“Best friends” Henry Brzustewicz, Jared Woolley excited to be teammates once again with LA Kings organization

Getting drafted to the NHL is any young hockey player’s dream.

So, no matter where Henry Brzustewicz wound up this past weekend, I’m sure he would’ve been quite happy. The LA Kings, though, had someone in their organization who perhaps set them just a little bit higher on his list. His good friend and 2024 Kings draft pick Jared Woolley.

“We’re best friends,” Brzustewicz said. “We do a lot together during the season too. Just happy to have him here with me.”

For Woolley, he attended the draft alongside fellow Kings 2024 selection Liam Greentree and the pair watched in the Kings suite during Day 1 on Friday. Woolley went through the process in 2024 and was in attendance when he heard his name called at The Sphere in Las Vegas, his own special moment.

He said it was almost like going through the process for the second time, though with way less nerves as it wasn’t for him. He was a proud friend for Brzustewicz and so many others who saw their dreams come true as draft picks.

“I was fired up,” Woolley said of seeing his good friend get selected by the Kings. “I was sitting right there in the theater and when I saw it, I was very excited. It was nice being there as a fan, kind of coming here for the second time, you’re just less nervous, there’s nothing to worry about, you’re just rooting for your boys.”

Brzustewicz and Woolley have been teammates with the OHL’s London Knights over the last two seasons, including a full season together in 2024-25 as the Knights skated to not only an OHL championship but also a Memorial Cup title. While they didn’t play together every night as defensive partners, they spent the entire season together on the same blueline and the pairings shifted around routinely, sometimes game-to-game, so they played their fair share of minutes together last season.

Today, during the first day of on-ice activity for Brzustewicz with the Kings organization, the two played together on a pairing during the scrimmage, a nice sense of familiarity for a new player in a new setting. Having a guy you know, who has gone through development camp once before, is certainly not a bad thing.

“Yeah, he’s been doing everything for me, honestly,” Brzustewicz said after his first day of development camp. “I’m just following him and leaning on him.”

Brzustewicz looked about as comfortable as one can during his first day of development camp, regardless of influence. He scored a nice goal during the 4-on-4 portion of the scrimmage, activating offensively and scoring on a nice move to the backhand.

During the flow of play, I think some of his comfort level was attributed to playing alongside Woolley. Both players looked calm and collected on the ice and during a session where most players were getting to know each other on the ice, there were two players who looked like they’ve been together before. In a short event like this, that type of thing stands out.

“I think our games go pretty good together,” Woolley said. “We’ve got chemistry and we kind of know what each other is doing on the ice.”

Getting drafted to the same team as your best friend >>>> pic.twitter.com/aO8m6ObcLA

— LA Kings (@LAKings) June 28, 2025

Both players were a part of the squad that won OHL championships in 2024 and 2025, adding the Memorial Cup title in 2025. Brzustewicz called it “really special” to get over that hump in the postseason after coming up two games short the year prior.

For both players, they had larger roles this time around as well, playing a bigger part on this season’s club than they did in 2024. For a group that got almost all the way to the top of the mountain, without finishing the climb, it was huge to get the job done this spring.

“It was huge to win that last game, that’s kind of what we thought about from the year prior,” Woolley said. “Every game that you played during the regular season, going through playoffs, you don’t want to think too far ahead, but it’s in the back of your mind.”

Looking forward to next season, the plan heading back to London next season at this time looks like the two could play together on the top defensive pair for the defending Memorial Cup champions. London has a few players graduating the OHL ranks and for two guys who play different styles on the backend and mesh well off the ice, the chance to play together in an elevated role is exciting for both of them, as well as it should be for the Kings, to see two of their most highly-touted defensive prospects playing on the same pairing in the OHL.

What they’ll be aiming to do is return to the Memorial Cup for the third straight season and, ideally, secure their second consecutive championship.

In playing larger roles, it’ll be an opportunity to expand their respective games. For Brzustewicz, he described himself as a 200-foot defenseman and someone who is able to elevate his game in the most important moments of the season. He showed himself well today during the scrimmage but it’s not exactly a high intensity setting. Still, a good first day with the Kings on the ice.

“I take pride in all three zones,” Brzustewicz said. “I think my game excels in the higher moments, and I’m really competitive, so I’ll do anything to win.”

For Woolley, he’s certainly known for his size, physicality and toughness but it’s his ability to bring those thing in his game alongside an ability to move the puck effectively that makes him an exciting process. You won’t mistake Woolley for an offense-first defenseman but he did highlight the offensive side of his game as the area he took his biggest strides in this past season. Woolley jumped from three goals and five points in 2023-24 to nine goals and 28 points in 2024-25, showcasing some additional aspects of his game.

Certainly an exciting season ahead for both Kings prospects but plenty to come between now and then. Both will continue at development camp this week and both are expected to return for rookie camp and main camp in the fall. Woolley got into his first career NHL exhibition game last fall and that could be the same for Brzustweicz come this season’s training camp. Lots to come for both and they’re both happy to be able to go through it together.