9/28 Preview – Today’s Game Group + Reign Alums Talk Ontario Return, Notes on Special Teams

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (1-0-1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (1-0-1)
WHAT: 2024 Preseason Game
WHEN: Saturday, September 28 @ 3:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Toyota Arena – Ontario, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: Bally Sports West – AUDIO – ESPN LA App / LA Kings App – TWITTER: @dooleylak & @lakings

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP: The Kings will play their only “home” game of the preseason, as they host the Anaheim Ducks at the home of their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, in a Saturday matinee.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings and Ducks met four times last season, with LA winning three of the four contests.

Among the players expected to play in today’s game, forward Adrian Kempe led the way with five points (0-5-5) in four head-to-head matchups last season. Forward Akil Thomas collected a goal and an assist from two games played, collecting a point in each contest.

KINGS VITALS: A new group is expected today for the LA Kings, including a couple of veterans who will play for the first time.

Looks like we will see goaltender David Rittich for his preseason debut this afternoon. Rittich played twice against the Ducks last season, winning both games, as he stopped 50 of 53 shots faced in the process. Rittich will be partnered by goaltender Erik Portillo for today’s game. Portillo has appeared in one game this preseason, as he stopped 14 of the 16 shots he faced in 40 minutes of action on Monday evening in Utah.

In terms of the skaters, there’s some experience, some youth and a lot of Ontario Reign alums.

Expecting to see the preseason debuts of Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, the final two members of the NHL roster who have not yet played during this exhibition season. Today’s game group is below –

Forwards (12) – Chromiak, Doty, Fagemo, Helenius, Kempe, Kopitar, Laferriere, Lewis, Malott, Pinelli, Studnicka, Thomas

Defensemen (6) – Clarke, Dvorak, Edmundson, Englund, Jones, Spence

Goaltenders (2) – Portillo, Rittich

Today’s game will be the first opportunity to see the Laferriere/Kopitar/Kempe line in action. Laferriere played in Wednesday’s exhibition game in Vegas, but he should slot in alongside Koptiar and Kempe here today, a line that is expected to play together during the regular season. Behind those three players will be a bit unknown, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Akil Thomas in between Samuel Fagemo and Trevor Lewis, three guys in the mix on the fourth line.

On the blueline, expecting to see Joel Edmundson and Brandt Clarke leading the way as a pairing. The Kings specifically targeted that pair and despite the injury to Drew Doughty, for now, that pair has remained together. The remainder of the group has Jordan Spence, who is a right-shot defenseman, and three LHD. Assuming we could see Caleb Jones on the right side, as he’s played both sides throughout his professional career.

ANAHEIM VITALS: Like Los Angeles, the Ducks have a win and an overtime defeat from their first two preseason games.

No word on lineups yet for the visitors. Anaheim introduced more of their regular forwards into the lineup on Thursday and with a game at home against the Kings on Monday, I’d expect to see perhaps a younger lineup today and a more veteran group on Monday. To be determined.

Make It Reign
Due to renovations at Crypto.com Arena, the Kings are unable to play any exhibition games at home this fall.

Regardless, though, today’s game is important.

The City of Ontario has supported LA Kings prospects in the AHL since the team moved West back in 2015. Entering now the tenth season as the primary minor-league affiliate of the Kings, Ontario has been among the league leaders in attendance in the AHL, providing a great environment for Kings prospects to grow and develop.

“It’s great,” Head Coach Jim Hiller said. “I can tell you, I was there, unfortunately the lost to Coachella, the last playoff game there, but what a crowd, what energy it was. It was awesome. The building was alive. To get back there, clearly, they’ve got Reign fans there, they’ve got Kings fans there, it’s great for us to get back in there and play. They did just a great job.”

