Results matching “training camp” from Inside the Kings

Just got off the phone with Terry Murray and got his thoughts on today's cuts and how they will impact the opening-night roster. Please forgive any typos...I wanted to get these quotes up ASAP. Murray said team management met after last night's game and informed the players of their decisions this morning.

Here are the quotes...

Based on the stats, and seemingly on the opinions of many observers, Jonathan Bernier had a better camp/exhibition season than Erik Ersberg. Should that be enough for Bernier to earn a spot on the NHL roster ahead of Ersberg, or would Bernier still be better off as the clear No. 1 goalie in Manchester?

Frankly, I'm not sure it matters a whole lot right now. Bernier can go to Manchester and come back up if the Kings decide Ersberg isn't cutting it (see: LaBarbara, Jason, circa 2008), or even if Quick isn't cutting it. It might give Bernier a mental boost to make the team, but what would be best for his development? Hard to say. Here's what Terry Murray said about the goalie choice:

MURRAY: ``Yeah, it will be a tough decision. No. 1 in clear in my mind. Quick is clearly, to me, the No. 1 goaltender. He played well throughout the camp. He earned the right to come into camp as the No. 1 guy, and now the decision is to be made on the No. 2.''

I asked Murray if, regardless of all the discussion about what Bernier can and can't do, Ersberg had done enough on his own to be the No. 2 goalie.

MURRAY: ``He has showed enough, yeah. That's the decision that we have to make, obviously. Bernier and he have played well in the training camp and their exhibition games. We just have a hard decision to make.''

So what do you think?

Who led the Kings in preseason goal scoring? Wayne Simmonds, with five, and as of last night, that was tied for the NHL lead as well. If I had to come up with a top three of most impressive players from the preseason games, it would probably be (in no particular order), Simmonds, Jack Johnson and Ryan Smyth.

It's hard to know what, exactly, to make of this Kings third line. There's Michal Handzus, a 20-goal threat; Alexander Frolov, the Kings' leading goal scorer last season; and Simmonds, who scored only nine goals last season but would seem to have 20-goal potential. It's not a stretch to think that line could be a 75-goal line for the Kings, although things would have to break perfectly for them.

On the other hand, that line's first responsibility is on the defensive end, and Frolov and Simmonds, in particular, handled that responsibility well last season. It should be interesting to see how this line develops, particularly if the Purcell-Stoll-Brown line struggles to put goals on the board.

Here's what Terry Murray said about Simmonds' preseason/camp:

MURRAY: ``Simmonds played, right through the camp, very well. He was one of our better players at the end of (last) year, and he seemed to come in with that same attitude and played well in all situations. One of our top goal scorers at the end of the training camp, and he's going to be an important player for us.''

Brayden Schenn wasn't scheduled to play in the Kings' preseason finale Sunday, but got included when Rich Clune suffered his groin injury Saturday night. Schenn almost certainly will be headed back to his junior team in Brandon this week, but he impressed in his first NHL training camp and coaches no doubt will be eager to see him a year from now. Here's what Terry Murray said last night, when asked if the Kings would have a tough decision about whether to keep or cut Schenn...

MURRAY: ``Not so much, not so much. I made a comment to everyone in the office, just before I came out, about how well he played (Sunday night). He steps into a situation where he hasn't been in the lineup for a couple days, and had a really hard workout yesterday because he was not scheduled to be in this game, and he played so well, the way he did in the first exhibition game. All the ingredients to show me that he's going to be a real important and good player in the National Hockey League.''

It was only last week when we discussed here whether Teddy Purcell might end up being the key to the Kings' season. If anything, that feeling has only become stronger. As the Kings' second-line left wing, Purcell not only needs to show that he can be a consistent NHL player but that he can score enough to justify second-line minutes and play physical enough to satisfy his coaches and general manager. It's a lot to ask -- particularly of someone who has played only 50 NHL games -- so I asked Terry Murray if it was safe to say that Purcell's play was a key to the season...

