2026 Rookie Faceoff Game Preview – Kings @ Sharks

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (0-0) @ San Jose Sharks (0-0)
WHAT: 2026 Rookie Faceoff, Game 1
WHEN: Saturday, September 12 @ 5:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Tech CU Arena – San Jose, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: SLVR & LAKings.com – TWITTER: @dooleylak & @lakings

*For those interested in watching, the stream on LAKings.com will be available on the homepage of the website, closer to puck drop. For those who are interested in watching on SLVR, it is a Fast Channel available to stream for free on Samsung TV Plus, Prime Video and Plex. I am told this stream is not exclusive to the LA market, as was the case in some past seasons, and should be available to those looking to watch from other areas!

TODAY’S MATCHUP: LA Kings hockey is back……sort of! The Kings rookies begin their season this evening in San Jose, with their first of three games at the 2026 Rookie Faceoff, hosted by the Sharks.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings and Sharks square off today in the tournament opener. The two teams met at this event last season as well, with San Jose skating to an 8-5 victory in a game played in Irvine, CA. Among returning players, forward Jack Hughes had two assists in that game last season, while forward Koehn Ziemmer and defenseman Kirill Kirsanov both scored in a losing effort.

KINGS VITALS: It’s Game 1 of the tournament and I’d expect to see some rotation throughout the event. For tonight’s opener, here’s the projected game group for the Kings –

Forwards (12) – Jan Chovan, Vojtech Cihar, Kenny Connors, Brendan Gorman, Jack Hughes, Kenta Isogai, Kaleb Lawrence, Liam Lefebvre, Jimmy Lombardi, Grant Slukynsky, Jared Wright, Koehn Ziemmer

Defensemen (6) – Henry Brzustewicz, Jakub Dvorak, Adam Goljer, Kirill Kirsanov, Otto Salin, Jared Woolley

Goaltenders (2) – Carter George, Hampton Slukynsky

This is not finalized, but this is a good estimate for now.

After yesterday’s practice, Ontario Reign Head Coach Andrew Lord said that the combinations we saw during yesterday’s practice are things we could see in the game versus San Jose. While not fully confirmed, it looked like a top six with lines of Hughes/Connors/Ziemmer and Cihar/Lombardi/Wright. On the backend, a pairing of note looked to be Kirsanov/Brzustewicz. Will have the full lineup closer to puck drop and will share it here.

In total, there are 13 forwards, 10 defensemen and three goaltenders attending the Rookie Faceoff. So, up front, there is only so much to work with, but on the blueline, expect to see more of a healthy rotation. In goal, there are three goaltenders here in camp and three games. We’ll see how that translates here, but expecting to see the group above here in Game 1.

SHARKS VITALS: San Jose has a few players attending this tournament with NHL experience and could be the strongest team the Kings face across the three games.

Per the San Jose team account, here’s the Sharks camp roster –

Your first look at Teal on the ice is almost here.

Check out our 2026 Rookie Faceoff roster.

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) September 1, 2026

Forwards Igor Chernyshov, Cam Lund and Michael Misa all played NHL games with the Sharks last season, while forward Ivar Stenberg was the second-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Filip Bystedt and Quentin Musty are also recent first-round draft picks by the Sharks. Up front, the Sharks are loaded and it’ll be interesting to see how they deploy their players at this tournament, especially with guys like Chernyshov and Misa, who are projected to play in the NHL this season.

Storyline Of The Day – Opportunity Beckons
– For Kenny Connors and Jared Wright, perhaps their outlook overall changed this past week.

With the news that forward Kevin Fiala is expected to miss the start of NHL Training Camp, which begins on Thursday, that opens the door, potentially, for a younger player to earn a spot. For Wright, he would figure to be a front runner in that department, but Connors played NHL games last season as well and he should be in consideration too. Now, we don’t know what Fiala’s actual status is. Day 1 of camp is one thing, but there are two weeks between Day 1 and Game 1. Lots of time. However, if Fiala is in fact out for Day 1, players like this should be eager to earn that spot.

For those players, the journey towards trying to make the NHL team begins today.

Look for Connors and Wright to both be in the Kings lineup. Both will likely wear a letter. Going out and getting a hat trick won’t put you in the lineup against Colorado on September 30. But Ken Holland will be here watching. Peter Laviolette will be here watching. It’s an opportunity to play well and impress the brass in attendance, setting a positive tone heading into next week.

“Particularly for a couple of guys that are definitely trying to make the Kings, I think they’re really important games,” Lord said. “I don’t want to say the pressure’s on, but I think if you’re only going to get two or three in main camp now, versus you think of a Taylor Ward last year, he got five or six and ultimately earned a contract later in the year from that. I think now, it’s probably a couple of games with the big boys, so a couple games here and you can really make those ones count.”

