LA Kings join NHL youth movement with trio of rookies
When most of us talk about the young guns in the NHL, we look to the east. Auston Matthews and company in Toronto. The Zach Werenski contingent in Columbus. New editions Nolan Patrick and Nico Hischier, both making their mark on teams close to the Atlantic coast.
Not enough of us, however, are turning our gaze out west.
Most of the attention has been on the new Las Vegas Golden Knights . but another teams has been putting a new roster together. With age starting to creep into may Western Conference lineups, the LA Kings are starting to go younger, greener, fresher. Enter the trio of Alex Iafallo, Oscar Fantenberg, and Kurtis MacDermid.
It isn't unheard of for a trio of rookies to make the opening night roster. But the impact they are making is something that deserves some extra attention. Defensemen Fantenberg and MacDermid have added size and youth to the blue line, while Iafallo has fit in seamlessly up front. In fact, Iafallo skated on the top line with seasoned vets Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown in the Kings' season opener against the Philadelphia Flyers. Not too shabby for an undrafted forward.
"It was great experience, especially doing it together," Iafallo told Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times of making his debut with his fellow rookies. "It can't get any better than that.
Granted, their body of work is limited, given that the season is barely under way. But it is nothing short of impressive. Look at how MacDermid has emerged since replacing the injured Alec Martinez on the blue line. Or Fantenberg's ice time in the home opener against Philly. Or Iafallo being moved up to the second power play unit in LA's 4-1 swatting of the San Jose Sharks in the second game of the season. (It actually looked for a second like Iafallo had notched his first goal in a Kings' sweater that game, before the goal was later credited to linemate Kopitar.)
In the first couple of tilts, at least, it appears that the trio can bring plenty to the table. Fantenberg, a two-way blue liner, brings a bevy of experience from playing in his native Sweden, which pairs well MacDermid's size and physicality. East coast native Iafallo almost single-handedly looks to add youth and speed to the forward attack – something the Kings desperately lacked last season when they missed out on making the playoffs.
The season is young, but the Kings newest additions are already playing like there are playoff implications on the line. It is now just a matter of kicking back and watching where they go from here.
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