MURRAY: ``To me, he's right at the top of the list. Maybe not the very top, but he's certainly a priority for us, to have Teddy Purcell play well and play an important role for our hockey club. He's a very gifted guy. He's got incredible skill and playmaking ability. We've discussed this before; that's where I see him, on the left side where he can be a real good playmaker with Stoll and Brownie. I know that those two guys are going to work hard for him also, and find him opportunities to be the shooter. He's a guy who can finish pretty well.

``He has adjusted well to the left side. I think his play has been pretty good from the start of the training camp. In one of the (preseason) games, I thought he was the best player on the ice for both teams. He was just playing tremendous hockey, playing very competitively and doing the things we talked about many times last year, as far as board play. It's a courageous thing that you have to do sometimes, when you're playing along the boards, and that's where I will keep going at Teddy. He's got to give us that same kind of look in every game that he plays.''

The question is, do you think he can do it?

With eight days before the start of the season, and the training-camp roster continuing to shrink, there's something unavoidable: Brayden Schenn is still here. Not only that, by all accounts he's performing well in games and practice and generally making a strong impression.

So I decided to ask Terry Murray if Schenn had a realistic chance to make the team...

MURRAY: ``I think we'll just keep moving on that one and see how things work out. ... He's not going to play in Vegas. I'm going to give him the night off. But he will be here to practice and continue to work at his game.''

I then asked Murray about his philosophy about players in that situation. You'll remember that Moller and Simmonds made last year's team, but only with the understanding that they were in the NHL to play significant minutes. Would Murray, I asked, be reluctant to keep Schenn if it meant playing him only in a limited role?

MURRAY: ``Philosophically, my personal opinion on that is that you don't want to have a young, 18-year-old player -- and that's what we're dealing with here -- sitting in that `fourth-line role,' playing a minimal amount of time and no critical situations, when he could go play a dominant role and be very effective player and develop his game.

``I went through that, way back, if you remember a player -- and he's still playing -- Dainius Zubrus in Philly. He came out of Tier 2 juniors as an 18-year-old. There was a discussion on him. He started on the fourth line, but moved up very quickly though, but it's not ideal for development.''

This, to me, is a pretty obvious call. The Kings send Schenn to junior for one more year, at least. He has been able to build some good confidence in camp, and make a good impression, but a) He's 18 (and he just TURNED 18) and b) the Kings, with Kopitar, Stoll, Handzus and perhaps Lewis, Richardson and Harrold, aren't lacking for centers. There's no need to take an unnecessary risk in this situation.

It was something you don't see very often... Terry Murray stopping a practice drill, standing at center ice lecturing his players about substandard performance. Murray's on-ice demeanor is typically low-key, but early in practice today, he was clearly irritated by what he perceived to be the Kings' inability to competently complete a simple drill. The talk lasted a couple minutes, and afterward players resumed the same drill. After practice, Murray talked about the need for mental focus.

MURRAY: ``You get near the end of the training camp as a player -- and I went through it too -- and you want to just get yourself going. But you have to have awareness of that. It's important that you approach every one of these games and practices the right way and get focused and prepare yourself to start the season. That was kind of the message at the start of the practice here today. The conversation that I had was, `This has great meaning here, guys.' We have to make sure that, not only physically, but in terms of structure and system and emotionally, you have to be ready to play. That's your responsibility as a player, to come into the games and work at it to get yourself to the right point, where you can hit the ground running at the start of the season. We need some more work.''

Question: Is that the point you tried to make when you stopped practice to talk to them?

MURRAY: ``It's focus and execution. That was just a very fundamental warm-up drill, 7-on-0, passing the puck and regroup, and passes were missing sticks by four, five, six feet. This is the National Hockey League, and there's a fundamental that you need, the focus to be able to execute with the puck or without it. I thought it got better, but again, there are still areas that need to be improved on.''

