Checking In With The Forwards From The 2025 Draft Class

Yesterday, we took a dive into the two defensemen who the Kings selected during the 2025 NHL Draft beyond the first round, Caeden Herrington and Will Sharpe, who joined first-round selection Henry Brzustewicz as blueliners taken by the Kings over the weekend. All three players are going through their first development camp with the organization, alongside a trio of forwards who are also here for the first time. More on Brzustewicz HERE and Herrington/Sharpe HERE.

The Kings actually drafted five forwards during the draft but two – Kristian Epperson and Brendan McMorrow – were not able to attend development camp this summer. Similar to James Reeder after the 2024 NHL Draft, players committed to Denver University typically do not attend an NHL development camps before their freshman seasons. So, would expect to see those players next summer but not until then.

Three forwards are here for the first time, however, including second-round selection Vojtech Cihar from Czechia, who was the first forward selected during Day 2 of the draft on Saturday. Cihar is joined by fourth-round selection Jimmy Lombardi and sixth-round selection Jan Chovan in El Segundo this week and all three are going through the development camp experience together.

For Cihar, he was one of two drafted prospects to attend the draft in Los Angeles last weekend.

Cihar was at Peacock Theater and had the experience of putting on the jersey, meeting some people, going through the content gauntlet, etc, etc, etc. A special experience for sure, with more from Cihar on draft day below.

So, coming from downtown Los Angeles to El Segundo, I can only assume that his drive took longer than his flight from Czechia to Los Angeles did.

The feeling of being drafted hasn’t quite sunk in yet for Cihar. Such is the same many times for players during their first development camp, because of how quick the turnaround comes from draft day to on-ice drills. Helping him in that process has been defenseman Jakub Dvorak, who is a fellow countryman from Czechia, as well as forward Jan Chovan, who is covered below, who is from Slovakia.

“It’s really great having [Dvorak here],” Cihar said. “I know him from the under-20’s and I definitely know Jan Chovan [as well], a Slovakain guy. We talk to each other all the time and it’s been really awesome to have these guys here with me.”

In talking with Mark Yannetti after the draft, he spoke highly of the player he and the Kings think Cihar can become. He spoke to his comfort and success playing in a men’s league in Czechia, his skating abilities and his upside as a potential impact third-line player who could enter Top-6 territory.

As for his week here at development camp, Cihar spoke about just trying to play his own game and taking in the process, learning from those around him and trying to take those things back with him as he enters next season. Nothing crazy, but tends to be the case often times with younger players in his situation. One to watch for, certainly, moving forward.

Jimmy Lombardi comes to camp off a much-improved OHL season with the Flint Firebirds. He was tied for fourth in scoring on his team, a young team overall, which reached the postseason but ultimately fell in Round 1.

Lombardi’s season brought him onto the radar of the Kings, though he nearly missed the pick. Lombardi, like most prospects, was at home with his family and he stepped away from the broadcast for just a couple of minutes. Until he heard a yell from his mom to come back downstairs, that is, and he saw his name on the screen, selected by the Kings in the fourth round of the draft.

That leads into development camp this week, his first with the Kings. A first development camp can often be a whirlwind experience for a recently drafted player. For Lombardi, he heard his name called on Saturday afternoon and he was on the ice in Los Angeles on Monday morning. Quite the quick turnaround, but he was very complimentary of the experience he’s had.

“It’s been a great experience, being here, I’ve learned a lot,” he said. “There’s older guys you get to follow and all the staff have been amazing. It’s been awesome.”

Lombardi is among the drafted players I feel like I know the least about, to be honest.

He didn’t compete internationally and to be honest with you, I don’t watch a ton of OHL hockey on a regular basis. So, let Lombardi be the one to tell you what his game is about and the areas that he feels he needs to work on. There’s good speed and skill there and he focused on the strength and size part of his game as an area he feels he needs to keep working on to progress in his career.

“I think I need to keep working on getting bigger, strength, my speed, to continue to the next level,” he said. “I think that just tweaking some little things and really focusing in on the details will help me to elevate my game.”

Lombardi is committed to play at the University of Michigan down the road, taking advantage of a recent ruling that allows players from the CHL to play NCAA hockey after, something that was not previously allowed due to compensation provided at the junior level. He spoke about the facilities there and the development factory that Michigan has had as reasons for committing. Sounds as if he won’t go to Ann Arbor for another year, with one more year in Flint to come first.

Gary A. Vasquez/Los Angeles Kings

For Chovan, getting selected by the Kings in the draft was a “dream” for him.

Chovan is an interesting case because he was ranked 16th by NHL Central Scouting among international skaters but was available in the sixth round when the Kings called his name late on Day 2. Chovan was watching with his family at home, gathering all together to watch his name get called.

One of the first texts Chovan received? Fellow Kings prospect and Slovakia native Martin Chromiak, who reached out shortly after Chovan was selected by the Kings.

“He texted me after the draft, we have the same agent, so he texted me to welcome me and said that if I need anything, just to call him and we’ll figure it out,” Chovan said.

For a younger player, coming over from Europe, having someone in the same organization, from the same country, can certainly help. Not a bad thing by any stretch. Chovan called Chromiak a player he can learn from and that relationship is obviously a nice one for him.

Next season, Chovan is expected to come over to North America and play in the OHL with the Sudbury Wolves. He called it a bit of an “experiment” for him but said that playing in the OHL should help “get him ready for the NHL”, with the schedule, size of the rink and style of play more like an NHL or AHL professional grind than it is in Europe.

Probably a ways down the road until we’re talking about Chovan as a potential NHL player, but good to have him out here this week and a good step in his development process, in his own words.

Recap of the Day 4 scrimmage to follow and plenty more content to come throughout the course of the summer, with a number of different interviews done and banked here this week by myself and several others on the Kings content team. Huge thank you to Jack Jablonski, Josh Schaefer and Paige Capistran for helping with getting as many interviews as possible throughout the course of the week.