Lord coached both Connors and Wright last season in the AHL and both players, coming in from playing college hockey, quickly earned the trust of the first-year coach.

Early in Year 1 for Connors, he earned the trust of Lord and the coaching staff. He was on the ice in late-game situations. He was on the penalty kill and the power play. He often played in a top-six role offensively and was one of 10 rookies in the AHL last season with at least 15 goals and 40 points. A strong showing, which was taken note of.

“His consistency, his approach, his compete, exceptional, his vision to see the game, but it’s also his commitment to play the right way and within our structure,” Lord said. “I can’t speak more highly of him. I think from the penalty kill to down low offensive coverage to some of his tracks, as a first year guy, checking a lot of the time against some of the other teams’ top lines in the American League, really good sign. Obviously, he got the two games up in the NHL, which was a just a testament to everything that he’s put in. I’m really excited [for Connors].”

Lord also leaned pretty heavily on Wright, at least while he was available.

As has been well documented, once Wright came up to the NHL, he never went back to the AHL. Last season, at least. Wright was in the Top-15 in the AHL last season in goals by a first-year player with 17. Looking at goals not scored on the power play, Wright was actually one shy of the league lead among rookies, as all 17 of his tallies came either at even strength or a man short.

The million-dollar question for Wright is where does it best serve his development to play this season – on an NHL fourth line or an AHL top line?

“The American League is a great hockey league and you could definitely make that argument with a number of players around the league, whether eight or nine minutes at the NHL level versus you know maybe 18 to 21 with us and playing in more situation, which is better for their puck touches and their skill level,” Lord posed. “Specifically with Wrighter, let’s say, when that guy went up last year, he did a heck of a job. He helped that team a ton and really infused some speed and he was relentless on the forecheck. It was really great to see as well. So, that’s an interesting question and something to debate, I’m sure, on a lot of different players.”

The benefit to the AHL is that those players play more minutes and get more time on the puck in game situations. There’s also more practice time and more skill work.

Personally, I believe Wright is an NHL player right now, probably among the Top-12 forwards in Los Angeles. However, where he falls in that 12 could limit how much he would play in the NHL. Lord can only really speak to what the AHL has to offer, but he understands the opportunity these guys have. A story to watch for, as Rookie Faceoff gets underway.

3 To Watch For –
– When you look at the offensive firepower on the San Jose side, I think it shifts the spotlight for the Kings onto the blueline.

Kirill Kirsanov was a matchup defensemen with the AHL’s Ontario Reign last season, often alongside Angus Booth, logging matchups against top AHL forwards. He should be a leader on this team and San Jose presents a good test for him. If he plays with Henry Brzustewicz, as projected, that’s a pairing we should keep an eye on.

If you look at a guy like Jared Woolley, his role in the OHL is that of a first-pairing defenseman, taking on more difficult matchups in that league, but this represents a step up in competition. For guys like Jakub Dvorak and Otto Salin, they were in and out of the AHL lineup last season and are looking for a more consistent go this time around.

Look, it’s a rookie tournament, so performance here isn’t make or break by any stretch. However, you can look for little things within the games as opportunities to see how guys handle certain things. Specifically in this matchup with San Jose, it’ll be worth watching to see which defensemen best handle the opposing forwards. An early chance to impress in that area.

– Here’s a guy to keep an eye on who hasn’t really been talked about much to this point – Koehn Ziemmer.

His production in the AHL wasn’t bad, but he faced some injury difficulties and was out of the lineup at times as a healthy scratch. Ziemmer was an exciting prospect coming out of the WHL and he scored 40 goals in Prince George. He’s 21 now and should be a scorer at a tournament like this.

He’s got a full season of AHL experience and is slated to play a first-line role at least here in Game 1, alongside Kenny Connors and Jack Hughes, who both spent the bulk of last season playing in the AHL. That should be a line that is capable of hanging against a higher-caliber team like San Jose. Interested to see the development strides Ziemmer has made. He’s still quite young in his career and offers some scoring upside if he’s able to improve his skating and overall game.

He’s a guy you’d like to see take a step forward in Ontario this season. One to keep tabs on.

– Lastly, sharing our long-form conversation with Lord from earlier in the week, to set the stage for the tournament ahead.

Was planning to share more of this information on Thursday, but when there is an announcement regarding Kevin Fiala and his availabiity for training camp, sometimes you need to pivot.

Some good commentary on Connors and Wright, as well as Kirsanov and Brzustewicz. Lots of good conversation in there as he enters Year 2 behind the bench both for the Kings at this tournament and for the Reign when the AHL season gets underway in a few weeks.

Kings and Sharks! First game of the season for the rookies and a good test early in the tournament. See how it goes, tonight at 5 PM!