2026 Rookie Faceoff Game Preview – Kings vs. Mammoth

WHO: Los Angeles Kings (1-1) vs. Utah Mammoth (1-1)
WHAT: 2026 Rookie Faceoff, Game 3
WHEN: Tuesday, September 15 @ 1:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Tech CU Arena, Orange Rink – San Jose, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: SLVR & LAKings.com – TWITTER: @dooleylak & @lakings

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The LA Kings conclude the 2026 Rookie Faceoff this afternoon, as they take on the Utah Mammoth in their third game in four days.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Kings and Mammoth have played once in Rookie Faceoff history, a 4-3 Utah overtime victory during the 2024 edition, held at Toyota Sports Performance Center in El Segundo.

KINGS VITALS: Every skater in attendance has played in at least one game in this tournament between the games against Anaheim and San Jose. Expecting a few personnel changes for Game 3, with the projected game group for this afternoon shown below –

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

Defensemen (7) – Lucas Ambrosio, Henry Brzustewicz, Nate Corbet, Adam Goljer, Michael Mastrodomenico, Giorgos Pantelas, Jared Woolley

Goaltenders (2) – Carter George, Hampton Slukynsky

In looking at the changes, most will come on the blueline. Three defensemen who did not play in Game 2 on Sunday – Goljer, Kirsanov and Salin – will check back into the lineup today against Utah. All six defensemen in today’s projected lineup are Kings draft picks. Will wait until puck drop to see how the lines shake out, but would expect something very similar to the game against the Ducks.

MAMMOTH VITALS: Utah also enters today’s game with one win and one loss, following a 3-0 victory against Vegas and a 3-1 defeat against San Jose.

Here is Utah’s roster for the Rookie Faceoff, from the team’s official account –

Rookie Camp roster is set. 🏒

Read more: https://t.co/nM2e0QAUXv pic.twitter.com/uCK7xDVQNP

— Utah Mammoth (@utahmammoth) September 1, 2026

Defenseman Dmitri Simashev, the sixth overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, is Utah’s captain for the tournament, after playing 28 NHL games with the Mammoth last season. Forward Daniil But is the most experienced Utah player up front, having collected seven points (3-4-7) in 29 NHL games with the Mammoth as a rookie.

Storyline Of The Day – Hammerin’ Henry
Good showing thus far at the Rookie Faceoff for Henry Brzustewicz.

For Brzustewicz, as a first-round pick, he might get more games in the NHL preseason than most, because he classifies as a veteran player. However, it’ll be fewer than you’d like to see from such a promising young player, with the new rules in place. These games, like they do for so many others, carry more weight for Brzustewicz than maybe they did last season. Kings management stressed that and he’s taken it to heart.

“I think the coaches, as well as management, have really expressed that this is just a good opportunity for everyone to show what they’ve got with less preseason games,” Brzustewicz said. “Every opportunity you get to throw on a Kings sweater, it’s a big honor and a good opportunity for you.”

Brzustwicz plays a strong, two-way game. Very capable puck mover with the vision to see and attempt plays that not all blueliners can or will. He’s not one dimensional, though. He projects more in a two-way mold. He has good mobility and puck movement but he’s able to defend as well and he’ll need to at the next level.

The way he plays seems to mesh with the way the Kings are trying to play moving forward. As he has been introduced to the organization’s new systems, he feels it fits his game well.

“We’ve been practicing a lot of the systems and I think it fits my game well,” Brzustewicz said. “I think I’m good in all aspects of the game, so I think just playing my game and focusing on what the game plan is, what the coaches want. Then, just using my instincts to do my own thing. It’s exciting.”

Looking ahead, after today’s tournament finale versus Utah, Brzustewicz has options.

He can obviously make the NHL roster with the Kings and that is goal number one. However, due to a rule change in the NHL’s CBA, he is also AHL eligible with Ontario this season as well. He’s coming to camp to make a team. That’s the goal. But, to get it, he’s not focusing on a larger picture.

Just trying to play the best he can and see where it leads him.

“I think that should be the goal for everyone going into these camps, just to make the best team you can and put your best foot forward,” he added. “I think all I can focus on is how I do, how I compete and how I work. I’m ready to do that.”

3 To Watch For –
– 2026 second-round pick Adam Goljer is set to check into the lineup for Game 3 today.

Thought Goljer did a lot of good things in Game 1. He defended a couple of 2-on-1 rushes and made a few takeaways in 1-on-1 situations. He was also a very willing shooter from the point and offered a low, hard shot that made its way through traffic.

He was also on the ice for several goals against and, like many, struggled as a part of the in-zone defending as a unit.

He’s 18 and frankly, the good really outweighed the bad. 18-year-old defensemen usually stand out negatively in these kinds of tournaments. That he had his positive moments is, well, quite positive.

“He had some good moments and obviously some defending moments and things that any young player is going to have to improve on and grow with,” Head Coach Andrew Lord said of Goljer after Game 1. “You could see the shot, you could see some of the ability up high, on the top of the blue line there, whether it’s on a power play or maybe in a rush opportunity. Some exciting stuff.”

– On the goaltending situation, I’m actually not sure for today.

2026 third-round selection Yegor Rybkin has yet to play in the tournament, so he could feature today, but there could also be a chance we see Carter George and Hampton Slukynsky split the game. The line charts here at the rink have George and Slukynsky listed but not sure if that is accurate or not for today’s game.

Could see it either way. Rybkin is 18 and will play in the QMJHL this season, so he will prominently feature at this event down the road. George and Slukynsky are set to play professionally this season and with a limited preseason, their reps could be impacted there. Not sure how it’ll play out, but information coming soon!

– Lastly, just as a heads up for Game 3 today, there will be a live thread up but it will not have in-game updates. I’ll be on the broadcast for today’s game alongside Ontario Reign play-by-play broadcaster Cam McGuire.

Game is available for streaming on LAKings.com and SLVR, which is available in a few different places. Wish me luck!

One more to go for the rookies! Kings and Mammoth, this afternoon at 1 PM from San Jose before the team returns home to get ready for training camp on Thursday.