2026 Rookie Faceoff Preview - Game 1, LAK @ SJS

The LA Kings are off to San Jose to compete in the 2026 Rookie Faceoff! Here's what you need to know ahead of Game 1 this evening against the San Jose Sharks -

When: Saturday, September 12 @ 5:00 PM PST
Where: Tech CU Arena - San Jose, CA

Watch: SLVR, LAKings.com

5️⃣ Things To Know For Today's Game

1. The Kings will begin the 2026 Rookie Faceoff this evening, as they take on the host San Jose Sharks. Los Angeles will play three games in four days, including matchups against Anaheim on Sunday and Utah on Tuesday.
2. The Kings will be led behind the bench by Ontario Reign Head Coach Andrew Lord. In Lord's first season in charge, the Reign won the Pacific Division with a record of 47-20-5. Joining Lord are Ontario assistant coaches Mike Haviland and Brad Schuler, along with goaltending coach Adam Brown. 
3. The Kings have several drafted players on their roster this weekend, led by 2025 first-round draft pick Henry Brzustewicz. Brzustewicz, a 2025 Memorial Cup champion, led the OHL's London Knights in scoring last season and made his professional debut with the Ontario Reign in April, playing in 10 total AHL games between the regular season and Calder Cup Playoffs. 
4. Up front, the Kings are expected to be led by forwards Kenny Connors and Jared Wright, who both played NHL games last season. Wright was in the lineup in all four games the Kings played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, on top of 23 games in the regular season. Connors made his NHL debut in March and played two games with the Kings in total. 
5. Look for either Carter George or Hampton Slukynsky to get the nod between the pipes this evening versus San Jose. Both are highly touted in the Kings system and both should feature this weekend. More on the two goaltenders, who are set to begin their professional careers in the fall, HERE.

Today's Projected 👑 Game Group ⬇️

Forwards (12) – Jan Chovan, Vojtech Cihar, Kenny Connors, Brendan Gorman, Jack Hughes, Kenta Isogai, Kaleb Lawrence, Liam Lefebvre, Jimmy Lombardi, Grant Slukynsky, Jared Wright, Koehn Ziemmer

Defensemen (6) – Henry Brzustewicz, Jakub Dvorak, Adam Goljer, Kirill Kirsanov, Otto Salin, Jared Woolley

Goaltenders (2) – Carter George, Hampton Slukynsky

Players to Watch

Kings - Vojtech Cihar: Cihar, a second-round pick in 2025, will make his Kings rookie debut, after he missed last season's tournament while playing professionally in Europe. Cihar was selected as the Most Valuable Player at the 2026 World Junior Championships, as he led Team Czechia to a silver medal.  

Sharks - Ivar Stenberg: Stenberg will play his first game in a San Jose jersey tonight against the Kings, after he was selected second overall by the Sharks at the 2026 NHL Draft. Stenberg won a gold medal at the 2026 World Junior Championships and could be in contention to make San Jose's NHL roster for the 2026-27 season.

For a full game preview of today's action, as well as coverage of the 2026 Rookie Faceoff, visit LAKingsInsider.com.