Takeaways From Day 2 of LA Kings Training Camp

During Brian Dumoulin’s media availability, he was asked whether he thinks the Kings’ identity as a defensively oriented team will change or require some adjustment with the new leadership and captaincy letters. “Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think it’s a good way to go about it where you kind of have that defensive. Uh, kind of mindset before you kind of just sell the farm and try to get too, too, uh, involved offensively. 


So, I mean, I think it’s a good thing where we’re coming from. Yeah, I think it’ll take some time to go get different needs. I want to hear them, but we were playing last year. 
So, um, I mean, it’s gonna be fun. Obviously, we don’t have a lot of time to kind of get used to it. So every day is important and it’s gonna be a good challenge.” With the season quickly approaching, the Kings will have to make those adjustments on the fly.

Chromiak Talks Offseason Progress, World Championship Experience

As the drills continued and Group B took the ice after Group A’s media availability wrapped up, I had the chance to speak with Chromiak, who shared some valuable insight into his offseason. I asked him what he has been working on this summer. He said his focus has been on getting stronger and faster while spending more time on the ice. “At the same time, I would say stronger, faster. Try to be on the ice way more than I used to be the last couple years. So I ended up with the biggest difference. I tried to be on the ice, like most of the days, last month.”

Chromiak also represented Slovakia at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in May, so I asked him what that experience was like. “As always, great honor to play for the country. I always enjoyed, and especially this year, when we were playing a lot of close games with good teams for the country. So it’s fun as always, and it’s always an honor to represent your country.”

With a strong and memorable offseason behind him, the 24-year-old, an Ilava, Slovakia, native is focused on continuing to improve and making the most of his opportunities with the Kings organization. His experience representing his home country also gave him important exposure against strong competition, something he can carry with him into the upcoming season.

Then, Vojtěch Čihař was next, where he was asked about which preseason game he expects to play in. He wasn’t sure yet, saying, “I have no idea. I’m at least one game. I don’t know.”

Three Things That Stood Out at Training Camp

There have been a few things that have stood out to me during Kings training camp. The new leadership group, led by Drew Doughty, has been one of the biggest storylines, while the team is still putting a strong focus on its defensive game. The prospects have also been fun to watch, with guys like Chromiak and Čihař getting opportunities to show what they can do. Now, the Kings will take what they learned from camp into the regular season.