LA Kings: Arthur Kaliyev, three other prospects in WJC action on Sunday

With the World Junior Championships exhibition games kicking off on Sunday, four LA Kings prospects will be in action. Here are all the details.

Just ahead of the 2021 World Junior Championships opening exhibition play on Sunday, the NHL and NHLPA tentatively agreed to a 56-game schedule on Friday afternoon. The LA Kings will (unofficially) open training camp on December 31, which means all players will be able to spend Christmas with their families.

One interesting item to note is the league is currently looking at no preseason games, meaning the Kings will go nearly ten and a half months without playing a regular season game and no time for fine-tuning against other squads. Until then, the hockey world’s attention will be focused on the WJC.

As noted, the exhibition games begin on Sunday, with tournament games officially starting on Christmas. Four LA Kings’ prospects will be in action on Sunday.

SUNDAY, DEC. 20

USA vs. Switzerland, 6 PM (ET), TSN (Canada), NHL Network (US)

Alex Turcotte (US) – The Kings’ fifth overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft begins his second stint in the WJC. He had a disappointing showing last year, tallying two assists while the US failed to medal. But Turcotte also indicated that he was putting too much pressure on himself. Now considered a veteran in the tournament, the Island Lake, Illinois native will be featured on Team USA’s top line.

Arthur Kaliyev (US) – A first-round talent, Kaliyev was drafted by the Kings with the 33rd overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He’s a pure scorer, and his OHL stats back that statement. A year ago, Kaliyev had a terrific tournament in an otherwise disappointing showing for the US, accumulating six points in five games. He’ll be on the top line with Turcotte and Anaheim Ducks’ top prospect Trevor Zegras.

Finland vs. Czech Republic, 9:30 PM (ET), TSN (Canada), NHL Network (US)

Kasper Simontaival (Finland) – The lone representative for Team Finland, Simontaival was the Kings’ third-round pick (along with Alex Laferriere) in the 2020 NHL Draft. Primarily playing with Tappara of the Liiga, Simontaival was loaned to TUTO Hockey for more playing time. There, he tallied seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in five games and has since returned to Tappara. He’s played very well in International play, most recently tallying seven assists in four games for Finland’s U18 team in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

Lukas Parik (Czech Republic) – Like Simontaival, Parik is the only LA Kings’ prospect on Team Czech Republic. The 6-foot-4 netminder was part of what is shaping up to be a terrific 2019 draft class, selected in the third round after logging a .917 SV% and 2.73 GAA with the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL in his draft year. Parik could be the backup for the Czech Republic, with Jan Bednar (Red Wings) expected to get the bulk of the time in net.

UPDATE:

All exhibition games on Sunday and Monday have been cancelled.