a couple of games as a King. Keep it up, Bud.
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