LA Kings suspend goalie prospect Patrik Bartosak after assault arrest

The Kings on Wednesday said they “suspended the contract of goaltender Patrik Bartosak” after he was arrested and charged with an alleged assault on his girlfriend in Manchester, N.H., on Monday. Bartosak faces one felony assault charge and several other misdemeanor charges, including assault, threatening and stalking. The Kings said in a statement:

“This morning our club suspended Patrik Bartosak for his actions resulting in his arrest in Manchester, N.H., on (Monday). We take this matter very seriously. Our response in this matter reflects our extreme disappointment, particularly given the programs we have instituted internally and the commitment our organization has made to educating our players on the prevention of domestic violence. This in the first step in an ongoing process as we continue to gather information related to this incident and monitoring the legal proceedings.”

The statement referred to a number of counseling efforts the Kings made during training camp in September, some of which are ongoing, after the arrest of three players during a nine-month span last season. Among those arrested was defenseman Slava Voynov, who served a 45-day jail sentence on a domestic violence charge last summer. Voynov severed ties with the Kings and the NHL and returned to his native Russia rather than face a deportation hearing.

 

 

LA Kings goalie prospect Patrik Bartosak sidelined by thumb injury

Kings goaltending prospect Patrik Bartosak has a thumb injury that will require surgery, assistant general manager Rob Blake said Monday. Bartosak has been troubled by the injury on his catching hand in the past and aggravated it during training camp with the Reign of the AHL. Blake said the 22-year-old Bartosak could be sidelined for about a month to start the season. He was the Kings’ fifth-round draft pick (146th overall) in 2013 out of the Czech Republic.

LA Kings make cuts, trim training camp roster to 34 players

The Kings made their first significant cuts Saturday, reducing their roster to 34 players the day before playing the Colorado Avalanche in an exhibition game Sunday in Denver. They assigned 14 players to the Reign of the AHL and released four from their pro tryouts. Here’s the list of players sent to the minors:

Forwards Justin Auger, Jonny Brodzinski, Nic Dowd, Adrian Kempe, Maxim Kitsyn, Scott Sabourin and Valentin Zykov, defensemen Nick Ebert, Kevin Gravel, Zachary Leslie, Alex Lintuniemi, Kurtis MacDermid and Alex Roach and goalie Patrik Bartosak were assigned to the Reign.

Forwards Sean Backman, Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Horvat and defenseman Kevin Raine were released from their pro tryouts.

Final: Kings rookies fall to Coyotes rookies 5-3 (or maybe it was 7-3)

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The Kings’ rookies played host to the Arizona Coyotes’ rookies Tuesday at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo and fell with a thud 5-3 (or 7-3 if you include the 3-on-3 overtime exhibition that was tacked onto the end of the game). The game was more than a little scrappy and it was difficult to separate the best from the rest as the Kings tried to out-muscle the Coyotes.

Valentin Zykov, Austin Wagner and Jonny Brodzinski scored for the Kings’ rookies. Brendan Perlini, Chase Stewart, Dylan Strome, Max Domi and Ryan MacInnis scored for the Coyotes.

Zykov, a Russian right wing who was a second-round draft pick (37th overall) in 2013, was one of the Kings who stood out. Adrian Kempe, a Swedish left wing who was the Kings’ first-round pick (29th overall) in 2014, was another. Patrik Bartosak, a fifth-round pick (146th overall) in 2013 from the Czech Republic, stopped 21 of 23 shots in two periods of work before he was replaced by Nick McBride with the Kings trailing 2-1 to start the third period.

The teams play again Wednesday at 2 p.m., in El Segundo.