INSIDER: 5 Takeaways From The 2026 Rookie Faceoff

The 2026 Rookie Faceoff has come and gone.

The Kings won two of their three games played, with victories over both Anaheim and Utah, coming after an opening defeat versus San Jose.

Ultimately, the results here are not important. The Rookie Faceoff is an important opportunity for prospects to showcase themselves to Kings management, with several key coaches and executives in attendance, while also getting a couple of games under their belts before hitting the ice for NHL Training camp. It’s a chance to get up to speed quickly and a chance to impress. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses but for the most part, the takeaways from the tournament were pretty positive, or at least better explained by the context of the situation.

Here are five things I took from San Jose, heading into Thursday’s NHL Training Camp.

Lessons Taught, Lessons Learned
Game 1 against San Jose offered a lot of lessons for the Kings rookies.

In an 8-1 defeat, the onslaught was on for 60 minutes. San Jose created what felt like an endless stream of odd-man rushes and Grade-A scoring chances. In between were periods of possession in the offensive zone and control of the slot, to the tune of five goals via a deflection. Coming out of that, regardless of tournaments like this not having stakes, you want to see a response to an 8-1 loss. The loss didn’t cost the Kings any points in the standings, but competitors are competitive. The Kings weren’t happy and wanted more.

The response came via a strong showing in Game 2. The Kings looked substantially more structured against Anaheim. They controlled the bulk of the play with 49 shots on goal, burying four times in a 4-1 win. Los Angeles imposed the way it wanted to play and bounced back well from the disappointing opening game.

It continued in Game 3, as the Kings controlled the majority of another 60 minutes, this time against Utah. Los Angeles scored three goals on special teams, with Kenny Connors burying shorthanded before power-play goals from Koehn Ziemmer and Jimmy Lombardi rounded out the scoring. They threatened far more than they felt threatened and dominated the special teams battle, alongside strong goaltending.

The first game was off, certainly and several players spoke to that. Just wasn’t where it needed to be But the next two were impressive as the Kings rookies left San Jose with two victories.

Early Look Inside The Systems
I don’t think we got the full glimpse, but we certainly got a sneak peek of some of the things that we could expect to see as the Kings open training camp in a couple of days.

What I was really focused on was the defensemen, because I think it’s going to be the most noticeable part of the changes overall. I saw a group of defensemen pinching lower in the offensive zone than maybe we’ve seen in the past. I saw pinches along the wall that went down to the hashmarks and even below in an effort to keep plays alive. I saw players like Jared Woolley activating a ton in the zone and off the rush. He wasn’t shy and, overall, neither were the defensemen as a whole.

I think that both off the rush and in the offensive zone, we got a look at what the more aggressive approach looked like for the defensemen. I felt that Henry Brzustewicz looked at home within that system, as well as AHL-contracted blueliner Michael Mastrodomenico. Good start and now we see how the main group handles the new expectations.

A Look Between The Pipes
Game 1 left an ugly statline for Carter George.

Eight goals is eight goals, no matter how you shake it, but it’s certainly not all that reflective of the game that he played. Of the eight he allowed, five were on deflections. Two were on 2-on-1 rushes and one was a backdoor tip-in. It’d be hard to list George as a standout performer but that game wasn’t reflective of his abilities, nor should he be judged on it. The Kings let their goaltender down. On to main camp for George who will not be fazed by 60 minutes.

For Hampton Slukynsky and Yegor Rybkin, however, both excelled in their Rookie Faceoff debuts.

For Slukynsky, it was long awaited. He was unavailable in each of the last three years, as he played first in the USHL and then two seasons with Western Michigan in the NCAA. Against the Anaheim Ducks in Game 2, Slukynsky allowed just the one goal, which came on a one-timer from the right-hand circle. His afternoon was fairly routine overall but he made a couple of very athletic saves, including one with the right pad just a bit before the Ducks eventually got their only goal. All in all, a strong debut for Slukynsky, who will now attend his first NHL training camp starting this week.

Then came Game 3 and Yegor Rybkin turned in perhaps one of the most impressive 60 minute showings in the tournament. He stopped each of the 27 Utah Mammoth shots he faced and looked composed beyond his years in doing it. A goaltender does not have to be 6-6 but you notice it when he is. His size and movement blended nicely and his composure in net was noticeable, as he allowed few rebounds, manned his posts well and was sharp from puck drop to final buzzer. Frankly, I had no idea what to expect from Rybkin. 18-year-olds often struggle in this tournament. Quite the opposite happened earlier today. Excited to see how he continues to develop as he heads to the QMJHL this season.

