{"id":147021,"date":"2025-09-16T08:55:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T08:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/147021\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T08:55:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T08:55:11","slug":"lots-of-positives-for-kenny-connors-in-his-first-rookie-faceoff-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/147021\/","title":{"rendered":"Lots of positives for Kenny Connors in his first Rookie Faceoff experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Golden State Rookie Faceoff hosted by the Anaheim Ducks in Irvine, California wrapped up Sunday but the Kings Rookie Camp isn\u2019t over just yet. And it seems like Kenny Connors is making the right strides to be ready for main camp. <\/p>\n

Connors spent the weekend centering the Kings\u2019 top line with Liam Greentree on his left and Koehn Ziemmer on his right. In Sunday\u2019s 4-1 win over the Ducks, Connors scored three of his team\u2019s goals, earning himself a hat trick. <\/p>\n

A Rookie Faceoff hat trick, in advance of his first professional season\u2026\u2026so what led Connors to this point? <\/p>\n

Connors, a fourth-round draft pick in 2022, spent the last three seasons playing collegiate hockey for the UMass Minutemen in Hockey East. Connors is coming off his best season with the Minutemen playing in 40 games tallying 29 points. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think the guys that play in Hockey East are confident that that\u2019s the best division in college hockey,\u201d he said after Day 2 of Camp. \u201cSo I think that every game was a good test for us, no matter if we were playing the best team in the league or one of the bottom teams, every game was difficult and you can see the success that guys have coming from Hockey East. Even most recently in the league, guys coming in and having success right away in pro hockey, so that helped. UMass did a really good job in developing me as a player and a person as well, so I feel good coming into the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the biggest challenges for guys adjusting from college to the pros is the increase in games. Playing in 72 games in the AHL or 82 in the NHL is just a tad more demanding on the body compared to a 34-game schedule that Hockey East entails. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s a reason why a lot of guys decide to play juniors instead of the NCAA. They want more games. Who could blame them, right? However, most college players rave about the overall experience, which also has its benefits that the CHL doesn\u2019t provide. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think the first thing for me is I grew a lot as a person, I just grew up a lot,\u201d Connors said. \u201cCooking every day, living with other guys, really just turning into an adult and taking care of my body the right way. I thought that when I came in at UMass and when I left, I was a completely different person. Spent a ton of time in the gym with our trainers there, they did a phenomenal job, so, I feel ready. I feel like my body\u2019s in a good spot to turn pro.\u201d<\/p>\n

Excellent. <\/p>\n

The off-ice component of Rookie Camp is just as important for the players as the on the ice. The Kings want their rookies to really feel like teammates and plan fun activities for them away from the rink. Connors is soaking it all in, whether it\u2019s learning new systems or competing on the pickleball court. And it showed this past weekend. <\/p>\n

Overall, there\u2019s a lot to be impressed with Connors\u2019 game. You might see him make the play that some other guys aren\u2019t willing to make. Whether it\u2019s on the forecheck or in the defensive zone, he plays a heavy game. Competing throughout the ice is something he doesn\u2019t take lightly. <\/p>\n

\u201cI like to take pride in playing a full 200-foot game, I think I\u2019ve done it my whole career of playing,\u201d he said after practice. \u201cI really like having the ability to shut down another line, take them out of the game. So that\u2019s something that I take pride in on the ice and the Kings have a big emphasis on that as well. That\u2019s something that I\u2019m looking to do this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kenny cleans\ud83e\uddfc<\/p>\n

2-0 LAK pic.twitter.com\/9ZD6AcawQI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 LA Kings (@LAKings) September 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

So, back to Sunday.<\/p>\n

You could call his hat trick an unusual one. None of his goals were scored at even strength. His first goal, the second Kings\u2019 goal of the game, came as he picked up his own rebound on the man advantage. It wound up being the Kings\u2019 first and only power play goal of the weekend. <\/p>\n

His second goal was certainly unusual. Skating on the penalty kill, Connors cleared the puck the length of the ice, as is customary in those settings. Then\u2026\u2026well, Anaheim goaltender Tomas Suchanek literally shot the puck into his own net. Connors was awarded it because he was the last player to touch the puck on the kill. After the game, he admitted he\u2019d never seen that before. Few of us had. <\/p>\n

Goal three was an empty netter. Simple, yet important and effective. <\/p>\n

The goals were awesome and a good reward for what he put into the games. On Friday, before Game 1, Connors said he wanted to \u201cplay the right way\u201d and that\u2019s exactly how first year Reign Head Coach Andrew Lord described the 22-year old\u2019s play Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s great,\u201d Lord said of Connors. \u201cHe feels a bit more of a veteran compared to a lot of the rest of the group. A little bit older obviously, experienced from college but plays the right way. Can use him in any situation. He\u2019s a big help.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a pretty good sentiment from Lord who could very well be Connors\u2019 head coach this season with the Ontario Reign. That\u2019s a huge change for Connors and a huge step forward. <\/p>\n

At this point last year, Connors was in Massachusetts, preparing to play college hockey. As college players can\u2019t attend rookie camp, this was his first time experiencing it. Wouldn\u2019t have known it from watching. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t ever feel nervous on the ice. I don\u2019t think, just because we\u2019ve been doing it for so long, there\u2019s so much work put into it. I feel comfortable with the results, because of the work I put in beforehand,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, I don\u2019t ever feel nerves and stuff like that. But I definitely feel more comfortable and confident on the ice with guys that I\u2019ve been around before and stuff like that. So that helps. These guys, the staff, did a great job just preparing us throughout the week for two games against really good teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rookie Camp ends this Wednesday. On Thursday, Connors moves from a group of rookies to the same center depth chart as Anze Kopitar. Certainly a step up for him. Rookie camp, in many ways, is about building momentum heading into the real deal and setting yourself up to succeed in that setting. <\/p>\n

So has Connors built positive momentum going into Kings Camp?<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, definitely,\u201d he said. :I think everyone in our room should feel the same way with that. I think that we competed for a full 60 tonight, a lot better than we did last night, but I think that we should all feel a sense of energy and confidence going into camp because of the two games that we played here. I\u2019d say that the guys that I\u2019ve talked to definitely felt the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Photo by Juan Ocampo\/NHLI via Getty Images<\/p>\n