EL SEGUNDO — The Kings’ three-day developmental camp ended on Wednesday, giving the team a chance to see first-round draft pick Liam Greentree and dozens of other prospects in action at the Toyota Performance Center.
Greentree, 18, is the Kings’ first selection in the first round of the NHL draft since 2021, when the team selected Brandt Clarke eighth overall. Greentree, the 26th pick last week, had 36 goals and 24 assists in 64 games for the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League last season.
His talent was on display during the second scrimmage of this week’s camp, when he created several looks for himself at the goal but couldn’t convert.
“He’s a big body. He has a great shot,” Kings director of player development Glen Murray said. “I think he’s got an NHL-type shot and is still young. He can skate and is hard to handle.”
Murray also noted his ability to protect the puck even as a bigger player at 6-foot-2 and 214 pounds.
The camp roster, comprised mostly of Kings prospects from the prior three years (2021-2023) and the current year’s draftees, didn’t feature many forwards, which meant Greentree had to play more shifts.
“I thought I got faster and played with more pace,” he said after the final scrimmage.
Despite the expectations that come with being a first-round pick, Greentree said he sees himself no differently from the rest of the aspiring prospects in the camp.
“My goal is to just get better,” Greentree said. “I’m here like everybody else to earn a spot.”
Overall, the organization’s goal with the camp is to build relationships between players and the development staff, since the staff had never seen some of them in person before.
“The players who are going to be turning pro we will have our hands on, but for the kids that are going back to college, we can put a name to the face,” Murray said.
One of those players the team is building a relationship with is goalie Carter George. George was the Kings’…
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