Clifford beats the odds

In order to make the Kings’ roster out of training camp, Kyle Clifford needed to not only have an impressive showing but have a more impressive showing than more experienced players such as Rich Clune and John Zeiler. So that’s exactly what Clifford did.

The 19-year-old Clifford, drafted by the Kings in the second round last year, has made the opening-night roster and will have a good chance to crack the lineup Saturday as the fourth-line left winger. Clifford showed tenacity, physical play and, perhaps most importantly, some offensive potential during training camp and preseason games, and here’s what Clifford had to say about making the roster…

CLIFFORD: “It’s a dream come true, I guess you could say. It’s something I worked my whole life for. Like the other rookies here, like Schenn and Lokti, it’s something we wanted to accomplish. It’s just the beginning now. We have to keep working and stay focused and make a career out of it now.”

Question: Coming into camp, what were your expectations and what did you think you would have to do in order to make the roster?

CLIFFORD: “I just knew I had to stay focused and work hard. I was here all summer with Schenner, and we just talked about how we didn’t want to go back to juniors. Coming into camp, me and him just came in with the right attitude and really wanted to stick around. It’s just the beginning, like I said, so we’ve still got some time and we want to stay around for the whole season.”

Coach Terry Murray indicated that the Kings had two good options when choosing between Clune and Clifford.

“It’s not so much about Rich Clune,” Murray said. “I thought his camp was pretty good. He spent a great deal of time in the offseason getting himself ready. He came in as one of the elite guys in the organization, on the testing side, so that was good. It’s more about what Clifford showed in the training camp. He took a big step from last year at this time, and it’s about what he did with his physical play, his grit, his fighting. He’s a young guy in a man’s body. He’s so powerful and we feel, I feel, that he has a very nice upside to his game.”

Finally, Clifford is known for having an edge to his game, to say the least. Twice in the preseason, Clifford received instigator (and automatic misconduct) penalties, but Murray was adamant that he saw no reason to try to restrict Clifford’s game. The latter instigator penalty came in the “Frozen Fury” game in Las Vegas against Colorado.

“I brought that right back to my office and I watched it a bunch of times,” Murray said. “I’m OK with that. A young player like that needs to be allowed to play his game. That is who he is. I’m not going to discourage it. Now, as you mature and you move into the NHL and get your feel around the league and see what it’s all about, there are decisions that a player will make that will probably be different. But I had no problem at all with any of the reactions that he had to situations on the ice.”