Rob Blake, who excelled as a Kings defenseman during his playing days, was named the club’s new assistant general manager Thursday morning. He replaces Ron Hextall, who left earlier in the week to become the assistant GM with the Philadelphia Flyers, his old club. Blake spent the last three seasons in the NHL’s player safety department.

“First off, it’s very difficult to lose a person like ‘Hexy,’ who was an integral part of this whole process,” Kings general manager Dean Lombardi said of losing Hextall to the Flyers during a video interview with radio analyst Daryl Evans. “You can’t say enough about how much he helped this franchise.

“That said, I think we’re very fortunate to have a person like Rob Blake available to us. I’m so impressed the way he dived into his job with the league, not only in the perspective in staying current with the game but the amount of work and diligence he was willing to put into this endeavor, which was very impressive.

“That’s the bottom line in the job he’s stepping into with us. There’s an incredible amount to learn. Certainly, being a player of his stature is a huge asset. But it’s still going to come down to how much work you put into it. What he did with the league, I’m really looking forward to seeing that kind of energy.”

Blake, 43, played 14 of his 20 NHL seasons with the Kings and recorded 777 points (240 goals, 537 assists) in 1,270 career games. He also played with the Colorado Avalanche and the San Jose Sharks. He was the Kings’ team captain for six seasons. He helped the Kings reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1993 and was a member of the Avalanche’s Cup championship team in 2001. He retired after the 2009-10 season.