It’s official: Shore up, Pearson to IR

As expected, Kings placed Tanner Pearson on injured reserve with a broken left fibula and recalled forward Nick Shore from AHL-Manchester. Shore, who ranks second in the AHL with 41 points (20-21=41) in 37 games, is a two-way center with high hockey intelligence and attention to detail.

Vice President of Hockey Operations and Director of Player Personnel Michael Futa, on Nick Shore, in December:
He’s been outstanding. He had a great camp when he was here. Obviously it was a big decision for him coming out with the expectations and [there is] a big difference for these kids between the college schedule a pro schedule. I think him coming out and being a part of that initial playoff run and then being able to put in the time that he’s put in, it’s really paying off. I think he’s playing a much more mature game. I know our coaches here really preach to him ‘200-foot game.’ It’s such a critical thing for a player like that. Your offense isn’t just going to naturally translate, and he’s gone down and put in his time and it’s been really good to see. He’s been so attention-to-detail away from the puck and positive, that his offense is coming natural for him now. He’s a little stronger. We basically told him that you’ve got to put yourself in a situation that if anything happens up here, injury related, that you’ve got to make it a tough decision. You’ve got to be really pushing, like Jordan Weal was a guy that was kind of the next in line. You’ve got to be pushing to be the first call up if something were to happen. He’s really put himself in a situation, along with Wealer (Jordan Weal) and Nic Dowd, it’s a pretty neat situation down the middle down there. They’re all different shapes and sizes of what they bring, but they have kind of internally had a really good, healthy competition down there and made that decision, if it ever has to come, a tough one.

Pearson will wear number 37. From the Kings’ release:

Shore will wear number 37, the first Kings player to wear that number since Jean-Sebastian Aubin (Sep. 2007-Feb. 2008) and first non-goaltender to wear it since fellow Denver Pioneer, Gabe Gauthier, wore it for five games during the 2006-07 season.

During line rushes at the morning skate, Shore skated as part of a four-man rotation that included Kyle Clifford, Andy Andreoff and Jordan Nolan. It is likely that among Andreoff and Shore, one will play tonight, and one will be scratched.