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NHL: Kings

Gann Matsuda covers the Kings for Hockeytalk

KINGS NOTES
Evaluating the 2006-07 Los Angeles Kings: Part 1
by Gann Matsuda

LOS ANGELES (April 18, 2007) -- The 2006-07 season is now history for
the Los Angeles Kings, and it was a season filled with
disappointment. But at the same time, it was one that showed that
patience could be rewarded in a big way in the not-so-distant future.

In this edition of Kings Notes, hockeytalk.biz will begin its two-
part, off-the-cuff, relatively spontaneous breakdown of the 2006-07
Los Angeles Kings, on the ice and off. We will look at the players,
including some of the young prospects, coaches, the front office and
even ownership.

The Kings finished the season with a 27-41-14 record, good for a
measly 68 points in the standings. They finished fourth in the five-
team Pacific Division and 14th out of fifteen teams in the Western
Conference.

They were also 28th in the thirty-team National Hockey League.

Clearly, the Kings were a bottom-feeder this season, and found
themselves out of playoff contention before Christmas. But keeping in
mind that the Kings are in the first year of a complete rebuilding
process, something the franchise had never done before in its 39-year
history, being a bottom-feeder is not all that important. After all,
the Kings have been looking ahead to the future since the 2006 draft
last June.

That being the case, it would be pointless to dwell on how badly the
team played this year. Instead, we will focus on individual
performances when evaluating the players, and this week, we will
start with the forwards.

DEREK ARMSTRONG (67 games played, 11 goals, 33 assists, 44 points,
+13 rating, 62 penalty minutes) -- Anyone who says that there was a
Kings player this season who worked harder in every game than Derek
Armstrong was not watching the Los Angeles Kings. To be sure,
Armstrong gave it his all on every shift, as that amazing +13 rating
indicates--only four Kings were in positive territory in plus/minus
this season, and on a team that had horrific goaltending for much of
the season and was the second-worst defensive team in the league, a
+13 rating is miraculous. To be sure, Armstrong is never going to be
a big offensive threat, but he is solid on both ends of the ice and
you always know you are going to get steady play and 100-percent
effort from him. He deserved the two-year contract extension the
Kings offered him this season and is a good, veteran influence on the
young kids.

DUSTIN BROWN (81 GP, 17 goals, 29 assists, 46 points, 258 hits, 54
PIM) -- Brown improved in a big way this season, as his 46 points was
an 18-point increase over his 2005-06 mark. He was also second in the
league with 258 hits, and now has opponents looking over their
shoulder for him whenever he is on the ice. In addition to his
aggressive style and hard-hitting, which are trademarks of his game,
he also displayed increased ability this season to score and make
plays, but was inconsistent offensively. The trick for Brown now is
to put it all together. If he can accomplish that next season, he
could easily be a 30-goal scorer, perhaps better than that.

MICHAEL CAMMALLERI (81 GP, 34 goals, 46 assists, 80 points, +5
rating, 48 PIM) -- Cammalleri was named as the Kings' most valuable
player this season, and rightly so. But he not only posted new career-
highs in goals, assists and points, he also emerged as the leader
among the Kings' young core that the team will build around, and has
become a vocal team leader as well. In just his fourth NHL season and
his second full season in the league, Cammalleri has learned how to
play without the puck and his tenacity along the boards and in the
corners makes him play bigger than his 5-9, 185-pound stature.
Cammalleri emerged as an offensive threat on every shift this season,
and it looks like he will be a player on the rise for some time to
come. Cammalleri will be a restricted free agent on July 1 and will
demand a big raise. It will be interesting to see how contract
negotiations play out this summer.

ALEXANDER FROLOV (82 GP, 35 goals, 36 assists, 71 points, -8 rating,
34 PIM) -- Frolov remains somewhat of an enigma for the Kings. On
some nights, he is unstoppable. He will score a goal or two, have a
hand in one or two more, and you cannot move him off the puck. And
then he will turn around and disappear for a handful of games. Frolov
set new career-highs in goals, assists and points this season and
improved greatly on his 2005-06 numbers (21 goals, 33 assists, 54
points), and it is easy to see that he has the potential to be a 50-
goal scorer in the NHL. The only question is will he ever figure out
that he cannot disappear on-and-off throughout a season?

RAITIS IVANANS (66 GP, 4 goals, 4 assists, 8 points, -12 rating, 140
PIM) -- The key stat to look at here are those 140 penalty minutes.
Yes, Ivanans was the Kings' enforcer and did an adequate job filling
that role. He is not one of the top enforcers in the league by any
means, but he did his job for the most part, and even chipped in with
an occasional goal.

