Anze Kopitar made his NHL debut vs. the Anaheim Ducks in 2006. Quinton Byfield made his NHL debut vs. the same team in 2021. While the micro results were quite different, the LA Kings are hoping the eventual macro results will be quite similar.
STATS CHECK
Byfield's first NHL game:
0 points
17:57 TOI
minus-1
2 PIM
4 SOG (led all Kings players)
8-for-12 at the dot, 67% success pic.twitter.com/g4KkZhaL9g— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) April 29, 2021
Byfield is clearly feeling it now. Dude is buzzing out there. He's bringing it this period.
— John Hoven | The Mayor (@mayorNHL) April 29, 2021
Following the Kings 3-2 loss to the Ducks on Wednesday, Byfield shared the following thoughts a few minutes after playing his first NHL game:
On managing his emotions during the day and throughout the game
It’s definitely a very exciting day, I wish I could’ve shared that moment with my family, but I know they’re super proud of me. They were texting me all day, giving me calls. All of my friends and buddies were reaching out to me as well, so I knew I had a lot of support behind me tonight, just wanted to go into the game with confidence.
On how he would compare the pace between the AHL and the NHL, and anything else that stands out in comparison
The pace was definitely quite faster, you’re playing against the best players in the world, I got to get up to speed on that and make some more plays. If they find you, you got to bury your chances or you don’t get the outcome that you want. Couple learning lessons from tonight.
On what he learned from playing with Ontario this season that prepared him for the NHL
There’s a lot I can take from playing in the AHL this year. If I can compare it to the OHL going in there, I was not the greatest defensively and had to learn quite a bit. As you go up through the levels, you always have to adjust and have to get used to that. Going to the AHL helped me there. I started finding my footing there, now this is the next step and I gotta translate that over here.
On if he was expecting to play 18 minutes tonight and four minutes on the powerplay
No, honestly, I wasn’t expecting that much. I could’ve done a few things better and a few things different, would’ve been a different outcome. It was nice to get those big minutes there.
On how it felt to have fans in the building, and what he can learn from this game going forward
The pace, a lot faster, guys are a lot heavier and more skilled and can make plays. Just got to step your game up and bury your chances. It was a lot of fun having fans in there, when you make a play or a good pass or do something, maybe get a shot, you can hear them. It definitely gave you confidence out there.
On if he feels he belongs in the NHL now
Yeah, I think so. There’s still a couple teaching lessons that I get out of this game, and I look forward to the next, just keep improving. First of many games of my career hopefully. There’s a lot to take away, but I definitely feel like I belong here.
On if he foresees playing against Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale in Anaheim a lot in the coming years
They’re both great players, lots of skill and speed. Definitely build a rivalry over the next few years.
MORE: Todd McLellan postgame comments
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Lead photo via Getty Images / LA Kings
