Kings Announce Roster for 2025 Golden State Rookie Faceoff

We’re getting oh so close to hockey in Southern California, Insiders!

The Kings announced today the roster for the 2025 Golden State Rookie Faceoff in Irvine, which will see the Kings prospects play games against the Ducks and Sharks prospects. This season’s tournament represents a change from seasons past and the roster looks a little bit different accordingly. Typically, Kings prospects would play three games in a more expansive tournament, with last year’s event in Los Angeles featuring seven teams competing. This season’s event is based around just the three California clubs and the roster is much more prospect-heavy than seasons past, with substantially fewer camp invitations. That is to ensure that top prospects play in both games, giving Kings management the chance to watch them up close in the pair of games.

In total, there are only 14 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders invited to camp. That leaves only four skaters not playing in each games, which means that the bulk of prospects in attendance will likely play in both games.

The full roster for the Rookie Faceoff is shown below and linked HERE –

Headlining the roster are the club’s two most recent first-round draft picks in forward Liam Greentree and defenseman Henry Brzustewicz. Greentree was a standout performer during last season’s tournament while we’ll get our first look at Brzustewicz in a Kings jersey during the event this fall. Joining Greentree and Brzustewicz from the Ontario Hockey League are Brzustewicz’s teammate with OHL-London, Jared Woolley, as well as goaltender Carter George from Owen Sound.

Brzustewicz also headlines a group of five players selected in the 2025 NHL Draft who will participate in the event. Joining him will be fourth-round draft pick Jimmy Lombardi, sixth-round selection Jan Chovan and seventh-round pick Will Sharpe. The rest of the draft class is unable to participate for a couple of different reasons. Forward Vojtech Cihar and goaltender Petteri Rimpinen are already into their seasons over in Europe and it doesn’t always make sense to pull a young player away from that team and disrupt their preparations. For Kristian Epperson, Brendan McMorrow and Caeden Herrington, NCAA players are not eligible to participate with school in session. Those players are already with their collegiate teams and won’t play in the tournament in Irvine.

The roster also includes several players who will begin their professional careers in the AHL this fall. Koehn Ziemmer headlines that list as a third-round selection in 2023. Also included in that group are 2022 picks Jared Wright and Kenny Connors, who will both play in their first rookie events after spending three seasons playing collegiately. Defensemen Otto Salin and Kirill Kirsanov are also set to attend, with both players preparing to play their first professional seasons in North America after playing professionally in Finland and Russia respectively. Defensemen Jakub Dvorak and Angus Booth, along with forward Aatu Jamsen and Kaleb Lawrence, will bring a full season of AHL experience with them to this year’s tournament. I’d look at a player like Booth as a possible team captain for the two games.

The roster will be rounded out by players on AHL contracts with the Ontario Reign and ECHL contacts with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, as well as players playing junior hockey in the CHL who the organization would like to get a look at.

Around the games will be three practices for the Kings rookies at Toyota Sports Performance Center. With the Kings located so close to the FivePoint Arena in Irvine, the team will set up a base in their practice facility in El Segundo, practicing at TSPC and bussing out for the two games. The rookies will practice at TSPC on September 11, September 12 and September 15. Those practices are open to the public for those who want a look at some of the future Kings.

The full camp schedule is shown below, per LA Kings PR –
Thursday, Sept. 11
Practice: 10:00 – 12:00 p.m. (NHL Sheet at TSPC)

Friday, Sept. 12
Practice: 10:00 – 12:00 p.m. (NHL Sheet at TSPC)

Saturday, Sept. 13
Game vs. San Jose: 1:00 p.m. (Rink 4 at FivePoint Arena)

Sunday, Sept. 14
Game vs. Anaheim: 1:00 p.m. (Rink 4 at FivePoint Arena)

Monday, Sept. 15
Day Off

Tuesday, Sept. 16
Practice: 9:30 – 11:00 a.m. (NHL Sheet at TSPC)

Tuesday, Sept. 16
Practice: 9:30 – 11:00 a.m. (NHL Sheet at TSPC)

More to come on the rookies between now and camp! Hope to chat with Ontario Reign Head Coach Andrew Lord, who is expected to be behind the bench for the Kings rookies, as has traditionally been the case in these events.