First... Wow...the response today has been completely overwhelming. Thank you so much. I should have noted that things will remain normal around here for the next week. I'll let everyone know exactly when the move is being made, and to where. Back to hockey!

Terry Murray has not officially said that Jonathan Quick will start the season opener next Saturday. Unofficially? Well...

``I think, on the issue of our No. 1 goalie, there's no question that Quick is our No. 1 guy at the start of the season,'' Murray said. ``He earned that with the way he played last year.''

So while Murray has not officially announced Quick as the opening night starter, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which that wouldn't happen. A better, more relevant question is, who will be the backup? Erik Ersberg or Jonathan Bernier? Murray isn't ready to reveal that answer yet either, but gave his strongest hint to date when I talked to him this morning.

``It's a very close call, because both have played well and both of them have looked good in training camp,'' Murray said. ``If you look at the way Bernier has developed, I have been very pleased, but for him to be able to continue to play, and play a lot -- meaning in Manchester -- that would be a good thing in my mind.''

Murray noted, however, that the decision is not entirely his. Meaning, of course, that Dean Lombardi's input will also factor heavily into the discussion. In the end, it probably makes sense to have Bernier in Manchester as the No. 1, at least at the start of the season. The Kings would need to watch him carefully, though, to make sure he stays mentally sharp and doesn't get ``down'' about the assignment, the way he did at the start of last season.

Brayden Schenn seems to have won the first-annual ``Oscar Moller Award,'' given to the young player who generates the most surprising buzz in training camp. Schenn is still a longshot to make the team, but considering he didn't even turn 18 until late August, he is doing quite well for himself in his first camp. Schenn talked the other day about his training-camp experience...

``It's pretty much what I thought it would be,'' Schenn said. ``Everyone is competing and trying to make the team and make an impression. I kind of expected that. For me, my focus is just on getting better each day and trying to make a good impression.''

I asked Schenn if his brother had given him any particular advice. Luke Schenn, a 2008 first-round pick who played 70 games on defense for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season.

``He pretty much just said, `Don't read into anything. You've got to worry about yourself, and that's pretty much all you can do,''' Brayden Schenn said. ``He said to try to get better each day, and that's where my focus has been on.''

After a round of cuts, it never hurts to keep tabs of where the roster stands. With just under two weeks before the start of the season, the Kings have 35 players on the training-camp roster...

GOALIES
Jonathan Bernier
Erik Ersberg
Jonathan Quick

DEFENSEMEN
Drew Bagnall
Andrew Campbell
Drew Doughty
Davis Drewiske
Matt Greene
Thomas Hickey
Jack Johnson
Alec Martinez
Sean O'Donnell
Joe Piskula
Rob Scuderi

FORWARDS
Dustin Brown
Marc-Andre Cliche
Kyle Clifford
Richard Clune
Alexander Frolov
Gabe Gauthier
Michal Handzus
Peter Harrold
Raitis Ivanans
Anze Kopitar
Trevor Lewis
Teddy Purcell
Brad Richardson
Brayden Schenn
Brandon Segal
Wayne Simmonds
Ryan Smyth
Jarret Stoll
Kevin Westgarth
Justin Williams
John Zeiler

Here's the list of the Kings' roster cuts today...

Assigned to Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League:
Justin Azevedo - C
Corey Elkins - C
Bud Holloway - LW
Dwight King - LW
Andrei Loktionov - C
David Meckler - LW
Juraj Mikus - C
Oscar Moller - C
Patrick Mullen - D
Jordan Nolan - C
Scott Parse - RW
Michael Pelech - F
Viatcheslav Voynov - D
Geoff Walker - RW
Jeff Zatkoff - G

Assigned to junior team:
Colten Teubert - D (Regina)

Released from Training Camp tryout:
Dennis McCauley

That takes the training-camp roster down to 35 players.

Jonathan Bernier is expected to play the full game tonight when the Kings host the Ducks. That would be Bernier's second full game. So far, Bernier and Jonathan Quick have each played a full game, while Erik Ersberg and Jeff Zatkoff split the game in Phoenix (with Ersberg getting two periods).

