In exactly one week, the Los Angeles Kings and head coach Jim Hiller begin the regular season against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver (Oct. 7).
Alex Laferriere and Jim Hiller break down the Los Angeles Kings remaining preseason games and more in media availability early this week
This week is the final full week of training camp and the preseason remaining for the Kings this fall before the start of the upcoming 2025-26 regular season. Before the Kings' next preseason game on Tuesday night (Sep. 30) against the Utah Mammoth, Hiller and forward Alex Laferriere spoke to the media after training camp on Monday.
Here's everything that Hiller and Laferriere said in training camp media availability on Sep. 29.
Alex Laferriere
On thoughts from the preseason so far
"Yeah, I think they've been trying to get the rust out, and I think we've played really well. You know, we've been in situations where we've had to go back to real hockey and kind of try and close out games, and we've done that. Obviously, the last preseason game we didn't, but
I think it's good to try to get in game situations again and go against guys who you aren't seeing in the locker room after the game. So, it's good."
On playing the center position more in training camp this fall
"Jimmy's [Hiller] talked to me a little bit about um trying to get me get me out there at center sometimes and um obviously don't really know when those situations are going to be, but um as a righty, you know, you want to be able to take face offs and if I'm going out there on the penalty kill and stuff like that, we don't have a lot of righties, so being able to win faceoffs for that would be is a good thing. We've had conversations about it, and yeah, it's different. I haven't really played much center in my whole life, so just trying to get comfortable doing that. I think I definitely have felt a little bit more comfortable."
On challenges taking faceoffs
"Yeah, I mean winning them first off, it's hard. I mean, you go against guys whose whole job is to win faceoffs, and you've never really taken them your whole life. It's hard, but yeah, I think I've gotten a lot better at it and just trying to like compete a little bit more for them, not just trying to lose it on my own on the first go. As long as I can make it hard for them to win faceoffs, it's better off for us."
On building chemistry with the linemates this fall
"I think it's been amazing. They're two incredible players who um are really important pieces for our team and um yeah, I think my job is just to try and make it easier for them and and make sure that they're kind of contributing and they're doing their thing as long as I can help out with that and make it easier for those guys and I'm doing my job. I mean, they're staples for our team and their team. They're guys that we need to have scoring goals and doing offensive things every single night in order to win."
On preseason routines in the final preseason games this week
"I think it's more just trying to get into those routines and stuff like that. I think, whether it's like going on the bus to the games and like who you're sitting next to, or like when you're playing soccer before the games, who you're standing next to trying to get out, and stuff like that. It's just little things like that you really like you miss a little bit during the season. And I think the preseason's good to kind of get back to that and feel like a team again, and it makes you feel like what you're going towards and working towards is right there again."
On what he does when he's not playing in the preseason
"Yeah, I mean, I haven't. I've only not played one of the games so far, and yeah, I sat back and watched it a little bit. It's tough because you want to be out there, and you see the guys that you're used to playing with, and seeing them out there. So, yeah, it's fun to watch. I think it's really cool to see like the younger guys and those guys get their opportunities to prove themselves, and I did watch the one game, so it was fun."
Jim Hiller
On priorities to work on this week in training camp and the preseason
"We have added a couple new things. We want to make sure that the things we've added feel natural. So, we're trying to do it as best we can as part of a five-on-five, you know, kind of like a game rather than trying to walk through it on video or be really static. So, we're just trying to do more game-like situations, I guess, is what I would say. Particularly the stuff that we've tried to add."
On what Alex Laferriere brings to center for the Kings
"You know, center is a tougher job than wing first of all because you have to play down low in D-zone. That's really where it gets you. Everywhere else in the ice outside of the faceoff circle is pretty similar. It's once you get down, and if you end up as the low guy, which more than often you do in D-zone, it's being able to box out. It's reading where's your guy."
"He's (Laferriere) competitive. He has a strong defensive hockey sense, and his understanding is at a very high level. So, most wingers really have a difficult time making that transition. There's been some centermen that have been pushed over to the wing. But because he has some of those attributes and he's strong on his skates, we feel like there's times, when necessary, that he might be able to make that transition. And where we really noticed it was his first year with the team, because we didn't have this in mind at all that he ended up down low quite a bit, and he was able to handle the situations."
On why Laferriere is getting a look at the center position
"You can never have too many centers. So uh yeah, I don't intend for him to play center this year, but you know, you just never know. There's different scenarios. There's there's faceoffs. He'll probably penalty kill this year. So can he take that penalty kill face off? Most teams have a left-handed center. they choose that dot, more often than not, we don't have a lot of right-handed centermen, so it's getting those faceoff reps. There's just different reasons that we're just trying to just give them the reps. It's an opportunity to do that."
On preparing for the remaining preseason games
"Yeah, not too much. With Joel there, the Anaheim looks a little different. We've been able to recognize that for sure. The coaches back in Utah, so we expect them to play similar to what they did last year, which is different than what Anaheim is doing now. So, it'll be a good test for us. It's good to see somebody new. And there'll be some different challenges. Their power play, in particular, with Keller and Schmaltz and Sergeev, that's a really good power play. So that's going to challenge us some different ways. They do some different things that makes it really difficult. That'll be the one that we really have to be on our toes for."
On playing more forwards on the penalty kill this upcoming season
"Yeah, we'd like to. We think there's time. Well, [Joel] Armia a penalty killer, too. So, some of those minutes will be distributed differently for sure. And we got to get those guys reps now. Whether Turk's on there full-time or last, those things remain to be seen. But yeah, we are transitioning. You know, probably Kopi and Juice will penalty kill less this year. Still be there different times for different reasons, but probably a little bit less than they've been in the past."
On the players that played all four games this preseason
"Probably half of the veterans will get three games only. They'll play the last two as a team. And the other guys might get the first five and then not play the last two. They might get five and then play another sixth one. When you have somebody who plays six. So, there's some specific players that we're giving an opportunity to that didn't get quite get as much opportunity, and two that we want to look at them a little bit closer."
On playing veteran players in a shorter preseason next year
"If I bring it back to, and I've talked to a lot of people about this, the bubble season after the bubble we came back for that was it 48 or 54? I forget the number. We'd remember we had a short training camp, no preseason games, and we jumped right in. First game that the guys played was the first regular season game. I think we had about four or five days, and all of a sudden got going like that and I was talking with the players they jumped right I I was amazed jumped right in. Those games were good right out of the get-go. So, I think you know we're maybe on to something here by shortening it a little bit."
On playing Brandt Clarke playing in different situations
"Yeah, I'd say so. From what we've seen, he's raised his level for sure. Now, what happens is when we get all of our defenseman, and now there's competition for that, so we're comfortable with it. But is there somebody that can perform better in that particular moment? If it's six on five for the other team, are we comfortable with Clarky? I would say yes from what we've seen. Does that mean he's going to be going out in that situation ahead of Edmundson, Doughty, Anderson, and Dumoulin? You know, you can go down the list. I don't know if we're there yet."