LA Kings: Four defensive defensemen to watch out for this season
By Ryan Cowley
2. Matt Roy
Drafted in the seventh round of the 2015 Draft, some wondered whether Matt Roy would ever see playing time with the LA Kings, much less anywhere in the NHL. Nevertheless, the 25-year-old made the wait worthwhile.
When he was called up from Ontario during the 2018-19 season, Roy made the most of his time with the Kings.
In 25 games for the big club, the Michigan Tech alum registered 47 blocked shots before registering 100 more in 70 games the following season. Roy even improved physically, going from 38 hits registered in 2018-19 to 132 last season. And like Walker, Roy’s not the biggest player on the ice at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds. No matter.
While he has yet to record either of the aforementioned stats this season, do keep in mind that Roy and the Kings are coming off 10 months of inactivity as far as in-game competition goes.
Be patient, though. After all, his wait to get to the NHL was worthwhile. This won’t be any different.