It will be interesting to see what the Kings do after tonight. Four goalies is a lot to have in camp when there's only one practice group (which there will be, starting Sunday), but certainly not impossible. Three goalies can be an awkward number to practice with, but the Kings did so deep into training camp last year. What does it all mean? Mostly the obvious, that Bernier needs to play well tonight, because decision time is nearing fast.

Here's what Terry Murray had to say regarding the practice of playing a goalie for an entire preseason game, rather than splitting the periods:

MURRAY: ``Years ago, you used to always split the game, and go two periods, one period, because you were a little nervous about the conditioning side of things. I think the guys came into camp in pretty good shape. I see it now, where we had two days of practice and then a game, that they're very attuned to their conditioning. They work hard all summer long, and it's not a concern. I feel that they're just so ready to go, that they really do want to play all three periods.''

The Kings are likely to make another round of cuts after tonight's preseason game against the Ducks. Will this be Brayden Schenn's final game with the Kings, before he is returned to his junior team? Quite possibly, but Schenn has responded well to every challenge the Kings have given him so far. Schenn will get one more chance to impress tonight. Here's what Terry Murray said about Schenn's training camp thus far...

MURRAY: ``He's here, he's a young guy, and I think that when you have a junior player around for as long as we have with him, the best thing to do is play him and let him get a real good experience of what's going on at this level and see if he can push his game to the next level. We're seeing that. That's probably a reason why I keep looking to get him into the games, he and Clifford, because they are able to rise up to the occasion and perform very well, as they did (Thursday) night. There were times when that line was playing incredibly well, for 18-year-olds. As long as they're around this team, I'm going to keep getting them in there and giving them a great experience.''

Certainly things can change over the next two weeks, but as for now, it appears as though Terry Murray would like to see a second line of Teddy Purcell, Jarret Stoll and Dustin Brown.

MURRAY: ``That line, that's what I had penciled in back in the late part of the summer, to take a look at in training camp. I still want to stay with that. I like what I've seen from Teddy Purcell. I think you've got two guys, on the middle and on the right side, who have speed and can shoot the puck and score. I think Teddy Purcell is a guy who can handle the puck, and he sees the ice very well and can make plays. I'm hoping he can be a good complement to the two of them. As a result, I'm looking for good chemistry there.''

That, barring injuries or a change of mind, leaves the Kings with three set lines:

Smyth-Kopitar-Williams
Purcell-Stoll-Brown
Frolov-Handzus-Simmonds

That also, more likely than not, puts Oscar Moller in a position of having to knock Purcell out of that second-line spot. It's logical to assume that if the choice is between a) playing Moller on the fourth line or having him as a ``spare'' and b) having him play major minutes in Manchester, the Kings would choose the latter. What do you think?

Jarret Stoll, who missed the start of training camp as he recovered from symptoms of arthritis -- particularly in his right wrist -- completed his first full-team practice today. Stoll also skated Thursday, with the group of players who didn't play against the Sharks, and after practice today he gave an update of his status...

``It's good,'' Stoll said. ``It's way better. I skated yesterday, for one practice with the players who didn't play, and I felt good. I thought maybe I would be a little sore and stiff after that first time back, but it wasn't, so that's pretty encouraging, for sure. ... A couple more practices, and hopefully next week get into a game, for sure. A couple games, maybe all of them.''

After Saturday, the Kings play Tuesday in Kansas City, Wednesday at Colorado, next Saturday in Las Vegas and next Sunday in Anaheim. Here's what Terry Murray said about getting Stoll into preseason games...

``I don't have a plan,'' Murray said. ``I want to have a conversation with him, now that he has had a couple practices, and just get a general `How are you feeling? How are you doing? What do you see? How do you feel? What do you think you can do when you get into a game?' I'll sit down and go over the schedule with him, as to what we have remaining, and let him basically tell him when he's good to go. As soon as he gives me the green light, I'll put him in right away.''

