Drew Doughty primed for Kings rookie camp
HOCKEY
The 18-year-old defenseman says he has lost 24 pounds since being the Kings' first-round pick, and he feels quicker and ready to make a run at a roster spot.
Nobody can say the Kings haven't had success with their first-round draft picks this decade.
Alexander Frolov (2000), Dustin Brown (2003) and Anze Kopitar (2005) were the team's top three goal scorers and point producers last season, though they couldn't lift the Kings out of the Western Conference cellar and failed to get them into the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.
This winter, the Kings are hoping another batch of young players will take root at the top level and continue building the club from the ground up.
Beginning today at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, as rookie camp opens, five former first-round picks of the Kings will be on the ice looking to win a spot on the roster.
The best shot might belong to one of the younger players expected in camp, 18-year-old defenseman Drew Doughty, who was selected second overall by the Kings in the entry draft in June.
Doughty said Friday that he's ready to make a run at it, noting how he lost 24 pounds since draft day and feels considerably quicker.
"I'm looking forward to good having a good camp and making the best impression I can," Doughty said. "We had a little bit of on-ice fitness training [Friday], and I felt a lot quicker on starts and stops and from the blue line to red line. All the hard work has paid off."
Doughty, who is listed at 6 feet and 213 pounds, is a native of London, Canada, and a longtime Kings fan.
He produced 13 goals, 50 points and 68 penalty minutes with Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League last season. A speedy skater capable of end-to-end rushes, Doughty was second in the midseason prospect rankings but dropped to third behind fellow defenseman Zach Bogosian, who was selected third overall by the Atlanta Thrashers.
Doughty shoots right-handed, a valuable asset on the Kings' thin blue line. He also is said to possess strong leadership qualities on defense, though Bogosian is said to play with more of an edge.
The biggest advantage Doughty had over Bogosian was his experience at the last World Junior Championships. Doughty was voted the top defenseman on Canada's gold medal-winning team, while Bogosian did not participate in the tournament.
The rookie roster includes several of Doughty's teammates on that world junior team.
Defenseman Thomas Hickey was the fourth overall selection in last year's draft, and forwards Wayne Simmonds and Oscar Moller were second-round picks.
