Liam Greentree is getting healthy and primed to make a name for himself come camp in the fall

Development camp looked a little bit different for Liam Greentree this season.

Instead of taking part in scrimmages, Greentree was watching from above, just as we were. After his 2024-25 season ended in Windsor, Greentree flew west to California, in an effort to meet up with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, who were just beginning their playoff matchup with the San Jose Barracuda. Greentree might’ve hoped to participate but due to a wrist injury suffered during the season, it was determined that he would undergo surgery instead to focus on getting him 100 percent for the 2025-26 season.

That kind of thing takes time. Greentree was not even expected to be on the ice with the group during camp at all but was cleared to skate with the group during the practice sessions. During the week, he got cleared to stickhandle, a big step forward for him in the process, though he wasn’t yet ready to shoot pucks or take any sort of contact. That will come later in the summer and Greentree is expected to be ready to go come rookie and training camp in the fall.

He pointed to three things that were important for him, starting with the opportunity to meet new Kings General Manager Ken Holland. He also wanted to touch base with the development staff and had some medical appointments as well with certain doctors, including the meeting that got him cleared to stickhandle again.

“There was a lot to do here,” he said, despite not being able to get the full on-ice experience.

Not participating in full, though, doesn’t mean he wasn’t able to get some things out of the week. It was still educational for the Kings’ top prospect, setting the stage for a 2025-26 season that could take him a number of different directions.

If you ask Greentree, he’s not ruling anything out. He’s just 19-years-old but coming off a 119-point season in the Ontario Hockey League, he’s got his sights set as high as they can go.

“It could happen, for sure,” Greentree said about that prospect. “Every time I come here, I’m trying to make a name for myself and stand out. I haven’t really had a conversation with anybody about making the Kings, but it’s something that they can expect and you never know what could happen.”

What are the chances he makes the roster? Look, there are a lot of guys in the mix for sure, but there is a precedent.

Look at Brandt Clarke’s 2022-23 season for an example. Clarke was in a similar position, after dominating the OHL and was kept around the NHL club for nine games, the maximum before a year of his contract would run off. He was also able to play in five games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign on a conditioning loan before the Kings ultimately loaned him to Team Canada for the World Juniors tournament and he finished the season in the OHL with Barrie.

That’s not to say the situations are identical, but the Kings have shown a willingness to do it for top-level prospects, which Greentree certainly is. In an ideal world, the AHL would likely be an option for Greentree but as it stands right now, he is not eligible to play in that league. The path to an NHL opportunity isn’t exactly clear but it’s not impossible either. Didn’t seem to be a path for Alex Laferriere two years ago either yet there he was on the roster come opening night.

As we’ve seen, the plan entering training camp isn’t always the one that comes to fruition. All it takes is an injury, a suspension, an eye-opening performance and suddenly the plan changes. Greentree, while far from a lock, wants to make it a decision for sure.

Should a full 82 games with the Kings not materialize, there’s still a couple of goals on Greentree’s list.

First would be the opportunity to play for Team Canada at the World Juniors, an opportunity he did not have last season despite his placement at the top of the OHL’s scoring charts. Greentree will be one of the top 19-year-old players in any of the CHL leagues this season and should firmly compete for a spot on that team. He played for his country at the Under-18 tournament and doing the same at the U-20 event is certainly appealing.

“World Juniors is something that I’ve thought about and hopefully I can crack that lineup, that would be really cool,” he said. “Representing your country, especially at the World Juniors, is really special so that would be a really cool thing to be a part of.”

There’s also the opportunity to give it one last go with Windsor, after the team had the largest single-season point increase in franchise history from 2023-24 to 2024-25. Greentree’s growth both as the team’s best player and as the captain was a massive part in that.

If that’s where he winds up this season, he’s still got things to accomplish.

“I love Windsor and I love LA, so for me, whatever happens, happens,” he said. “Obviously the goal is to play in the NHL, so if I stay with the Kings, I would love that, but if I got sent back down to Windsor, I’d have no problem wit h that. Windsor’s a great city, a great spot, the organization’s great, I’ve been treated good there for three years.

Along the way, wherever he winds up, Greentree will look to use this season to improve and develop. There are so many different ways to do that. After he was selected in the first round by the Kings last June, Greentree was pointed in talking about the part of his game he most wants to improve – his skating.

He committed last summer to working on power skating and felt he took some strides in that area……no pun intended.

“For me, it was a lot of power skating, I think my technicality with it is something that I needed to get better at and I think I’m getting better in that area,” he detailed. “Then it’s just getting my legs stronger, more powerful strides are huge. I think that’s an offseason thing, training my legs, making sure they’re ready.”

For Greentree, the evaluation process begins with rookie camp in early September before main camp the following week. Players of Greentree’s status typically get a long look in exhibition action, meaning he could be given a long look during preseason games to show what he can do against NHL-caliber competition. Wherever his season leads him, Greentree’s got a bright future ahead of him. Excited to see where it takes him.