The preseason officially starts for the Los Angeles Kings and head coach Jim Hiller in a little under six days this upcoming weekend, on Sep. 21, against the Anaheim Ducks.
Which players need to impress for the Los Angeles Kings to prove themselves in training camp and the preseason?
Players will start reporting for training camp and the preseason later this week after the conclusion of rookie camp and the Golden State Rookie Faceoff this past weekend.
Over three dozen Kings players will be invited to the training camp roster and going into the preseason this fall. Hiller and the Kings' staff on the bench will whittle down the roster for the upcoming 2025-26 regular season quickly in the preseason this fall.
Young players stepping up will be crucial to the Kings having more depth for the forward lines going into the upcoming 2025-26 campaign in the West. The Kings need some younger players and former first-round picks to step up in the spotlight this fall in training camp and the preseason.
Here are three Kings' players to watch who need to step up in the preseason this fall.
Liam Greentree, F
The odds that touted forward prospect Liam Greentree can earn a spot on the Kings' projected roster for the 2025-26 season upcoming are up after Corey Perry will miss a month or two after suffering a knee injury and having surgery last week. Greentree could play a half dozen games for the Kings early this regular season in the Pacific Division without risking his entry-level contract sending him back to the OHL.
Greentree told Mayor's Manor last week before the rookie camp and the team skate for practice that he's setting high expectations for making the projected roster for the Kings this season in training camp and the preseason.
"I’m trying to make the roster, this is a big camp for me. I know what I want to do, and my goals. I set expectations pretty high for myself."Liam Greentree
Akil Thomas, F
Center Akil Thomas will compete for the Kings to replace Perry this season after he suffered the knee injury in a team skate this past week. He'll need to transcend Samuel Helenius and Greentree in training camp and in the preseason opener against the Ducks this upcoming weekend to fight to compete for a roster spot this upcoming season with the Kings.
He gives the Kings versatility and playmaking, potentially on the bottom-six forward lines for this upcoming regular season. Thomas had high expectations going into the 2024-25 season for the Kings. He scored a goal in the first regular season game he played with the Kings this past season.
Thomas only played 25 games last season for the Kings in the West. His role dwindled down the stretch as he started to get moved out of the forward lineup for Hiller and LA.
Drew Doughty, D
An ankle injury forced Drew Doughty to get off to a rough start with the Kings this past season in the fall. A lower-body injury to his ankle that Doughty suffered in the preseason last fall sidelined him for over half of the Kings' regular season last year.
Doughty played two dozen games down the stretch this past regular season for the Kings and played in the 4 Nations Tournament with Team Canada earlier this year. He averaged around 24 minutes per game on the ice for the Kings.
Despite seeing a rise in his playing time for the Kings in the postseason this past spring in the first round of the playoffs, he only scored one goal against the Edmonton Oilers in six games played.
I expect Doughty to to be closer to 100 percent after a full offseason to recover and rehab the ankle injury he suffered last preseason in 2024. He is projected to be a first-line defensemen for the Kings and Hiller this upcoming season.