ANZE KOPITAR (72 GP, 20 goals, 41 assists, 61 points, -12 rating, 24
PIM) -- While Cammalleri may have been the Kings' most valuable
player this season, the 19-year-old kid from Slovenia clearly emerged
as the team's best player, their franchise player. At 6-4, 220
pounds, Kopitar has the size and strength to be a force down the
middle and with his breathtaking skill and deceptive speed, he is
already a very dangerous threat in the offensive zone, either to
score or set-up his teammates. Kopitar is easily the Kings' best
center since Wayne Gretzky and Marcel Dionne. Combine all that with
his down-to-earth manner, and he will not only be looked upon as one
of team's leaders in the future, but he could rise to superstar
status before we know it.

TOM KOSTOPOULOS (76 GP, 7 goals, 15 assists, 22 points, -2 rating, 73
PIM) -- Kostopoulos had a season that you would expect from a third
or fourth-line checking forward. He got his nose dirty in the
corners, chipped in with a goal here and there, and just quietly did
his job. But Kostopoulos will be an unrestricted free agent on July
1, and the question now is that with younger talent coming up through
the ranks, is there spot for him on the Kings roster? There is a good
chance the answer is no.

JAMIE LUNDMARK (68 GP, 7 goals, 6 assists, 13 points, -12 rating, 56
PIM; 29 GP, 7 goals, 2 assists, 9 points, -8 rating, 25 PIM with the
Kings) -- Lundmark may have been a salary cap-throw-in in the deal
that sent center Craig Conroy to the Calgary Flames, but Lundmark
made the most of his opportunity. Thrust into roles that he was not
able to get with the Flames, Lundmark thrived with the Kings, scoring
all seven of his goals after the trade. He was solid on the
forecheck, responsible in his own end and when he had the chance, he
showed that he had better hands than most gave him credit for,
although he will likely never be an offensive star. Given Lundmark's
solid play, even though will be a restricted free agent on July 1, he
may have earned himself a new contract with the Kings.

PATRICK O'SULLIVAN (44 GP, 5 goals, 14 assists, 19 points, -6 rating,
14 PIM) -- O'Sullivan's numbers with the Kings are definitely not
impressive, but do not let that fool you. The rookie got off to a bad
start in training camp and early in the season thinking that he had
been a great goal-scorer at lower levels and that it would be the
same in the NHL. Guess again, rookie! O'Sullivan was sent down to the
Kings' primary minor league affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs of the
American Hockey League, in order to learn how to play without the
puck and to increase his compete level for loose pucks along the
boards and in the corners. And to his credit, O'Sullivan worked hard
down on the farm, scoring 17 goals with 17 assists for 34 points in
38 games with the Monarchs, and was leading the team in scoring when
he was recalled by the Kings on January 25. And when he returned to
the big club, he showed that he had learned his lesson. Although he
still has work to do, he showed vast improvement in his physical play
and in his play without the puck, and this will be a key to how he
performs in 2007-08.

SCOTT THORNTON (58 GP, 7 goals, 6 assists, 13 points, -15 rating, 85
PIM) -- Thornton had his best years with San Jose, but at this point
in his career, he is not much more than a checking forward who will
chip in with an occasional goal, so I do not understand why many
people out there expected more scoring from Thornton, especially
given the fact that he did not have offensively gifted players on his
line. No offense intended to Thornton, but he was clearly a low-cost
veteran who was available as a free agent last summer, and is simply
filling a roster spot for the Kings during their rebuilding process
while providing some valuable veteran leadership in the dressing room
as an influence for the young kids.

BRIAN WILLSIE (81 GP, 11 goals, 10 assists, 21 points, -20 rating, 49
PIM) -- Willsie is not as old as Thornton, but the same could be said
of him--he was also a low-cost veteran who was available as a free
agent last summer, and he too is filling a roster spot for the Kings
during their rebuilding process. Willsie has a bit more skill than
Thornton, and showed it when he got some time on the power play late
in the season. Nevertheless, Willsie will never remind anyone of
Rocket Richard, Wayne Gretzky, or Anze Kopitar, for that matter.

JOHN ZEILER (23 GP, 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points, -2 rating, 22 PIM)
-- Zeiler was a late-season call-up from Manchester, and he gave the
Kings exactly what they asked for--energy on every shift, willingness
to throw his body around, and punishing the other team's defensemen
on the forecheck. He did his job very well. Zeiler will be a
restricted free agent on July 1, and has likely earned himself a
contract offer from the Kings.


NOT EVALUATED (played too few games with the Kings): Alyn McCauley

NOTE: Minor league forwards Noah Clarke, Gabe Gauthier, Tim Jackman,
Marty Murray, Shay Stephenson, and Lauri Tukonen will be evaluated in
a later edition.

And in other Kings-related news...

