Kings sign prospect Wayne Simmonds
Here's the release ...
The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms on a three-year entry-level contract with forward Wayne Simmonds, the club’s second-round selection (61st overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft and one of three Kings prospects currently representing Canada at the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championships, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced today. Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not announced.
Simmonds, 19, has zero points and two penalty minutes in four games with Team Canada at this year’s World Junior Championships. The 6-1, 174-pound native of Scarborough, Ontario, also has two goals and five penalty minutes in three regular season games with Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League this season. Simmonds was recently traded to Sault Ste. Marie after beginning this season with Owen Sound (OHL), where he had 39 points (17-22=39) and 43 penalty minutes in 29 regular season games.
Simmonds recorded 49 points (23-26=49) and 112 penalty minutes in 66 regular season games with Owen Sound during the 2006-07 season.
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About Rich Hammond
Rich Hammond has covered the Kings, on a full-time or part-time basis, since the 2000-01 season. He was the beat writer for the entire John Torchetti era and has witnessed Bob Miller singing country music in a Nashville honky-tonk bar. A native of Los Angeles, Rich has worked at the Daily News since 1999 and also serves as the paper's deputy sports editor. E-mail Rich at rich.hammond@dailynews.com.
All these new sign ups. Entey level or not.
Are we going to actually see all these players wear a kings uniform and play in the regular season.
I mean the roster can only carry 18 players & 2 goalies.
Our team has more players under contract than any other team in the league. (DL must be receiving a ton of Christmas cards).
This comment is meant to be an inquiry and not a critic.
To me, it looks like this team will have more body's than to know what to do with. Ever heard of the saying "too many chefs in the kitchen"
Anthony: The CBA limits the number of NHL contracts each team can carry to around 50. If the Kings have more players under contract than all other teams, I am sure that it is not by a large number. Also, the official roster size is 23, not 20. The gametime roster is 20. My question is whether Simmons is eligible to play in the AHL after the tourney.
We will be losing quite a few to transaction/free agency this year as a good number of players' contracts are expiring. Key one being Blake who has already said that he will lift his no-trade clause if he gets dealt to the right team.
Simmonds is not eligible to play in the AHL yet for two reasons- he is under 20 and he hasn't completed 4 seasons in juniors. If either were the case, he could. He can play after the OHL season is over, and he turn's 20 this summer.
-J
Simmonds is only eligable for the AHL if Sault St. Marie drops their rights. Since they just traded for him, I doubt that will happen.
Once he turns 20 in August, the Kings can assign him to the AHL even if the OHL still has rights to him.
So unless the Kings plan on bringing him right up to the NHL, this signing doesn't make much sense to me.
All this is is signing a good young player so he can play in Manchester next year. Due to his age he has to wait until he is 20 like the Bernier situation.
Wayne Simmonds is currently playing for Team Canada in the WJC's. Anyone who can crack Team Canada for that tourney is good enough for me.
Smyttie: Simmonds can play in the AHL (NHL or ECHL) after his junior team is finished with its season. His team -- Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL acquired him a few weeks back because they are hoping to go deep into the playoffs. Their regular season finishes March 16th, so even with some playoffs he could get into some AHL games.
A few of the other junior or college players under contract (Bernier, Hickey)or unsigned prospects (Oscar Moller, Bryan Cameron, Bud Holloway, Alex Martinez, Jeff Zatkoff) may also see some AHL playing time when their seasons end.