4 Los Angeles Kings who impressed during the Rookie Faceoff
The Los Angeles Kings wrapped up the Rookie Faceoff on Monday night with a 2-1 overtime victory over the Anaheim Ducks. It would be the only win they had in the three-game tournament as they lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the first game and suffered an overtime loss in the game against Utah Hockey Club on Saturday night.
In the game against the Ducks, the Kings would have a lead for the first time all tournament as Francesco Pinelli scored in the second period off an assist by Cole Krygier. After the Ducks scored in the third to tie it up, Quinn Olson secured the win with a goal in overtime after an assist by Angus Booth.
Now that the tournament is complete, let's take a look at four players who played well for the Los Angeles Kings.
Aatu Jamsen
If there was one player who could be considered the MVP of the tournament for the Los Angeles Kings, it would probably be Aatu Jamsen. He played some incredible hockey throughout the tournament with the Kings first goal early in their second game against Utah and would add an assist on their final goal in regulation on Arvid Caderoth's goal.
While he didn't find the net against the Ducks, he did lead the Kings in shots with five and for someone playing North American hockey for the first time, it didn't seem to be much of a learning curve. The 2020 seventh-round pick should still start the season with the Ontario Reign but it wouldn't be surprising to see him with the Kings in the near future.
Erik Portillo
Erik Portillo would get the start in the first game before being replaced by Carter George midway through that game. After Portillo was held out of the game against Utah, he would be back on Monday night but would replace George midway through the second and finish out the game.
In the first game, Portillo was tested early on a few breakaways and 2-on-1 opportunities by the Golden Knights. He would only give up one goal in that game and looked pretty composed in the net.
It would be more of the same tonight against the Ducks as Portillo would only give up one goal but was tested on a penalty shot that he was able to deflect away. This is a great start for the young goalie as he should be the primary goalie for the Ontario Reign this season.
Liam Greentree
The Los Angeles Kings got to see their first-round pick in live game action for the first time and the initial impressions were positive for Liam Greentree. He would play in all three games and score his first goal with the Kings against Utah which started the rally late in the third period.
Greentree would continue his strong play against the Ducks as he had three shots and had an assist on the game-winning goal in overtime. As the games went along, Greentree seemed to get more comfortable and into the flow of the offense.
While the Kings are likely to have to wait for a few seasons as Greentree should return to the OHL this season, they should be excited about his potential. It was great to see him make almost an immediate impact and he definitely did not look out of place or overwhelmed during this tournament.
Angus Booth
For the defense, Angus Booth was probably the best player for the Los Angeles Kings over these three games. Even Ontario Reign Marco Sturm took notice of Booth's performance after the game against the Utah Hockey Club.
"He was really good, really good," Sturm said. "I think the only one on the power play, he fumbled the puck but other than that, he's a good, very good skater. He trusts his skating and he could tell he has a good gap."
Booth followed up the strong performance against Utah with an assist on the game-winning goal in overtime against the Ducks. This is now his third rookie camp and it really showed during this tournament. He has built some nice momentum for himself heading into the season with the Ontario Reign.
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