Lefebv-orite Things
Speaking of 18-year-olds who didn’t struggle, this marked the first time in an LA Kings jersey for forward Liam Lefebvre.

Certainly a pretty memorable one.

In Game 1, while there were not many positives for the Kings. However, Lefebvre’s mentality was one of them. After seeing defenseman Jakub Dvorak go down along the boards, Lefebvre stepped in to stand up for his teammate. Against 7-foot-1 defenseman Alexander Karmanov. Lefebvre held his own, about as well as anyone could have, despite a 10-inch disadvantage in the listed height department.

He called it, simply, a part of the game he needed to uphold. He earned a lot of admirers as a result.

In Game 2, the focus was on him for different reasons.

Lefebvre scored twice in the third period, coming on a rebound and a deflection from in tight. Both goals came from right around the net, a place on the ice where Lefebvre tries his

“I think whenever you can get to that area, I think it’s the most dangerous place on the ice,” Lefebvre said. “So, the more I can get there, the better. Then just utilize my frame to take away the goalie’s eyes and find those pucks.”

When asked about Lefebvre, Head Coach Andrew Lord spoke about how you can just look at Lefebvre now and project the player he is going to be down the line as he develops.

Does a lot of things well around the ice and in that Sunday game, I think it was easy to see.

“I think you can project that one a few years from now, I think you’ve got a heck of a player,” Lord said. “The size, some of the craft around the net, some of the small board plays and then obviously the compete. He’s into it. Not just the fight – the fight was awesome – but aside from that, just a lot of chippyness, a lot of second efforts, a lot of puck protection, a lot of net front battles. Lots of good signs.”

Good signs for Lefebvre. He’ll attend his first NHL camp in a couple of days and I’d expect him to maybe get into an NHL preseason game to see what he can do at a much higher level. Good on him for the impression he’s made thus far.

Veterans Gonna Veteran
For guys like Kenny Connors and Jared Wright, it was clear that when they were on their games, they were on another level.

Connors was dominant in Game 3 against Utah, best player on the ice in my opinion. He had two points to show for it, both coming on special teams. Thought he turned in a really strong showing overall. He was good against Anaheim as well. After a disappointing first game, by his own admission, I thought he got better as the tournament went along and set himself up nicely for NHL camp. He’s probably a bit of a longer shot to make the Kings but the bookies would take the bet. He’s on that board and can only come into camp and make it a difficult conversation by playing as well as he can.

“I wasn’t happy with the first game, but I think if you ask anyone in the locker room, they feel the same way,” Connors said. “I felt a little better the second game and felt better today too. Hopefully, it’s a little bit of progressing and building into my game. i feel good going into camp. I feel confident and I feel ready to go.”

For Wright, his speed was something that teams at this level couldn’t handle, especially in Games 2 and 3. It was a similar story in some ways for Wright, as he generated chance after chance, mostly through his skating and hard work, but came away empty handed. Felt like if he could’ve gotten one he might’ve gotten three. He was just shy of 20 goals in the AHL last season and while he doesn’t project as a goalscorer, he probably earned one or two more than he got. Certainly a showing that sets him up well to claim a spot in main camp, where his goal is to make the NHL team.

“That’s what I want to do and I’m going to put my best foot forward,” Wright said. “If it doesn’t happen, I’m going to keep working to try to become the best player that I can be, but definitely my goal, 100 percent, is to make the team out of camp.”

Ultimately, I am not drawing major conclusions on Connors or Wright. They are at a different place in their development than most players at this tournament. Different ambitions. Different goals. They should stand out and in their own ways, they did. Both are in the mix in training camp and should compete for roster spots or at least jockey for positioning in the callup line when the opportunity presents itself.

I also want to highlight Koehn Ziemmer here, who led the Kings with three goals at the tournament. He scored in both games last season and then found the back of the net in Games 2 and 3 this time around as well. Ziemmer shared that he put a lot of work in with a skating coach this summer, which is important as he looks to gain a step to better impose his game at the AHL level. His physiclaity was on display in San Jose and he did look a step quicker. The battle for roster spots and icetime in Ontario won’t be an easy one, but I think Ziemmer seems to be better equipped in his second professional season to earn minutes with the Reign. Good on him for putting in that work and excited to see how he continues to develop. There’s a player in there.

“I’m just trying to play my game and I think going into this tournament, just trying to impress the staff, the coaches and everything like that,” Ziemmer said. “It’s just playing my game, going out there and playing hockey and trying to make a good impression.”