ANAHEIM — There were playoff implications in the Kings’ 4-1 victory over the Ducks on Friday night at Honda Center, but the matchup also served to once again highlight the bright future of the Freeway Faceoff rivalry.
Although both teams are tightly grouped in a race that could send them to the postseason for the first time since they were each swept out of the first round in 2018, the most thrilling battles between these teams lie ahead.
Junior and minor hockey guru Scott Wheeler recently rated both the Ducks’ group of prospects and the Kings’ burgeoning stable of young players in the top five among all NHL organizations. The Kings ranked second while the Ducks placed a formidable fifth.
The headliners in that mix made themselves known early Friday, first when Kings center Quinton Byfield maneuvered down the right-wing boards, put the defense on its heels, slammed on the brakes and delivered the puck precisely for winger Carl Grundstrom’s game-opening goal.
It was the Byfield’s first assist of the season, but it was in grand style, the sort of play the Kings expect plenty of from the 19-year-old down the line. He nearly completed a similar setup at high speed in the second period.
“He’s been a pro now for a year and how he started in the American (Hockey) League is how he’s started here. He’s learned a lot of lessons,” said Kings coach Todd McLellan, who entered the COVID-19 protocols on Friday. “I talk a lot about permission. It’s time for him to start giving himself permission and let’s go.”
The Ducks have certainly gotten more mileage to date out of the top picks they’ve accumulated amid the two teams’ three-season swath of top-level futility. Center Trevor Zegras, who nearly tied the score after Byfield’s beautiful pass, ranks second on the team in points and entered Friday tied for first league-wide among rookies. Defenseman Jamie Drysdale is second in rookie scoring among defensemen, while Byfield, Alex Turcotte and Gabe Vilardi have had decidedly slower starts to their careers.
Turcotte, Vilardi and fellow forward Rasmus Kupari comprise a trio of first-round draft picks on the Kings’ AHL roster, a seldom-seen display of organizational depth. Even with half a dozen rookie or second-year players on their bench Friday, including two first-rounders, the Kings still have plenty to look forward to in the future.
They’ve also quietly stacked their defense, despite three of those six players being defensemen who already skate in the top six of the parent club. Brock Faber competed for Team USA at the Olympics, and Brandt Clarke, the No. 8 selection overall in 2021, leads the Ontario Hockey League in scoring by a defenseman.
Clarke was snubbed for a second straight year for Canada’s World Junior Championship roster. He responded by turning in a January performance that made him the OHL Defenseman of the Month.
“I just wanted to show I deserved to be there, and that I’m still one of the top prospects in the world,” Clarke told TSN. “It’s a good feeling knowing I bounced back.”
The Ducks have their own high 2021 pick and Olympian waiting to become a full-time NHL’er, Canadian forward Mason MacTavish, as well as their own electric blue-liner in junior hockey – Olen Zelwegger, who paces the Western Hockey league in points among defensemen.
Each team has also meticulously developed some players in their mid-20s to bridge the gap between prospects and old-guard players like Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf. Ducks winger Troy Terry, who scored the Ducks’ lone goal Friday, leads the team in scoring. Kings forward Adrian Kempe has enjoyed a breakout season, finally validating his one-time status as the Kings’ top prospect.
Trevor Moore, 26, has been another significant 20-something contributor, coalescing with new acquisitions Phillip Danault, 29, and Viktor Arvidsson, 28. Their line has produced a staggering 56 points since 2022 began, buoying the Kings offensively despite their absence from Friday’s scoring summary.
Though the best from both franchises might be yet to come, the Kings’ 30-something, two-time champions aren’t booking time on the golf course just yet. Kempe’s three-point performance was supplemented by a multipoint night and outstanding defense from Anze Kopitar. Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty contributed an assist apiece, and Jonathan Quick earned the win in net, No. 350 of his career.
“On D, they get to watch Drew (Doughty), so they see a guy who, what hasn’t he done in his career? He’s really, really good with the young guys,” said assistant coach Trent Yawney, who filled in for McLellan.
“Up front, Phil and Kopi down the middle, they play the game the right way, they don’t cheat the game and that’s probably the best coaching you can provide your young players, to be able to watch those guys perform on a nightly basis.”