3 takeaways for the LA Kings matchup against Utah in Rookie Faceoff
The Los Angeles Kings were back on the ice Saturday night for the second game of the Rookie Faceoff. This time they were facing the Utah Hockey Club and would get their first lead of the tournament with a goal by Aatu Jamsen.
However, it was pretty much Utah from that point forward as they would score three straight goals. The Kings would fight back late in the third period as they scored two goals in the final three minutes to push it overtime.
Unfortunately for the LA Kings, Owen Allard of Utah would find the net in the overtime to give his team a 4-3 victory. Even though the Kings didn't get the win, there were plenty of positives from this game.
Aatu Jamsen scores first goal of the tournament for the Kings and continues to play well throughout the game
This should be a big season for Aatu Jamsen as the seventh round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft is expected to be his first season in the AHL after playing in Liga over Finland. Last year, Jamsen had 14 goals and 11 assists in 36 games and already is off to a good start to the season.
In the first period, Lawrence would win a faceoff and after a deflection Jamsen would control the puck and get it past the Utah goalie.
KID JAMSEN 👀
— LA Kings (@LAKings) September 15, 2024
1-0 LAK pic.twitter.com/48DDvs5Bw0
However, he wasn't done there as Jamsen would be involved in all three goals the Kings scored tonight. He would provide the assist to Liam Greentree on their second goal and then have a secondary assist on their final goal of the night by Arvid Caderoth. There might be a learning curve to this style of hockey, but the talent is certainly there and Aatu Jamsen will be a big part of the Ontario Reign this season.
Los Angeles Kings give some "veterans" the night off
While it is the Rookie Faceoff, not every player on the roster is necessarily a rookie or new to the Kings' organization. On Saturday night, in the second game of the tournament, that group would get the night off including Brandt Clarke, Francesco Pinelli and Erik Portillo. The other notable player absent was second-round pick in the recent NHL Draft in goaltender Carter George.
This created some changes in the lineups as Jake Wise moved up to be the center on the top line in place of Pinelli and had Liam Greentree and Koehn Ziemmer on either side. Wise is a tournament invite and didn't play in the first game but spent last year in the AHL between the Chicago Wolves and Charlotte Checkers
The pairings on defense also changed as Matthew Mania moved up to the top line in place of Clarke and will play next to Jakub Dvorak. Mania played with Angus Booth in the first game so Booth also will have a new player alongside him in Parker Berge
The Kings will also have two new goalies tonight as Kolby Hay gets the start with Jackson Parsons backing him up. However, the Kings probably will get Parsons onto the ice at some point as they try to evaluate all five goalies on the roster over the three games.
Los Angeles Kings show some resiliency at the end of regulation
The Los Angeles Kings found themselves down 3-1 late in the third period before Liam Greentree would cut the deficit in half off a pass from Aatu Jamsen. This would be the 2024 first-round pick's first goal of the tournament and with the Kings.
About a minute after Greentree's goal, the Kings would score once again. This time, they would win the faceoff and move the puck around before Jamsen would put a shot on the net. However, it would be Arvid Caderoth who would clean it up and get it past the goalie to tie the game.
Arvid Caderoth was a tournament invite after playing for the Fort Wayne Comets in the ECHL and with Michigian Tech in the CCHA last season. He would only have seven goals in 39 games between the two teams so it was good to see him get a goal here.
While the Kings would ultimately lose in overtime, it was great to see this group continue to fight and at least tie it up to send it to overtime.
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