NHL.com previews + video; growing hockey in China; Pickwick event this afternoon

INSIDERS. A fine Wednesday to you and yours. First, the annual NHL.com 31 in 31 series, followed by several community and organizational notes:

LA KINGS SEASON PREVIEW
Inside look
Three questions
Top prospects
Fantasy preview
Key statistics

James O’Brien at NBC’s Pro Hockey Talk also has a Kings preview, while JFTC has begun to reveal their top 25 LAK prospects.

KINGS THINGS:

Approximately 30 5-to-15-year-olds will attend the camp, which will be held from August 19-23 in the Chaoyang District’s Beijing A.Z. Ice Sports Club. A team release notes the club’s “goal of growing ice hockey in China and to improve the skill set of Chinese youth hockey players,” an endeavor intertwined with China’s massive winter sports infrastructure push in advance of the 2022 Olympic Games. Alex Ovechkin served as an NHL Ambassador in his visit to the country last week, a trip that followed one by the Arizona State men’s team, which became the first NCAA hockey team to play in Beijing. The Sun Devils won the Renaissance Cup, defeating KHL-Kunlun in the championship game behind a hat trick from the NCAA’s reigning regular season goals leader, Johnny Walker.

I took this toboggan ride at the Great Wall, and it was incredible. (Emmanuel Wong/NHLI)

Also, I’ll see you at the newly rebranded LA Kings Pickwick Ice Center later this afternoon, which recently underwent a three-phase alteration-and-improvement project at a cost of approximately one million dollars, according to a Kings release. The ribbon-cutting and community open house will take place at 4:00 p.m. with Burbank Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy, LA Kings Chief Operating Officer Kelly Cheeseman, LA Kings forward Kyle Clifford and the Operator of LA Kings Pickwick Ice Center Brad Berman scheduled to take part. Daryl Evans will serve as the event’s host. There’s also a youth clinic from 4:45 and an open skate from 6-7. Come say hello!

There’s more here from the LA Times.

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