Rookie Faceoff Game Preview – Kings vs. Sharks, September 13

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (0-0) vs. San Jose Sharks (0-0)
WHAT: 2025 Golden State Rookie Faceoff
WHEN: Saturday, September 13 @ 1:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena – Irvine, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: SLVR Sports and Entertainment & LAKings.com – AUDIO – iHeart Radio – TWITTER: @DooleyLAK & @LAKings

*Per LA Kings PR, SLVR Sports and Entertainment on Samsung TV Plus channel 2328 available across Samsung devices or on Android devices through the Google Play Store.

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Kings begin the 2025 Golden State Rookie Faceoff this afternoon versus San Jose, the first of two games the team will play this weekend.

KINGS VITALS: The Kings hit the ice this afternoon following two full practice days at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo.

I expect all three rostered goaltenders to feature across the two games this weekend. Unsure on the exact split but I think Carter George will likely start tomorrow, with either Isaiah Saville or Mattias Sholl getting the starting nod this afternoon versus San Jose. Both players are signed to AHL contracts with the Ontario Reign for the 2026-26 season.

Based on practices yesterday and Thursday, here’s a projected lineup for today’s game versus the Sharks –

Greentree – Connors – Ziemmer
Jamsen – Lawrence – Wright
Chovan – Lombardi – Hughes
Gerwing – Crawford – Isogai

Booth – Salin
Woolley – Brzustewicz
Kirsanov – Berge

Saville
Sholl

The Kings have 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders on the roster for this tournament. I’d be surprised if all 25 of those players didn’t get into at least one game, with the bulk of the players in camp playing in both games. Most prospects, especially the younger prospects, should play twice with some of the older players or camp invitees featuring once.

SHARKS VITALS: San Jose began the 2025 Golden State Rookie Faceoff last night with a 6-3 victory over Anaheim.

Goaltender Joshua Ravensbergen got the start last night between the pipes in the victory against Anaheim. Ravensergen, a 2025 first-round draft pick by the Sharks, went the distance to pick up the victory. Should the Sharks turn to last night’s backup Christian Kirsch, he was a fourth-round selection in 2024, who is set to play in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers this season.

Per the San Jose main account, here’s how the Sharks lined up last night versus Anaheim

Our guys for game ☝️ pic.twitter.com/h4EeadUyW9

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 13, 2025

Considering the quick turnaround from a 6 PM faceoff last night to this afternoon’s game at 1 PM, it would not be surprising to see some changes on the Sharks side. Should see formal lineups soon, confirming the full lineup for today’s game.

Storyline Of The Day – The Price Is Wright
One unique facet of the Rookie Faceoff is that collegiate players are unable to participate.

For Kings prospect Jared Wright, he was drafted into the organization back in 2022 but in playing three seasons of NCAA hockey at the University of Denver, we never saw him at this event in September.

After he finished his junior season, Wright signed an entry-level contract with the Kings, logging three regular-season games with the AHL’s Ontario Reign and two more in the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs. The AHL is a higher level than what we’ll see this weekend and despite just a short addition, Wright felt he learned a lot from the experience.

“It was incredibly important, I think [I learned] just the intensity you need every game to play and then just the physicality and the detail you need to have in your game, the puck pressure, good stick detail and everything like that,” Wright said. “There’s a lot you need to have in order to play pro hockey and I think we’re all trying to learn them. You have to bring that intensity, attitude and effort every day in order to have success.”

With Denver, Wright played a shutdown role on one of the best teams in college hockey. In 2024, he scored the game-winning goal in the National Championship game. Last season, he was +17, leading all Denver forwards. He’s got a lot in his game, starting with his speed. He worked in on penalty-killing drills yesterday and could play in that role this weekend.

There are some big believers in Wright’s game within the Kings organization. That’s not to say this is a franchise savior. But not all paths to the NHL are the same and Wright’s is perhaps shorter, even if he profiles as more of a checking forward. Still, trusted, responsible players have a lot of value especially when they have the wheels that Wright does. He’s one of the best skaters in the organization at any level and that speed should be on display this weekend.

As he approaches today’s game, it’s fair to ask the question of whether he hopes this weekend is the first step towards something bigger. He’s got his focus in the moment, though, beginning against San Jose.

“I want to put my best effort forward but I think I need to stay where my feet are right now, have a great rookie tournament, leading into a great training camp and then go from there,” he said. “I can just control my attitude and effort every day and see where it takes me.”

All he can really do, but just because Wright is humble doesn’t mean there isn’t some excitement for what he can bring this season.

Wright has been described as a player who coaches will love. Just plays that certain style of hockey that earned him a lot of trust from David Carle at Denver, one of the top coaches currently outside the NHL. He’ll get a step up this season when he hits the AHL on a full-time basis, but he didn’t seem out of place in April. Hoping to see him get things going here this weekend and carry that over into his first full training camp next week.

3 To Watch For –
– I’d look at defenseman Angus Booth as a potential captain for today’s game against Anaheim.

No guarantees, but Head Coach Andrew Lord spoke highly of Booth as a leader with this young group. Booth is one of just a few players on this roster to spend the entirety of last season with the Ontario Reign. He was a standout performer as a rookie on the blueline and was a team captain in the QMJHL. Booth doesn’t have all that much to prove in this tournament and with a strong training camp, could be closer to callup territory than Rookie Faceoff needed. But he’s here and is being touted as a leader for some of the younger players around him.

Lord highlighted the “returning guys” as candidates to wear a letter at this event, speaking multiple times about Booth. Players like Kaleb Lawrence and Aatu Jamsen were also mentioned, guys who would be in the mix to wear a letter as well between the games today and tomorrow.

– The top power-play unit yesterday consisted of defenseman Henry Brzustewicz with four forwards around him – Jamsen, Liam Greentree, Kenny Connors and Koehn Ziemmer. Connors had a nice goal from the slot as they worked through things in a 5-on-4 setting.

If you’re looking at the forwards, Jamsen played a full season in the AHL while Connors has three NCAA seasons under his belt. Greentree was one of the most productive players in the OHL last season while Ziemmer has three seasons with 30+ goals in the WHL. Good amount of offensive firepower. Brzustewicz, a right-shot defenseman, ran things from the top of the umbrella with Jamsen a one-timer threat on the right side and Ziemmer working closer to the net. You want to see these games flow, which means 5-on-5 play, but a few looks for this unit would be exciting to see as well.

– Lastly, one player I’m keeping an eye on is Kirill Kirsanov.

He the last of four Los Angeles draft picks in 2021, joining Brandt Clarke, Francesco Pinelli and Samuel Helenius. Clarke and Helenius have reached the NHL and Pinelli has two full AHL seasons under this belt. Kirsanov, though, has been playing professionally in Russia until this season. He’s 6-2 but looks bigger to me on the ice. Very good size and mobility looks to be solid as well. About all you can gauge from practices. Today could be the first time we get to see him in a Kings jersey and it’ll be exciting to finally see him play in a live game situation.

Kings and Sharks, 1 PM puck drop in Irvine in the first of two games this weekend for the Kings rookies. Hope to see a few of you there this weekend!