Around the rink (literally) at camp

A couple interesting things from camp, before we get to the actual interviews and such…

On the injury front, Derek Forbort was able to participate in all the sessions. He has been considered questionable because of back pain. The only prospect not to participate today was goalie J.F. Berube, who had an undisclosed injury.

Off the ice, the prospects typically go through extensive workouts. This summer, that includes sessions with a boxing/martial-arts instructor. One Kings staffer told me that the exercises are great for core muscles and also, mentally, help the players build confidence if they find themselves in fighting/physical situations.

Finally, there have been some aesthetic changes to the Toyota Sports Center rink. The rink has been designated as one of a handful, around the league, to be a testing site for new safety features. The most notable is the movement of the glass closer to the ice surface. As you can see from the photos below, the glass is almost at the very inner edge of the boards now, which creates less of a “ledge” at the top of the boards. The thought is that the new design might reduce the frequency of odd bounces behind the net, and it mighty also eliminate some head injuries, by reducing the possibility that players will hit their heads on the “ledge.” Click below for a couple pictures (and click the picture for a full-size version).