The NHL is so back in Southern California.
Less than a week from the Sept. 18 start of training camp for the Kings and Ducks, the organizations’ youngest members will be in action this weekend at Irvine’s Great Park Ice.
The Golden State Rookie Faceoff will kick off at 6 p.m. Friday when the Ducks square off with the San Jose Sharks, who will then play the Kings at 1 p.m. Saturday before the event concludes with a 1 p.m. Freeway Faceoff on Sunday with the Ducks and Kings clashing.
For the hosts, two 2024 first-round picks will be featured in forward Beckett Sennecke and defenseman Stian Solberg.
Sennecke was stunned to be selected third overall but followed up his draft year with another major leap and more clutch play, both down the stretch and in the playoffs. Solberg is known primarily for his defensive prowess and nastiness, but demonstrated an additional dimension with a hat trick for Norway at the World Championships this past spring.
Center Tim Washe, who captained the Western Michigan Broncos to a collegiate national title last season before making his NHL debut late last season, will also be in the mix. So will Harvard man Ian Moore, a mobile rearguard who also got his first taste of NHL action after the NCAA season concluded.
The Kings will also ice their top two prospects from the 2024 draft, first-rounder Liam Greentree at forward and second-round selection Carter George in goal, both of whom have only seen their stock rise since joining the Kings. Their 2025 marquee pick, defenseman Henry Brzustewicz, will also be in the fold.
The Sharks, who have been in a dismal state since their 2019 Western Conference finals appearance, will carry the biggest names in tow. This year’s No. 2 overall pick Michael Misa, who just signed his entry-level contract, will headline the event. Another lottery pick, 2024’s 11th overall pick Sam Dickinson, will roam the blue line for San Jose. Quintin Musty, a 2023 first-rounder, will round out the top Sharks.
The tournament gives teams an opportunity to evaluate prospects against a broad group of peers, many of whom experienced the event last year when the Kings hosted it in El Segundo.
For the Kings, the tournament will give them a look not only at freshly arrived prospects, but to evaluate their organizational depth. They are trying to restock a cupboard that they all but emptied chasing a deeper playoff run, only to find themselves stuck in neutral with four consecutive first-round exits and no playoff series wins in 11 years.
For the Ducks, they nearly cracked the .500 barrier for the first time since 2018, their last playoff appearance, but offered signal after signal this summer that they were unsatisfied with a 21-point leap in the standings. They acquired Mikael Granlund, Chris Kreider and Ryan Poehling to re-shape their forward group, while resolving the lingering uncertainty surrounding John Gibson and Trevor Zegras by trading both. Most notably, they brought in four new coaches, including four-time Stanley Cup winner Joel Quenneville and former Edmonton Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft as his lead assistant.
While the Ducks are still eyeing ways to improve their roster – most notably, they want to sign lingering restricted free agent Mason McTavish, after which they’ll still have cap space to spare – their stockpile of prospects may be reaching a height that demands a trade or two. Viewings like these and July’s development camp should help them assess the value and roles of their prospects.
Golden State Rookie Faceoff
6 p.m. Friday: San Jose Sharks vs. Ducks
1 p.m. Saturday: Kings vs. San Jose Sharks
1 p.m. Sunday: Kings vs. Ducks
Where: Great Park Ice, Irvine
Tickets: $15 per game
More info: http://anaheimducks.com/GoldenStateRookieFaceoff