In a somewhat surprising move – at least based on timing, not on merit – the Kings have called up prospect Tyler Toffoli from the Manchester Monarchs (AHL).
Here’s the skinny..
– He loves to tan in LA, more on that in a minute (see radio link)
– Has 48 points in 55 AHL games this season (28G, 20A)
– Overall, sits second in the AHL with 28 goals in 55 games, just two goals behind Tyler Johnson of the Syracuse Crunch (who has played 59 games)
– Tied with Edmonton prospect Justin Schultz (Oklahoma City) for the rookie scoring lead – each have 48 points, but Toffoli leads in goals, 28 to 18
– Scored his last game played, an overtime win on Friday – see highlights and notes here
– In his last 10 games with the Monarchs he’s recored 13 points, seven goals and six assists
– Has a plus-20 rating this season
– Represented Manchester in the 2013 AHL All Star Game
– Was a two-time 50 goal scorer in the OHL, including leading all of junior hockey with 57 goals two years ago
– Originally selected by the Kings in the second round of the 2010 NHL Draft, held in Los Angeles
– MayorsManor has had more Toffoli coverage than any other LA outlet the past few seasons, including these two interviews here, where you can learn all about him:
Toffoli’s final interview in LA before returning to Manchester – end of training camp, January 2013
MayorsManor Live Radio with Tyler Toffoli – he opens up about life on and off the ice, chirps several teammates
We also had Toffoli ranked as the number one prospect in the Kings organization during our recently published mid-season rankings. Here’s what Assistant GM Ron Hextall had to say in response…
Hextall on MayorsManor rankings – talks Kings number one prospect
Perhaps the biggest question about the call up is what this means for the health of Mike Richards, who was rocked hard in the second period of Saturday night’s game – but did play the third period. Coach Darryl Sutter was asked about it post-game last night, yet and offered little in response – read here:
What will Sutter say? Post-game comments after Kings down his former flame 6-2
Since the trade of Simon Gagne a few weeks ago,, the Kings have had an extra roster spot. So, they don’t need to make a corresponding move to add Toffoli to the current roster.
Following that deal with the Flyers though, GM Dean Lombardi did talk quite a bit about his prospect pool in Manchester. Read his comments here:
Lombardi on trade options and what they have in Manchester
At that time, Lombardi also said they didn’t plan on calling somebody up from Manchester (as he talked about here). So, something has changed.
More up soon.
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