9/30 Preview – Game Group in SJ + McLellan on Sturm, Turcotte’s Growth, Roy-turn To Practice

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (3-1-1) @ San Jose Sharks (1-2-0)
WHAT: NHL PRESEASON GAME
WHEN: Saturday, September 30 @ 7:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: SAP Center – San Jose, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: N/A – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: Week 2 of preseason play comes to a close this evening, as the Kings head North to take on the San Jose Sharks in a Saturday-evening showdown at SAP Center.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings visited San Jose just once last season, skating to a victory on Black Friday. Forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan, who is expected to play tonight, was tied for the team lead in scoring last season against San Jose with three points (2-1-3) from three games played.

KINGS VITALS: Below is tonight’s expected game group against San Jose –

Forwards (13) – Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Martin Chromiak, Jacob Doty, Samuel Fagemo, Samuel Helenius, Charles Hudon, Alex Laferriere, Mikhail Maltsev, Francesco Pinelli, Akil Thomas, Alex Turcotte, Taylor Ward, Koehn Ziemmer
Defensemen (7) – Tobias Bjornfot, Brandt Clarke, Kevin Connauton, Andreas Englund, Joe Hicketts, Jacob Modry, Jacob Moverare
Goaltenders (3) – Ryan Bednard, Jacob Ingham, David Rittich

Tonight’s game in San Jose will continue to see those who played in Australia be re-integrated into the game group. Last night against Anaheim, we saw four players from the Australia group make the trip to play against the Ducks and tonight we’ll see four more on the plane to San Jose, joining three of the four who played last night. Expect to see Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Jacob Doty, Andreas Englund and Jacob Moverare worked in for tonight’s game.

Beyond that group, we’ll likely see several players for the final time during the NHL exhibition season. Monday marks the start of the Ontario Reign’s training camp and several players who have featured in exhibition games here over the last week will likely be a part of that roster. That’s not to say it’ll be everybody though. We could still see a few guys from what was Group B get the nod to skate with Group A and we’ll get a sense of who that might be in 24 hours time. For now, a group of guys who know it could be their final opportunity to make an impression. We’ve seen that type of mentality all preseason long, expecting the same here tonight.

Notes –
McLellan on Marco
“I think it’s one of the most important relationships in the organization.”

Todd McLellan spoke candidly this morning about his line of communication with Ontario Reign Head Coach Marco Sturm after today’s skate. While it’s always an important relationship, and McLellan was quick to comment on it last season as well, it’s been especially important here this camp. With the Australia trip forcing an earlier-than-usual divide between groups of players, it’s been Sturm and his staff who have generally been on the ice with Groups B and C and for the final time this preseason, it’ll be that staff behind the bench again tonight.

In a normal year, more players might see more of McLellan first-hand. This is not a normal year, though. Roster spots are at a premium due to the salary cap, due to roster limits and due to a more experienced group than in years past. The Melbourne games complicated that even further, wiping out those early days of camp when the groups would be mixed. Looking at say last night’s game, McLellan said he’d be able to watch a lot of it on the plane ride to San Jose, but he was just a couple doors over from Sturm this morning to get a first-person evaluation. That’s been important.

“He’s done a really good job,” McLellan said. “We’ve been able to let him take his team and play on the road during exhibition season, they’ll get one more night tonight, he’s got a lot out of [them]. Those younger players, when they come, they’re ready. We had Krygier today in practice, he fit right in, he was fine. He understood the language and he hasn’t been here for a whole year……really happy with what they’re doing and really happy with the communication here.”

At this point in camp, everyone is still an LA Kings player, there are no Ontario Reign players. That likely changes tomorrow, with Reign camp set to open on Monday, but for in the here and now everyone is a King. What’s made that even easier is that McLellan is seeing players – like Cole Krygier, who he mentioned – who are coming into the fold and they understand what the Kings are saying during practices, the language they’re using. That’s helped players who are coming up, or moving between groups during training camp, adjust quicker and more efficiently.

McLellan also reinforced Sturm’s willingness to tell it like it is regarding evaluations.

