NHL prospects enjoy their time in Los Angeles
Hockey is among the coldest of sports. Anything done on a huge sheet of ice is naturally going to be that way.
Calvin Pickard, a goalie from Moncton, New Brunswick, who played for Seattle in the Western Hockey League last season, was picked in the second round by the Colorado Avalanche. He said his time in L.A. has been a blast.
“It’s been pretty exciting,” Pickard said. “It’s in L.A. It’s a great city. I got to experience the first round yesterday, going through it. Then today to get drafted, it’s really great.”
In the days leading up to the draft, some of the prospects got to experience the best of what Los Angeles has to offer. New Jersey Devils second-round pick Jonathan Merrill, a defenseman who played with the U.S. national team development team program in Ann Arbor, Mich., last season, said he spent some time hanging out in Venice Beach, enjoying the sun, the sights and some barbecue. How did he plan to celebrate being drafted?
“Probably go back to Venice Beach, grab a few more burgers,” he said with a smile.
Los Angeles is nothing new for Jason Zucker, a left wing with the development team who was a second-round selection of the Minnesota Wild. Zucker said he was born in Newport Beach, Calif., but moved to Las Vegas when he was 2 months old. He came back to L.A. when he was 11 to play with the Los Angeles Hockey Club for two years.
“L.A.’s a great city,” Zucker said. “I was born here. Playing hockey here was great. It’s great to be back.”
During his two years in L.A. as a youngster, Zucker played with two first-round picks with Southern California roots. Beau Bennett is a right wing from Gardena, Calif., who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Emerson Etem is a right wing from Long Beach who hopes to stay local after being drafted by the Anaheim Ducks.
Of course, finding ice to skate on in hot climates can be difficult. Zucker said he compensated by playing a lot of roller hockey. He spent more than three years on roller skates before hitting the ice for the first time at the age of 6.
“It was at the Santa Fe Hotel in Las Vegas,” he said. “The rink’s not even there anymore.”
Being a Vegas kid, the bright lights of Los Angeles aren’t as big a shock to Zucker as they are to most of the other players in town for the draft. And while he’s spent time in both cities, Zucker is not afraid to play favorites.
“I’m going to have to say Vegas is better because I live there,” he said. “But they’re both great cities. It’s good to be home in Vegas, but I also consider this city home.”
But for Kent Simpson, L.A. was something he’d never experienced before. Simpson, a goalie who hails from Edmonton and who played for Everett in the WHL, was picked in the second round by the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. He said the draft experience in Southern California was fantastic for him and his family.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Simpson said. “Just being in a place like L.A., it’s Hollywood, it’s something special. Being here with my family, getting to experience it with them, it’s been magical. It’s been something I’ve dreamed of and it’s been everything I’ve expected it to be.”
Simpson said he and his family were sure to take it all in while they have the chance.
“We checked out the stars on the sidewalk out there and we went to some wax museums -- the touristy kinds of things,” he said. “We just wanted to get a taste of what life in L.A.’s all about.”
Tyler Taffoli expects someday soon to take in a lot of the city, as he was drafted by the L.A. Kings. The second-round draft choice played center for Ottawa in the Ontario Hockey League last season and would like to do so in the future for the Kings. He’ll be back in town later this week when the Kings host a rookie mini-camp. That’s when he expects to really get to know the city.
“I’m really excited. I haven’t really gotten to see much of the city or anything yet,” Taffoli said. “So I’m really excited to come back and see everything.”
Fellow Kings draft pick Jordan Weal, a third-rounder who scored 102 points for Saskatoon of the WHL last season, likes what he’s seen of Los Angeles so far.
“There are a lot of great venues out here. It’s the ‘City of Angels,’ “ Weal said. “It’s not called that without a reason.”