Of the players expected to be on the roster for Opening Night, at least 10 of them have played in Ontario. Starting at the top of the lineup, defenseman Mikey Anderson and forward Adrian Kempe each spent time with the Reign. Going down the list, so have Quinton Byfield and Jordan Spence, as well as players like Alex Turcotte, Akil Thomas and Brandt Clarke, who all played with the Reign last season on their run to the third round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Last season, across the NHL, a total of 583 players who were on opening-night rosters were AHL graduates. That made up greater than 82 percent of all players, averaging more than 18 players per team. Accounting for all AHL affiliates, at least 20 of the players expected to be on the Day 1 roster for the Kings would have AHL experience. Including those listed above, players like Kevin Fiala, Warren Foegele, Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore all came through the AHL in one city or another.

For those who played in Ontario specifically, there are great memories returning to the Inland Empire.

Clarke – “It’s super exciting, I’m looking forward to getting back out there, I’ve had good times there. We’re going to hopefully put on a show for those Ontario fans, they were so great to me and all the Reign guys last year. They filled the building every night, they brought the passion and they showed up. We’re really grateful for that and I’m excited to be back out there [today].”

Kempe – “It’s awesome, it’s been awhile now since I’ve played in an exhibition game down there, but what I remember is that the fans are great down there. There’s always great support, you can see it when the Reign play there, they have great fans. It’s going to be a pretty busy building and I’m looking forward to it.

Thomas – “It will be cool, I did one before and it’s cool. Now I’m familiar with the room and the rink and it’ll be great to be back there. The Reign have some underrated fans and it was really fun last year and every year I’ve been there, they’ve been great. It was a really fun place to play last year.”

The other cool part of playing this game in Ontario is what Hiller spoke about – the atmosphere. Love a game in an NHL building, but preseason games do not carry the same energy as a regular-season game does. In a place like Ontario, though, or what we’ll likely see next week in Quebec City, the energy is different. It’s a one-off event for fans in a non-NHL market and that makes it more of a special event. A better experience for those who get to play, with a building that makes it feel like more than it is.

Should be a fun one today in the home of the Reign.

Quick Hitters
– Should see 80 percent of the presumed top power-play unit for the Kings in action here today. Clarke, Kopitar, Kempe and Laferriere all worked with the top unit yesterday during practice, with only Kevin Fiala not expected to make the trip today to Ontario.

Clarke skated in his first practice with that unit yesterday, with that part of Drew Doughty’s role expected to go to the young blueliner. Alex Laferriere is also a new addition from past seasons. Jim Hiller has always preferred a right-shot forward to be involved and Laferriere makes the most sense, if the Kings don’t want four lefties. He was tenacious on puck recoveries in Vegas and while he will have to offer more than that to remain in that spot, I thought that was perhaps the brightest spot of his game on Wednesday. Kopitar worked in the middle of the ice, while Kempe was on his preferred one-timer location on the right side of the umbrella. For today, I wonder if we might see Francesco Pinelli in Kevin Fiala’s spot, to replicate the left-handed forward, or if Samuel Fagemo may play there to get a look at what a one-timer threat on both sides looks like.

– On the PK, yesterday’s practice showed a much more aggressive look from the penalty killers. It’s something Jim Hiller talked about earlier in training camp as wanting to implement.

Would like to see Akil Thomas in PK action today. The Kings liked him in a limited look last season and that’s an area I think he can contribute to earn himself more minutes. Thomas killed penalties in the AHL and provides that aggressive style the Kings are looking for. Will also be interested to see how the team approaches the defensemen. You’d look at the left sided players, including Edmundson, who is dressed today, to lead the way there, but two LHD on a unit leads to backhanded clearing attempts. Not ideal. In yesterday’s practice, Edmundson and Mikey Anderson played together during drills, but hard to tell if it was just because neither plays on the PP. One to keep an eye on.

– Interested to see the goaltending split today and going forward. Kings have four preseason games left, plus one AHL preseason game with Ontario. I’d expect Rittich to play at least 40 minutes today, maybe the full 60. Assume Kuemper and Rittich each play one game in Quebec City as well. That leaves Portillo, who has played 40 minutes and Pheonix Copley, who has yet to play, as well as Dryden McKay, in camp on an AHL contract. Copley has been a full participant during camp but has not played a game since December 10, 2023 in New York. Assume he will get some preseason action, whether it be with the Kings on Monday or Ontario on Friday, October 5.

Looking at Rittich to start tonight and away we go.