5 Kings prospects to participate in NCAA Tournament, First Round Begins Thursday/Friday

It’s been three years since the NCAA Men’s Hockey season has been played in full and a national champion has been awarded. Following a full 2019-20 season, the National Championship and Frozen Four were cancelled due to the COVID-19 worldwide outbreak just prior to the Conference Championships. The following season, only some college hockey programs played a condensed schedule, though the national tournament was played in full, as UMass Amherst, alma mater of Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, came home with the 2021 NCAA Men’s Hockey National Championship.

Much has changed since that last full NCAA season and National Championship was awarded. Why do I bring this up? Because in 2018-19, the University of Minnesota-Duluth won the National Championship behind a phenomenal performance from the Kings very own Mikey Anderson. In a 3-0 National Championship game, Anderson recorded a point on all three goals with one himself and two helpers. Two years and 115 NHL games later, Anderson is a mainstay on the Kings blue line.

This year, all five LA Kings collegiate prospects have made it into the bracket, with games starting today at 9 AM on ESPNU. With national broadcasts, this is your opportunity to see some future personnel of Kings hockey over the course of the next two days and hopefully beyond!

Here’s who’s playing and your need to know info in order of game times, with all times listed as Pacific –

Alex Laferriere – Harvard University
Thursday, 9 AM on ESPNU – 4. Harvard vs. 1. Minnesota State-Mankato

The ECAC Freshman of the Year, All-ECAC Freshman Team Honoree and Third Team All-ECAC winger heads into a matchup with his Harvard Crimson against the #2 nationally ranked Minnesota State Mavericks having won six of their last seven games. Laferriere, the Kings 2020 third-round pick led his Harvard team in goals (14) and points (27) in 29 games this season.

Harvard won the ECAC Tournament last weekend to secure the conference’s automatic bid into the tournament.

Kings Director, Player Personnel Nelson Emerson had this to say about Laferriere –

“He works, he competes, he skates, he’s the kind of player you pull for, because he wasn’t a high draft pick, but he does all the right things. If you watch the way we play, the way Todd wants us to play, this kid will fit right into that.”

I spoke with Laferriere earlier this season about his year and journey up to this point, available here.

Andre Lee & Ben Meehan – UMASS Lowell
Thursday, 6 PM on ESPNU – 4. UMASS Lowell vs. 1. Denver

Starting with the elder of the two, Andre Lee enters the tournament as UMASS Lowell’s leading point-getter (28) and goalscorer (16). At 6-4, 205 LBS, Lee brings size and skill to the ice, providing a physical presence and a flare in the skills department as he put together an eye-catching season, earning Third Team Hockey East honors.

Ben Meehan, the left-hand shooting, sophomore defenseman has played a big role on both ends of the ice this season for the Riverhawks. Described as a puck-moving defenseman who skates well and uses his above-average footwork to play sound defense, Meehan is worth the watch. On the season, the Kings 2020 fifth-round pick has notched 14 points (5-9=14) in 32 games.

Brock Faber – University of Minnesota
Friday, 3 PM on ESPNU – 2. Minnesota vs. 3. UMASS Amherst

The Big Ten’s Defenseman of the Year heads into the tournament having excelled on every team he’s represented this year. The Golden Gopher has not only played in college this season, but also represented the United States on multiple occasions. First, Faber represented Team USA at the abbreviated 2022 World Junior Championships and more notably, he donned the red, white and blue at the 2022 Beijing Olympics and led the team in time on ice.

The Kings’ 2020 second-round pick earned high honors at the year-end regular season awards, taking home the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. In doing so, Faber beat out the 2021 first overall draft pick from the University of Michigan Owen Power, with both young defensemen awarded with All Big Ten First Team honors.

The sophomore is described as a two-way defenseman who can shut down a team’s top line and also contribute on the offensive end of the ice. On the season, Faber has totaled 13 points (2-11-13) in 29 games for the Golden Gophers.

David Hrenak – St. Cloud State
Friday, 5 PM on ESPNEWS – 3 St. Cloud St. vs. 2 Quinnipiac

The Huskies fifth-year starting goaltender enters the tournament with a 16-11-4 record, 2.26 GAA and .914 save percentage. Born in Bystrica, Slovakia, Hrenak provides veteran leadership for his Huskies as he’s already made four career starts in previous National Championship tournaments. Notably, Hrenak has become the school record holder for career shutouts with 12 and holds the program record for career goalie wins, as he has tallied 82 wins in his collegiate career.

Hrenak stands 6-2 and weighs 181 Lbs. The Kings drafted the Slovak in 2018 with their fifth-round selection, and this will be his final opportunity for a national championship as a graduate senior.

The entire tournament will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks. The quarterfinals, set for Saturday and Sunday, will be broadcast on ESPN2 and ESPNU. The Frozen Four, which is scheduled for the weekend of April 7 – 9, will be broadcast entirely on ESPN2, starting with the semifinals on April 7 and concluding with the National Championship Game on April 9.