BOYLE SIGNED

On April 16, the Kings signed center and possible defenseman prospect
Brian Boyle to a two-year, entry-level contract.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Boyle, 22, was the captain for the Boston College Eagles, and in 42
games this season, he scored 19 goals with 34 assists for a career-
high 53 points with 104 penalty minutes, and helped lead his team to
the NCAA Championship game.

In four seasons with Boston College, The 6-7, 250-pound native of
Dorchester, Massachusetts scored 65 goals with 75 assists for 137
points in 159 games. During his four seasons at Boston College, Boyle
won the Hockey East championship twice and reached the NCAA Frozen
Four three times. Boyle also received All-Tournament recognition this
season. He has also received numerous awards and accolades throughout
his collegiate career.

"He can be a pretty interesting player for us," said Kings head coach
Marc Crawford. "I like the fact that he's playing both forward and
defense. You know, at 6-7, he can skate and see the ice and he has
good instincts. That's a pretty good package and we're excited about
that."

Boyle was selected by the Kings in the first round (26th overall) of
the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. On April 14, he signed an amateur tryout
agreement with Manchester and played in one game. He will be on the
Monarchs playoff roster.


JOHNSON TO REPRESENT U.S. AT WORLDS

Also on April 16, USA Hockey announced that Kings defenseman Jack
Johnson will represent the United States at the 2007 IIHF World
Championship tournament, to be held from April 27 - May 13, 2007 in
Moscow, Russia.

Johnson, 20, made his Kings and NHL debut on March 29 after signing a
multi-year, entry-level contract on March 27.

The 6-1, 215-pound native of Indianapolis, Indiana also recently
completed his sophomore season at the University of Michigan where he
helped lead the Wolverines to the NCAA West Hockey Regional semi-
finals while recording 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points with 87
penalty minutes in 36 games.

Johnson previously represented the United States at the 2007 IIHF
World Junior Championship tournament in Sweden, earning a bronze
medal. In seven games, Johnson, who joined Kings prospects Trevor
Lewis (center) and Jeff Zatkoff (goaltender) on the USA squad, scored
three goals, tying him for the team lead.

Johnson also played for Team USA at the 2006 World Junior
Championship where he was an All-Star selection with a goal and five
assists for six points in seven games. Johnson has also earned gold
medals with Team USA at the 2005 World Under-18 Championship, the
2005 Five Nations Tournament (US Under-18 Team) and the 2004
Compuware Four Nations Cup (US Under-18 Team).

"I'm honored and proud to be able to put on that jersey again, and
I'm looking forward to being able to play with such great players
again," said Johnson. "In all my past experiences with USA Hockey,
it's been nothing short of great, and I'm looking forward to being
able to put on that sweater again."

"I expect that my experience with USA Hockey and the development I
had in Ann Arbor is going to help tremendously," added Johnson. "I'm
not going to be a stranger to these international games and how
competitive they are, and how much pride is on the line when you put
on those jerseys."

Team USA officials were so high on Johnson, he was called a "no-
brainer" for their roster.

"Jack Johnson is a terrific young defenseman," said Anaheim Ducks
Executive Vice President/General Manager Brian Burke, a member of USA
Hockey's National Team Advisory Group that selected the Team USA
roster. "For Jack to say that he felt comfortable [playing at the NHL
level], he sure looked comfortable, I can tell you that. He looked
just fine in an NHL sweater. He's going to be a good player."

"Jack's a little modest at times, which is a wonderful thing," added
Burke. "But this guy is going to be dynamite player."

"Last year at the World Juniors, I wasn't sure if it was the last
chance I'd get," said Johnson. "I'm just honored that I'm being given
the opportunity to do it again. I'm looking forward to coming out of
it with a gold medal."

Team USA will begin play in the 2007 IIHF World Championship on
Friday, April 27, at 5:15 AM PDT against Austria.

Team USA will play a pre-tournament game against Sweden on Wednesday,
April 25, at the Globe Arena in Stockholm, starting at 10:00 AM PDT.


KOPITAR LEADING THE WAY FOR SLOVENIA

In the 2007 IIHF Division 1 World Championship tournament that is
currently underway, Kopitar is leading Team Slovenia in Group B,
which is playing at Ljubljana, Slovenia.

In two games, Kopitar has a goal and four assists, and is clearly the
leader of the favored team in the tournament.

"I guess we should win it," said Kopitar. "There's six teams and we
play five games in seven nights. I think anything else would be a bad
result, so there's some pressure, but we know we're capable of winning."

"I'm really excited to go back there and see my buddies and play with
them," added Kopitar. "You never know when your next chance will be
to play with them."

 

See also:
Looking Back at
the 2006-07 Kings
Part One (April 12, 2007)

LOS ANGELES KINGS

A Look at the Road Ahead