Barring setbacks, it seems likely that Stoll will indeed be ready for the season opener.

The following players have been returned to their junior teams:

G Jean-Francois Berube (Montreal, QMJHL)
D Nicolas Deslauriers (Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL)
G Martin Jones (Calgary, WHL)
RW Brandon Kozun (Calgary, WHL)
RW Linden Vey (Medicine Hat, WHL)

Also, center Tyler Maxwell and defensemen Milan Doczy and Radko Gudas have been released from their tryouts. The Kings are down to 52 players on the training-camp roster.

Rob Scuderi, whose shot-blocking ability was a big reason why the Pittsburgh Penguins lifted the Stanley Cup in June, declined to make the traditional championship trip to the White House last week.

A political statement? No. Thursday was the second birthday of Scuderi's daughter, Kate, and the family spent the day at Disneyland.

``Disneyland did take precedent over the president, probably for the first time in history,'' Scuderi joked.

Kate Scuderi didn't cry at the sight of Mickey Mouse. The proud father reported that she went right up to Mickey and gave him a hug. Rob didn't wince either.

``I've seen some rats that size in New York City,'' Scuderi joked.

Scuderi, wearing No. 7, has been paired with Jack Johnson so far in training camp.

Dean Lombardi made so secret, at the end of last season and during the summer, of saying that he wanted Anze Kopitar to be in the best shape of his career for this coming season. On Sunday, Lombardi was still awaiting the results of the Kings' start-of-camp physical tests, but Kopitar said he felt confident that he did his job.

``I was here for three weeks,'' Kopitar said of his work with the Kings' training staff. ``I feel I did everything in my power to prepare for this season.''

Kopitar said he wouldn't shy away from high expectations for the Kings this season.

``Everybody is expecting the playoffs,'' Kopitar said. ``We have to put some pressure on ourselves. ... That's just the way it is.''

Kopitar also said that he had built some chemistry last season with Justin Williams and that he was familiar with Ryan Smyth's game. That's important, since Kopitar-Smyth-Williams could end up being the Kings' top line.

On Sunday, Ryan Smyth didn't look like a player in his first day of training camp with a new team. Smyth often jumped into drills without hesitation and chatted and offered encouragement to teammates. Not that there won't be a bit of an adjustment period...

``Obviously it's about getting the systems down right and knowing what they want,'' Smyth said. ``That's part of the transition that you have to adjust to.''

Another one? The Los Angeles area, which is a bit more, shall we say, ``cozy'' than the Denver suburbs.

``The homes are right on top of each other here, but we found a nice place,'' Smyth said.

One thing Smyth doesn't want to change is his on-ice success. In 12 full NHL seasons, Smyth has made the playoffs nine times. Does he have his sights set on the playoffs this season?

``We don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves,'' Smyth said, ``but every team's goal is to shoot for making the playoffs. I don't think it's an unreasonable thing for this team to shoot for.''

I have a bunch of stuff to post from training camp today, but since someone asked earlier (and before I forget), here's the roster for Tuesday's exhibition road game against the Coyotes. The rest of the roster will stay in L.A., and is eligible to play in Tuesday's game at Staples Center, but I have yet to see an official roster for the home game. The home game will be broadcast on 1150-AM and the affiliates with Nick Nickson and Daryl Evans. Here's the road game roster:

Goalies
Erik Ersberg
Jeff Zatkoff

Defensemen
Drew Bagnall
Andrew Campbell
Drew Doughty
Davis Drewiske
Matt Greene
Viatcheslav Voynov

Forwards
Justin Azevedo
Corey Elkins
Alexander Frolov
Gabe Gauthier
Michal Handzus
Raitis Ivanans
Dwight King
Trevor Lewis
David Meckler
Brad Richardson
Wayne Simmonds
John Zeiler

Coaches
Mark Hardy, Jamie Kompon and Bill Ranford