Sturm is quick to back his players to McLellan and he’s quick to present the pros and cons of certain players in certain situations. That helps when making roster decisions or even line combinations. Transactions happen throughout a season and we might even expect to see them more regularly this year, considering the salary-cap constraints the Kings are facing. Having that relationship between NHL and AHL coaches is important and having an AHL coach who will give a trusted, educated and most importantly honest opinion is a boost for McLellan. Sturm is evolving as a head coach and his players, whether it be pre or regular season, have to be taking notice.

“If I’m a player and I’m playing on that Reign team, eyes wide open and ears wide open,” McLellan added. “I don’t know what will happen down the road, maybe Marco will be their coach in the NHL one day.”

Turc-ules
Another strong showing last night for Kings forward Alex Turcotte.

Centering the top forward line in San Diego, between Alex Laferriere and Samuel Fagemo, Turcotte collected an assist along with a +2 rating. While he didn’t get a point on the first goal, it was his breakout pass through the neutral zone that beat three Ducks to create an odd-man scenario the other way.

TALK ABOUT TIC TAC TOE

1-0 LAK pic.twitter.com/Viy3Vx2u9u

— LA Kings (@LAKings) September 30, 2023

Another strong showing from Turcotte, who has caught the eye of McLellan early in training camp.

“He looks stronger, he looks more more mature, physically, than he did in the past,” McLellan said this morning. “He’s had good, solid, games and he looks confident. Sometimes the restart, or a new year, is a chance for them to reset themselves and Turc might be in that situation.”

From the player’s perspective, he’s just trying to do his thing out there. Less thinking, more playing.

Turcotte has faced and overcome quite a bit of adversity throughout his time with the Kings organization. That’s been well-documented. That’s not what this is about though. We know about the roster composition the Kings are facing here this fall and we knew that we’d be looking at a select window of opportunity. Could Turcotte be the player who seizes it and separate himself from the pack? All he can control is what he does day-to-day, game-to-game and he’s working his best to do that.

“Any time you get a chance to play, especially for me, I look forward to it,” he said. “I’m just trying to have fun, play my game and not think too much. Just go out there and play, that’s what I’ve tried to do.”

Turcotte is one of many younger players in an interesting spot. He was the 1C yesterday in San Diego, skating with Laferriere and Fagemo. A line that looked very effective.

“I thought we played really well, especially in the first, it felt like we were in the offensive zone pretty much the entire time,” Turcotte reflected. “It’s fun playing offense, it’s nice to get on the board and build some confidence. They’re two really good players and I thought we read off each other well and created a lot of offense.”

Should he crack the Kings lineup at some point, though, he’d likely be in a bottom-six role to start. Especially at center, there just isn’t an opening in the top nine. Such is life for many, but it’s good to see that it’s not just his statistical output that’s been impressive, but his full game and overall contributions. That’s what is really important for players on the bubble during the preseason. Stats are great, but they’re preseason stats.

Another opportunity for Turcotte tonight in San Jose.

The Roy-Turn
Lastly, Insiders, a quick update on Kings defenseman Matt Roy, who will not play tonight, but did return to practice today. Roy missed the last two days with an illness, stemming off the trip to Melbourne. Said he didn’t feel to great coming off that trip but is doing a lot better now and was back on the ice today with Group A. Assume he’ll get another skate with this group on Monday and be back up to speed for what would likely be his second exhibition contest on Tuesday.

While it’s been an abnormal camp for everyone, that goes twice for Roy, who has now missed additional time. Still, he’s feeling in a decent place at this stage in the process.

“We had a good push in the summer, we had a lot of guys training here and had some good skates before we left for Australia. Coming back, especially for me, it’s been an adjustment, I know it has been for everybody. I think everyone is starting to be on their sleep schedules a little bit more, I think the pace of practice has picked up and I think things are pretty close to normal.”

Good to see #3 back at it.

Kings and Sharks, tonight at 7 PM from the Tank! My first game back live since Melbourne, see you then!