Angus Booth Growing in Confidence as He Grows His Game

When the Kings drafted defenseman Angus Booth in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft from the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), they added a 200-foot blueliner who values defense first.

Fast forward to present day and after spending four seasons in the QMJHL, including winning the Gilles-Courteau Championship Trophy once, Booth is now thriving in his rookie season of professional hockey with the Ontario Reign.

At just 20 years old, Booth has already established himself as an everyday player on a deep Reign blue line and while he’s just 44 games into his young professional career, the Montreal native admittedly has a long way to go before he reaches his full potential. Says a lot when you factor in where he is already.

Stepping into professional hockey can often be a challenge during a rookie season for a multitude of reasons. Ranging from acclimating to hockey as a full-time career to playing against bigger, faster, older, more skilled opponents, to developing your game and playing a longer and more physical season schedule, it can be an overwhelming experience at times for some in that first season. But not for Booth. Booth has appeared in every game this season for the Reign and currently plays alongside Caleb Jones in the team’s top four defensemen role.

“I think it’s been a good start for me personally,” he said. “We’ve had team ups and downs and I’ve learned a lot just to manage those personally and with the boys, but it’s been a great start to my career, I think.”

Crediting the QMJHL for preparing him for professional hockey, Booth sees similarities in the day-to-day lifestyle from league to league that has made his transition to the AHL smoother than some.

“I think coming from juniors, we play a lot of games in the [QMJHL], in all three leagues in the CHL, almost as many games [as professional hockey in AHL and NHL],” Booth explained. “So, I think the schedule is similar, coming into the practice rink in the morning and then leaving for the afternoon. In juniors, I’d go to school, but now I just go home and do activities with the boys or just hang out. I think it’s also more about hockey levels, just being more consistent. Playing in juniors, the game came a lot easier just because I was an older player in a younger league. Now there’s some games where obviously you don’t feel your best, and you still have to play and play my game. This is a job and no matter what, you have to show up and be of value to your teammates and your team. That’s been really big so far, and that’s a lot of what I’ve emphasized and what the staff has emphasized, consistency. And I think they’ve been happy with that.”

Another reason Booth has had early success in the AHL is because of his style of play.

Simply put, Booth has kept his game simple to start his professional career. Self admittedly, Booth doesn’t see himself as a defenseman who will be averaging a point per game, but rather one that plays with the mindset of defense first. With a focus on playing defensive minded hockey, Booth’s sound skating, positioning, hockey IQ and puck movement are all assets that he feels he can rely on while continuing to develop to his game.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to be a primary point guy, but my defense will come first, and then obviously I’ll build on that,” he said. “When I feel like I have a chance to join the rush or get a shot on net, that’s what I’ve been trying to do. I think it’s been successful so far. Offensively, I don’t really talk much about it with the staff or whatever. I think it’s more play my game defensively, and then the rest will come when opportunities arise.”

Entering the weekend with 12 points (2-10=12) in 44 games, Booth ranks third on the Reign in scoring among defensemen, trailing only veterans Reilly Walsh (4-18=22) and Joe Hicketts (2-19=21). Keying in on the positive impact that Hicketts has had for the Reign, it hasn’t just been his on-ice production, but also his character off the ice too. When asked about the people that played a role in his growth during this rookie season, Booth immediately responded with Hicketts’ name. The ninth year pro has been Booth’s go-to guy on and off the ice, playing the role of both roommate and mentor.

“I don’t think I could pin it on one person, but players wise, I think Joe [Hicketts] has really helped me, just because I live with him and if ever have any questions, I could go to him super easily,” he said. “Joe makes it an easy conversation to have when you live with a guy, and you get to learn and spend time with him every day.”

Adding to those who Booth has been learning under, the left-hander also shed light on the impact that defensive coach Chris Hajt and defensive development coaches Matt Greene and Sean O’Donnell have had on his mindset and game.

“On the staff, I think [Chris Hajt] has really taken care of me and he’s taught me a lot through video and through teaching and on the ice. He’ll have me doing these extra drills that sometimes seem like you’re not getting much out of them, but it’s just the intricate details of the game, and that’s what’s going to bring me the next level. Plus, then there’s the development staff [Matt Greene and Sean O’Donnell]. It’s been tough to get with them in the new year because of how busy we’ve been with games, but earlier in the season I spent a lot of time with them. Both [Greene and O’Donnell] also taught me the invaluable things of pro hockey that you don’t really learn until you get here.”

Coming from two different angles, Hajt as a coach teaches Booth in different ways than Greene and O’Donnell. With Hajt focusing on teaching Booth through the team’s systems among other aspects of the game, Greene and O’Donnell have worked with Booth and the rest of the organization’s defensemen on specific skillsets and techniques that the organization has deemed important.

In my experience with talking to our prospects and those working their way up within the Kings organization, often times while the players are extremely complimentary of the development staff, you almost always get the same type of answer when asking about the impact that the said staff has had on them. It’s common knowledge that the development staff’s job is to help round out a player’s game when they get drafted and are tasked with improving areas in one’s game that needs work, but also instilling the Kings values on the ice. When I challenged Booth on the nitty gritty of the positive impact that Greene and O’Donnell have had on his game, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound blueliner broke down the details of his personal game that he’s learned from the duo.

“Well, it’s very hockey specific. I don’t think the common fan would even notice it, but I think a lot of the little things like boxing out your opponent [in front of the net]. It’s a skill to be able to do that. Another example would also be just battles in the corner, having a good angle so you force [your opponent] to go up the boards and not go down behind the net where you might have a harder time keeping your opponents out of dangerous areas. They’ve made a huge impact with a bunch of the little details in the game that can sway the game the right or wrong way.”

Booth’s growth thanks to the aforementioned influences has resulted in a consistent and trustworthy defenseman night in and night out. Currently slotted into the lineup seemingly in marker instead of pencil, Booth has had the fortunate but well-earned ability to learn on the fly. Not taking his opportunity for granted, Booth is focused continuing to build up his game and become an asset in all phases of the game.

“I think I’ve had a good start to the year. I want to continue to play my game and I’ve been lucky enough to be in the lineup every night, and I think that’s my goal. Just to be able to play every game and those minutes that I’m getting are going to be super important in my development and eventually making a push for the Kings in hopefully the near future. I’m just focusing on staying consistent. I’ve had a lot of talks with the development staff, and they know that there’s usually a slump in your play eventually as a rookie, just because we play so many games. To be aware that it might happen and to know how to react to it, I just have to continue focusing on playing my game, even if it might not be going too well every single day. I must continue to build on my confidence and have some fun out there.”

Booth and the 27-14-2-1 Reign will next play tomorrow, Saturday at 1 PM in a big inter-divisional game against the 29-15-2-1 Calgary Wranglers, one of the two teams that they are looking up at in the standings.