Training camp quotes: Auger, Crescenzi, Stothers

Justin Auger, on what he took away from Kings training camp:
I thought it was good up there. You get used to that high pace, everything’s obviously a step quicker up there. Just bringing it into here you just want to keep that pace going. You don’t want to take your foot off the gas at all, just right into season get it going early out here. As you saw we had a pretty tough practice to start the week off. Stuttsy’s setting the tone already and letting everyone know what kind of year it’s going to be like. [Reporter: Right back into it.] We didn’t expect anything else.

Auger, on if anything surprised him in preseason NHL games:
Everything’s quicker. I was fortunate enough to play a couple exhibition games last year as well. I kind of knew what I was stepping into and obviously this year felt even more comfortable out there. I think that’s a big thing is your comfort level and your confidence once you get into those games to start making plays like that and really just playing your game out there instead of sitting on your heels.

Auger, on his goals for this season in Ontario:
This is going to be my third season playing for Stutts. Obviously I’m looking to ramp it up even more than last year, more ice time, hopefully get more power play time and be a big part of the penalty kill like I have been in the past. Really just looking to take on a larger role on the team. Technically kind of an older guy now even though I’m still pretty young. Being looked at as a leader to some of the young guys who are just coming up for their first year. Just improving on everything last year.

Auger, on whether he has to change his mentality now as a ‘veteran’ under Stothers:
I think so. I think even just little things like tapping guys on the shoulder and saying remember to get back and support the D-men or skate through the crease on a breakout. Just little things like that or stuff that I’ve learned in two years playing with Stutts that’s pretty important in his books. Just remind guys to keep doing that, always face the puck, don’t turn your back. Just little things like that I think it’d be a big help to the young guys to get them started on the right foot.

Auger, on there being a comfort factor in the second season in Ontario:
Even just driving around the city. It’s not a new city, you know where you’re going to dinner tonight. We showed up last night, me and Les, and we knew we were going to Brio for dinner tonight because we’ve been there before. It’s just coming in and reconnecting with a bunch of the guys. We saw a bunch of the at Kings camp but it is a comfort level and every year you get more comfortable here and that also translates into your confidence out there. You just feel comfortable.

Andrew Crescenzi, on what he took away from Kings camp:
You learn different stuff every day there. Obviously the pace is faster and we do pretty much the same systems here but the little things the coaches tell you to work on and focus on makes the game a lot easier and you try to take that down with you here. You’ve got to do those things and work on those things to hopefully make it back up there one day.

Crescenzi, on re-signing with the Kings in the offseason:
I was back in Toronto and just talking to my agent and we were trying to negotiate and figure everything out but they qualified me so I knew that I was coming back. Once it was done I was excited to get back into it and start the season.

Crescenzi, on whether there was any message from the organization about his play:
My end-of-the-year meeting went pretty well, so I knew from there that I would be re-signing, it was just a matter of when. But everything’s been very positive with them and I had a long summer of training and working hard so it was good to get into camp and show them what I can do.

Crescenzi, on there being a comfort factor in the second season in Ontario:
Actually the guys were talking about that. Last year we were thrown into it, we didn’t really know what to expect, what the town was like, what the rink was like. This year coming back we all know what to expect. We have most of the guys coming back so that’s nice, we’re familiar with each other. It’s a huge deal that we know what we’re doing and we know the area. It’s a huge plus this year. [Reporter: Any restaurants you like to go to?] A lot of us don’t really out. We like to cook our own meals. But the town’s been great to us, the fans, we have nothing bad to say.

Stothers, on players still up with the Kings:
I think they’ve all had some moments of, I wouldn’t say greatness, but playing extremely well. You can’t help but talk about a guy like Kempe. His skating ability, seeing him play in the NHL and backing NHL defensemen off with his speed and being a threat each and every time he’s on the ice. It was good. He’s made a great impression thus far and I think the other guys have as well. They’re still there, so that’s a good thing for them. We’ll see how it plays out but happy for all of them but I think probably the guy that stood out the most was Kempe.

Stothers, on the mindset going into Reign training camp after Kings camp:
We just continue to build off the organization’s expectations. We pride ourselves of having an identity of hard-working and detail-oriented and that’s not going to change. There’s a tendency to make it through camp and now it’s, ‘OK, we’re going down [to the AHL],’ and the mindset could be ugh, this training camp’s over. No it’s not. We’re still in the middle of it. There’s some guys here that still need to make an impression. There’s some guys here that I don’t know, they don’t know me. They’re going to get to know me and that’s just the way it is. You’ve got a guy like Vinny and Backs, Cres, that have been with me for going on their third year and they’re probably thinking how do I get out of here and wind up in San Diego. Let me get away from this guy. But we’re just going to keep pushing. That’s the way we operate, that’s the way we roll and some of these guys who are new to it, they’ve got to know that we do things a little differently around here. We want to be playing seven playoff rounds in the last two years. That’s what it’s all about.

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