On the MayorsManor show this past Thursday, Manchester Monarchs coach Mark Morris said he was looking for the trio of Kings players in camp with the Monarchs – Andrei Loktionov, Jordan Nolan and Slava Voynov – to show the younger players what it takes to win.
After last night’s 2-0 win in their first pre-season game, he has to be pleased with the early results. Nolan scored the first goal of the contest on an assist from Loktionov. The rugged 6-foot-3 forward also had a fight later in the game and Loktionov picked up a goal of his own, assisted by Brandon Kozun and Daivd Kolomatis.
For Kozun, he was thrown a bit of a curve just before the start of the game. Normally a right winger, the Kings 2009 draft pick out of the WHL was asked to move over to the left side after Russian forward Nickolay Prokhorkin was a very late scratch from the line-up (something we first reported here yesterday – in an article updating his tricky contract status). So, that line featured Kozun at left wing, Loktionov at center and Nolan at right wing.
Goalies Martin Jones and JF Berube each played about half the game, sharing in the shutout.
Manchester will play their next game on Sunday – the first of a back-to-back series – against the Phoenix Coyotes’ AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates. Their roster includes former Hobey Baker Award winner Andy Miele and Brett Hextall, son of Kings VP Ron Hextall.
Now, here’s a few more exclusive photos shot at Monarchs camp over the last few days…
CLICK THE IMAGES TO SCROLL THROUGH THE GALLERY
PICTURED: Robbie Czarnik, Nick Deslauriers, Nolan, Voynov, Jordan Weal and various group shots. (All photos were received courtesy of loyal reader Aimee Green).
For detailed updates on all of the Kings top prospects, be sure to check out Monarchs coach Mark Morris on the MayorsManor show earlier this week. He provided some interesting insight on what he thinks just might be Manchester’s most stacked roster in years.
