News Clips 1-17-18
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News Clips 1-17-18 FROM LA KINGS INSIDER: good teammate,” Stevens said. “He’s come in, his attitude has been terrific. He’s like another coach in the locker room. He understands the game really January 16, 2017 well, and I just think it’s a situation where maybe By: Jon Rosen some young guys are taking a step. Get an January 16: Carter Skating Solo, opportunity to look at some young guys and see LaDue/Amadio, Dieter’s Cranberries Tribute where they’re at. Muzz has been on the IR, so there are only so many spots on your team. But he’s been Good afternoon from El Segundo, Insiders. The terrific. He’s been a really good teammate and a Kings practiced at Toyota Sports Center at 10:00 really good guy to have here. He’s good for us, a.m. Tuesday morning and remained on the ice for good for the young guys, and when he played, he over an hour. It may have been their longest helped us.” practice since training camp. “Today was just a really important reset day,” John Stevens said. -Soo native Michael Amadio scored his first career NHL goal against the Maple Leafs, but he was The forwards were grouped by color-coded jerseys: never a huge fan of Ontario’s NHL team. (It’s seven hours from his hometown above Lake Huron to the Gray: Kempe-Kopitar-Brown greater Toronto area, and he was more of a fan of Blue: Pearson-Lewis-Toffoli Joe Sakic and the Colorado Avalanche when he was Yellow: Iafallo-Shore-Gaborik-Mitchell younger.) Purple: Clifford-Andreoff-Amadio-Brodzinski He’s back with the Kings after having received a Notes! phone call while walking to his apartment after returning home from yesterday afternoon’s Ontario -Defensive pairings were fluid; we’ll continue to Reign game, a 3-2 win over Texas in which he take a look at how they shape up in advance of scored a third-period goal and netted the shootout Thursday’s game versus Pittsburgh. So! Trevor game-winner. His third period marker extended his Lewis is back at center, and Adrian Kempe moved point streak to 17 games, the longest in the AHL to wing. “We put Adrian on the wing last night and this season. actually liked him there,” Stevens said. “We were concerned that taking him out of the middle would “It’s definitely been a lot of fun, but I’ve got to give take some speed out of his game because he’s so a lot of credit to my linemates and teammates. good in the middle of the ice, but we saw that he They’re helping me a lot out there, which makes it a was able to maintain that last night. He still made lot easier,” he said. One of his regular linemates has plays off the wall, he still had an opportunity to get been Matt Moulson, who has five goals and 24 to open space with speed, so we thought we’d give points in 17 games and has assisted on seven of nine another look, and Lewie’s played lots of center in goals since being loaned to Ontario and making his his career. A real responsible guy. He’s always been Reign debut on December 9. able to take faceoffs and just gave us a little bit of a different look there.” Jonny Brodzinski, who skated to the right of Amadio at practice today, had also spent time with -An update: the Moulson-Amadio connection, which should help further ease the 21-year-old’s transition to the There’s still no timetable yet on his return, but professional game. Even Amadio admitted having a that’s a significant step in his recovery. few jitters re-joining the team earlier today for practice. -John Stevens knows that Jussi Jokinen, placed on waivers earlier today, is a very good pro. But there “It’s still pretty exciting, and I’m still a little are younger players the Kings are also looking to nervous coming up,” he said. “But it’s nice to see take a look at. “He’s been great. He’s been a really the guys again. They’re making me feel comfortable, so it’s a little better this time knowing carry that on up here and help the team win,” he the guys. It’s been a lot of fun.” said. Known as a defensively responsible center, Amadio He totaled eight goals and 17 points in 34 games is still a player who potted 50 goals in 68 games as with the Reign, so the success in the defensive zone the North Bay Battalion’s captain in his 19-year-old has allowed him the confidence and wherewithal to 2015-16 OHL season, and followed up his allow other parts of his game to grow. breakthrough campaign with a respectable 16 goals and 41 points as an AHL rookie last year. It’s a “Yeah, I think if you’re clean down there breaking challenge to be able to produce as a 20-year-old in pucks out, it leads to more offensive opportunities,” the AHL, but Amadio did so while remaining on the he said. “You gain confidence that way, and then all right side of the puck. of a sudden you’re feeling more comfortable on the blue line. I felt pretty good offensively this year, “I’ve always been on myself about being a good and I’d like to keep that going as well.” offensive player, but being a good defensive player at the same time,” he said. “You’ve got to take care John Stevens flew to Grand Forks, North Dakota to of your own end and be as creative as you want in visit with LaDue over the off-season, allowing him the offensive zone.” to get a clearer sense of his defenseman who turned 25 in September. He spoke about LaDue’s skill set Amadio’s 1.13 points per game in the AHL ranked and how closely he worked with him last season as sixth among players with at least 25 games this the Associate Head Coach who worked closely with season. Of the five players with a higher scoring Kings blue liners. rate, only Tucson’s Dylan Strome and Nick Merkley are younger. John Stevens, on how regularly he worked with Paul LaDue last season: “I definitely wanted to be back up here, and it’s nice Daily. … With all those guys. It’s something I love to get the call again.” the most. When young players come up and you’re an assistant coach, we usually sit down and watch -Paul LaDue is poised to make his 2017-18 debut their games, every game together, watch their shifts. later this week. He was recalled immediately before Just talk about their game. It’s not like corrective the start of the season when Alec Martinez suffered stuff – ‘What are you seeing here? What was your a lower-body injury in practice, necessitating his read? Did you like your positioning? This was quick return. really good. What do you think you can do better?’ They have questions sometimes. They see things “I try not to look down on it,” he said when asked that maybe you didn’t see as a coach, so to me those about not making the team out of training camp. interactions were really productive, and it becomes “Just keep improving every day, just listen to what very clear what the expectations are, how we want the coaching staff and the development staff says, to play, what we think of him as a player, what our and just take it all in and try to improve. Now I’m expectations of him are in terms of preparation and back, and trying to make a statement.” compete, so we’ve been through all that, yeah. Some of that statement is trying to show that he has Stevens, on any sort of acclimation process for improved “in all areas,” but also that he’s firmer in Michael Amadio and LaDue: the defensive zone. No, there’s a lot of familiarity with the organization and how we play and how they play down there and “Just playing harder in the D-zone and being things that are important. I think Stuttsy and I, I consistent every game in the D zone is what I’ve think across the organization, believe certain things been trying to focus on, and it’s grown since last are really important to players in winning, and those year, and even this year down in Ontario, it’s been two kids have been here long enough that they’ve continuing to get better, and hopefully I can just spent a lot of time, training camps, time with both teams, so I don’t think there’s any fog in terms of and getting our eyes on him. We’ve been in touch what’s expected of them as players or how we play. with Stuttsy and we’ve watched some games down The other thing with Paulie, I had a chance to go see there, both on he and Kev (Kevin Gravel) when him in his hometown last year in the summer and they were playing down there. Talked to Blakey and see him on his turf, where he trained, where he’s the development staff and just where his game is at. from and all that. Sometimes that’s really good, too, Paul, he’s just a good blend defenseman I think that in terms of getting an understanding of a player.