Day 6 Primer + The Differences Between Playing Center & Playing Winger

Happy Tuesday, Insiders!

Following games on the road, on consecutive days, including travel back to Los Angeles last night after the win over Vegas, today’s skates are a bit delayed on start time. Group A is set to kick things off at 11:30 AM, rather than the usual 10:00 AM start time here in El Segundo.

Day 3 Schedule
• 11:30 a.m. – Group A Practice
• 1:00 p.m. – Group B Practice

Now, perhaps this schedule could change in terms of potentially being condensed. The Kings had less than three full groups on the training-camp roster to begin with and now, seven roster moves later, the group sits at 49 skaters and six goaltenders here on the sixth day of training camp. Will update this should the schedule change with the smaller roster number.

Here’s how the Kings are set to line up for today’s practice sessions –

Group A
Kevin Fiala – Anze Kopitar – Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore – Phillip Danault – Samuel Fagemo
Alex Iafallo – Quinton Byfield – Arthur Kaliyev
Brendan Lemieux – Blake Lizotte – Carl Grundstrom
Jaret Anderson-Dolan – Rasmus Kupari – Gabriel Vilardi

Mikey Anderson – Drew Doughty
Tobias Bjornfot – Matt Roy
Alex Edler – Brandt Clarke
Jacob Moverare – Jordan Spence
Sean Walker

Jonathan Quick
Matt Villalta

Group B
Lias Andersson – T.J. Tynan – Tyler Madden
Alan Quine – Akil Thomas – Taylor Ward
Austin Wagner – Nate Thompson – Martin Chromiak
Justin Nachbaur – Samuel Helenius – Aidan Dudas
Francesco Pinelli – Jacob Doty

Cameron Gaunce – Sean Durzi
Tobie Bisson – Frederic Allard
Kim Nousiainen – Cameron Supryka
Helge Grans

Pheonix Copley
Jacob Ingham

Center vs. Winger
Many of the Kings forwards who find themselves on the roster bubble this season are players with experience playing both center and wing.

When looking at a potential 13th or 14th forward, that versatility is a great thing. Having an extra forward who can play both positions makes for a valuable resource, especially when considering that player might be checking in at a moment’s notice. That versatility also creates more options for those players, with opportunities coming at all three positions, as opposed to just one or two. When battling for those final spots on the roster, every advantage counts.

For Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Lias Andersson, Rasmus Kupari and Gabe Vilardi, each player has experience playing both center and wing. All four players grew up as centers and came through the system as centers, playing in the middle at lower levels when they were typically among the best players on their respective teams. That’s to be expected. Both Rob Blake and Todd McLellan have maintained that it is substantially easier to move a player from center to wing than it is the alternative and when you evaluated at what the Kings prospect pool has looked like, and evolved into, over the last few years, it was inevitable that many of the center prospects in the system would need to move to the wing eventually in order to reach the NHL level with the Kings.

In some ways, that time has come. Of the four players listed above, only Kupari featured at center during the preseason thus far, with the other three, as well as Akil Thomas, who has similar versatility, playing on the wing. The Kings have two, bonafied top-six centers in Anze Kopitar and Phillip Danault, as well as who they hope will be a blosomming Quinton Byfield and the energetic Blake Lizotte, who more than proved his worth in a fourth-line role last season, earning himself a contract extension in the process.

Where there may be opportunities for up and coming players to crack the lineup sooner rather than later is on the wing, though having the ability to play center is a great thing as well. Hear from Anderson-Dolan, Andersson, Kupari and Vilardi on what they feel the biggest differences are between playing center and playing wing.

Jaret Anderson-Dolan
Definitely the defensive zone. Often times, you’re ending up low when you’re the center men, but with the way we play, if you’re the first guy back in the zone you end up being the low guy. It’s a little bit of both. I would say it’s just different thinking, a centerman is a little but more strategic, knowing where everyone is and as a winger, you’re kind of just marking your d-man and staying with him. It’s different but like I said, I’m feeling more and more comfortable with being on the wing, so I’m looking forward to seeing where I’ll be and definitely comfortable either way.

Lias Andersson
Wherever they want me. I played when I played center growing up, but these past two years with the Kings, I’ve been both, so I’m comfortable being a winger now. It’s actually a big difference, but I think it’s good to be able to play both positions. Center is more like stay down low, you win battles and winger is more like board work, blocking some shots from the point and it’s just details, but I think I got used to it pretty well, but you can always be better.

Rasmus Kupari
No [preference] really, I can play both. I’m probably normally a center, but it doesn’t really matter, I can play as a wing too. Last year, I played some good games on the wing and wherever the coaches put me, I’ll be ready. In our system, whoever winds up being the first forwards down low takes that center spot for a while anyways. Yeah, there’s a hug difference if you’re the low forward or the winger, you kind of have more resposibility when you’re down low. Doesn’t really matter to me though, whether I’m center or wing, I can play both.

Gabe Vilardi
The biggest differences are in the d-zone. I feel like it’s more stops and starts versus standing still and reading the play. As a winger, it’s making sure you’ve got your defenseman, so there are subtle differences, but in the o-zone, it doesn’t really matter. I’ve got to continue to work on [the defensive zone], you can always get better with your wall play and that’s important for me when playing as a winger, taking care of my own zone first. I feel like once I get in the o-zone I can create.

We’re back on the ice soon, Insiders! Group A is kicking things off as we speak and away we go. Cal Petersen, who sustained a lower-body injury in last night’s preseason tilt against Vegas, is not scheduled to skate with either group today. Per McLellan, Petersen was set to be re-evaluated here today, which we’ll assume he will be. It is preseason after all, and there’s no urgency to rush a player along.

Full coverage to follow later on this afternoon, as well as a preview of tomorrow’s Empire Classic in Ontario. As always, thanks for reading and following along!