Two days of Kings Development Camp are in the books!

Tuesday’s on-ice activity once again began with divided skates in the morning, with the defense group taking the earlier session. The forward group, which skated first yesterday, took the ice later in the morning. The separate groups did not return to the ice for individual sessions in the afternoon as they had done on Monday. Instead, the day concluded with the first full scrimmage of camp.

The players were divided into two teams, White versus Black, and played two 35-minute periods with a running clock.

We nearly had fireworks just seconds into the first period when Liam Greentree, the Kings’ first round selection in Friday’s draft, nearly put Team White ahead. He stripped the puck from an unsuspecting defenseman immediately after the opening faceoff but was unable to score on a breakaway against 2023 fourth-rounder Hampton Slukynsky.

However, Team White did open the scoring several minutes later when a loose puck in front of the net was forced in past Slukynsky. That goal, scored with a mess of players in front of the net, was the only tally of the first period.

Jared Wright impressed for Team Black in the first period. He created multiple scoring chances that prompted good saves from the Kings’ newest goaltender prospect Carter George, who was drafted in the second round this year. George also denied forward Kaleb Lawrence on a penalty shot with a stick save.

Two camp invitees led the team’s back onto the ice for the second period, Samuel St-Hilaire and Jackson Parsons, who took the creases for Team White and Team Black respectively.

Lawrence had another great chance to get Team Black on the board after intercepting a breakout pass but rifled the puck off the crossbar behind St-Hilaire. Team White corralled the rebound and immediately transitioned back down the ice, where forward Kenny Connors scored a nifty goal from in from of the net to extend the lead to 2-0.

Team White scored an empty net goal right as the second period clock expired to win the camp’s first scrimmage 3-0.

For development coach Sean O’Donnell, Tuesday’s scrimmage served as a good opportunity to see the players in a game situation after a drill-heavy Monday.

“I’ve very hard because these scrimmages are great to get a first impression, but it’s really hard to get an idea of how someone’s been because there’s no structure,” he said. “There are no systems, no power play, and no penalty kill. Guys aren’t going to block shots so it’s it different to see what a guy’s true value is.”

Someone who did make a strong impression was defenseman Matthew Mania, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, but didn’t skate at last year’s Development Camp due to an injury.

“He was here last year and we wanted him in the meetings,” O’Donnell said. “He wasn’t able to go on the ice, but I think he’s been really good [this year].”

Now, Mania is back in Los Angeles with the other prospects but on the ice for the first time.

“It’s awesome just getting to be on the ice and around the guys more,” he said. “It’s a good experience. It’s tough coming back from injury like that. I was just kind of easing my way back into it, but I’m at 100% now and feeling great.”

That injury also prevented Mania from playing at the start of the Ontario Hockey League season last year. He eventually returned to the Sudbury Wolves lineup and recorded 23 points in 45 games.

Mania is a creative defenseman. He moves the puck well and isn’t shy offensively. For O’Donnell, a former NHL defenseman himself, Development Camp is an opportunity to help these prospects tighten up other aspects of their game.

“I think offense is harder to teach than defense, so I think it’s easier to a take a naturally offensive defenseman and turn them into a defensive defenseman,” he said. “Sometimes it takes time for guys that are naturally offensive to understand how important all those little things along the wall and in front of the net are.”

Now fully healthy, Mania is finally getting the opportunity to get on the ice and learn from the development staff.

“Hockey is still hockey. I’ve just got to play my game and everything else will fall into place,” he said. “I just want to get out here and be a part of camp, continue to get better, and learn from what [the coaches] have to say.”

Jared Woolley is another promising young defenseman who impressed during the scrimmage. He’s a physical, big-bodied player who the Kings selected in the sixth round of this year’s draft after a solid season in the OHL.

“I thought Woolley made some really nice plays for a big guy,” O’Donnell said. “He’s what they call a ‘project.’ He’s a big guy that you want to work with. I thought he showed some poise. He looks like he enjoys the physical parts [of the game], which we always love working with.”

Speaking with the media after the scrimmage, O’Donnell commented that he mentally tells himself, or the players, where to go with the puck while he’s watching the game.

“In my head I think, ‘go D-to-D’ or ‘go up the wall,” he said. “Every time I thought that, he did those things. I was impressed with Jared.”

It’s been a whirlwind few days for Woolley, which started with the NHL Draft on Saturday and culminated in his first trip to LA.

“I’ve never been on the west coast. This is my first time,” he said. “I talked to Sean O’Donnell. He gave me a call after [the draft] to let me know that he works with the defense and that we’ll be working together. Other than that, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into.”

However, Kenny Connors did know what he was getting into at Development Camp this season. He returns to LA after a second season at UMass, where he has accumulated 48 points in 69 games over the last two years.

“Something I worked on a lot with coaches [at UMass] was just being a more complete player on both sides of the puck and playing away from the puck a lot better,” Connors said. “I think just growing my overall game was a big emphasis last year.”

NCAA hockey can be a difficult game, and in many ways, is different from the junior leagues in Canada. The playing schedule is different and players are sometimes a little bit older. Playing in a major conference like Hockey East, home to powerhouse programs like Boston College, can help younger players develop in a unique way.

“I think Hockey East is a physical league. There’s a lot of heavy players,” Connors said. “Guys are older than me and bigger than me, but I think that just does a good job preparing all college players for the next level where guys are a lot bigger and stronger as well.”

Connors is actually one of the older and more experienced players at this year’s camp, which gives him the opportunity to lead by example.

“I just want to be someone who’s in front of the lines and kind of pushing the pace,” he added. “I think this year I’ve had more of an emphasis on attacking the camp, being more confident, and playing as well as I can throughout the week.”

Two days down, one to go! Stay tuned for more Development Camp coverage as the Kings’ prospects return to the ice in El Segundo tomorrow morning.