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Looking to the Future

Additional details released on 2022 Rookie Faceoff + LAK prospects begin preseason play

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Happy Tuesday, Insiders!

Some additional information has been released today surrounding the 2022 Rookie Faceoff, which will be held in San Jose from September 16 – 20, at the newly constructed Tech CU Arena. As has been the case in past tournaments, the Kings will play three games over the course of four days in Northern California, beginning on Friday, September 16. The Kings will also play on Saturday, September 17 and Monday, September 19, completing the three-game tournament in advance of main training camp, set to begin later that week.

As previously announced, below is the Kings schedule for the 2022 Rookie Faceoff –

9/16 – Kings vs. Avalanche, 2 PM
9/17 – Kings vs. Golden Knights, 2 PM
9/19 – Kings vs. Sharks, 2 PM

For the sake of continuity, apparently, the Kings will play all three games at 2 PM Pacific. The 2022 Rookie Faceoff will be the first formal hockey event held at Tech CU arena, the newly built home of the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda.

Information for those looking to attend can be found below –

There are two ticketing options for 2022 Rookie Faceoff games, which can be purchased here. Fans can purchase a full tournament pass, which allows entry into all nine games over duration of the tournament, or a single-day pass, which is valid for all three games scheduled for that individual day. Full tournament passes are available for $45 and the single-day pass is $25. Tournament games will be held either at Tech CU Arena or on Sharks Ice’s Orange Rink.

Fans attending games in Tech CU Arena will have a designated seat location and should enter the facility via the main box office. Seating is limited for games that are played in the Orange Rink and will be available on a first come-first served basis. Entry for Orange Rink games will be located next to the Sharks Pro Shop. Due to security and capacity protocols, those attending games at both rinks will need to exit the building and re-enter to get from one rink to another. Security protocols, similar to policies in place at SAP Center at San Jose, will be enforced and are available in full detail here.

The Kings will only play games on the main sheet at Tech CU Arena, so only the guidelines for that arena will apply for Kings games specifically. For those with a full-event pass, annoying restrictions appear to be in place with changing between rinks.

In terms of an event roster, all six teams will announce their participating groups “at a later date” though with the event now 10 days away, we should expect to see some movement on that front soon. The Kings had an experienced group participate in development camp over the summer and while the group participating in the event in San Jose could be slightly less experienced – certain players have aged or played their way out – there should still be a strong complement of Kings prospects wearing the black and white at the tournament. The hope is for several younger players to pick up steam during Rookie Faceoff and carry it into main camp, where select invitees will be expected to compete for roles and roster spots with both the Kings and the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

Kings Prospects Begin Preseason Play
Speaking of individuals who could feature in the Rookie Faceoff…….a series of LA Kings prospects, many of whom will play in the afore-described tournament, have begun preseason, and in some cases regular-season, play in various leagues, both in North American and across the world.

Preseason for say a 19-year-old NHL prospect is a bit strange. Take 2022 draft selection Angus Booth for example. Booth made his preseason debut in late-August with his QMJHL club, the Shawinigan Cataractes. Booth’s path to the regular season isn’t quite a straight line, however, as he’s likely to join his fellow Kings prospects for Rookie Camp, the 2022 Rookie Faceoff and formal Kings training camp later this month. Naturally, that would take the rookie defenseman, and several others in a similar position, to California for at least a couple of weeks to participate in those events. For the young blueliner, it’s likely back to the QMJHL for the 2022-23 season from there, but unlike his undrafted teammates, Booth will enter the season coming off of a couple of different NHL experiences, as opposed to simply QMJHL preseason.

A look below at a few who have played games so far this season within the Kings system, and a look at what their remaining preseason slates entail.

Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

QMJHL
As noted above, Booth made his preseason debut with Shawinigan on August 24 in an 8-2 victory over the Victoriaville Tigres. Booth had a game-high five hits in the win, the only of his team’s four preseason games to date he’s taken part in. As a returning member of last season’s QMJHL champions and Memorial Cup semifinalists, Booth is expected to be a key contributor for Shawinigan this season in his draft-plus-1 campaign.

Shawinigan has three preseason games remaining – September 9, 10 and 16 – before opening the 2022-23 season against the Gatineau Olympiques on September 22.

OHL
Playing games of any nature is an important step forward for the 2022 seventh-round selection Kaleb Lawrence. Lawrence has been limited to just two regular-season contests in the OHL over the last two seasons with Owen Sound, so getting a full season under his belt is essential for the towering winger. Lawrence made his preseason debut with the Attack yesterday, as he tallied two shots on goal, won 8-of-18 faceoffs and accrued four penalty minutes in a 5-4 victory over Barrie.

Owen Sound has three preseason games remaining – September 11, 20 and 24 – before the regular season begins on Friday, September 30 against London.

OHL prospects Brandt Clarke and Francesco Pinelli have yet to feature in preseason play with Barrie and Kitchener respectively.

Finland
Information on preseason hockey overseas is not quite as accessible as it is here in North America, but forward Aatu Jamsen has begun preseason with Pelicans in Liiga over in Finand. Jamsen tallied a goal and an assist in his team’s recent 3-0 victory over IFK Helsinki, one of seven preseason games the team has taken part in thus far, though it was unclear how many of those contests Jamsen has taken part in.

Forward Kasper Simontaival also got on the board during his team’s most recent exhibition game, as he tallied an assist for KalPa in a 4-0 victory over JYP. Like Jamsen, no official word on his status in his team’s other exhibition contests, but also like Jamsen, Simontaival got on the board in his most recent game.

While he has not gotten on the scoresheet, Otto Salin has featured at times for IFK Helsinki during exhibition season, after he appeared in six games with the senior club during the 2021-22 campaign. Salin was reported to have been in the lineup against Jamsen and Pelicans last time out.

Jamsen and Pelicans have two additional “frendlies” remaining – tomorrow and Friday – before they open their 2022-23 season on September 14 versus Karpat. Simontaival and KalPa have one more exhibition game on Thursday, before beginning Liiga play on September 14 versus SalPa. Salin and IFK Helsinki have one final exhibition game on Thursday before Liiga play opens against Hameenlinna on the 14th.

Germany
Goaltender Juho Markkanen is beginning his first season in the DEL with AEG-owned and operated Eisbaren Berlin. Markkanen has yet to appear in the Champions Hockey League, which Berlin qualified for as last season’s German champions, but he was a part of several of his team’s friendly matches during the month of August, frequently partnering Tobias Ancicka, who attended development camp with the Kings back in July.

Markkanen and company have four matches remaining in the CHL, with their regular-season DEL schedule getting underway on Thursday.

A few additional bits of news slated to follow this week, Insiders! As always, thanks for reading.

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