IRVINE, Calif. - What was once the seven-team Rookie Faceoff tournament has been narrowed to three California teams, which took part in the Golden State Rookie Faceoff this weekend.
That meant the number of prospects playing at FivePoint Arena -- the Anaheim Ducks' practice facility -- declined in quantity. But not in quality. Between the Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, there was enough talent that stood out (or didn't particularly stand out) in the three weekend games to make some observations ahead of training camp.
The Sharks already have their franchise center in Macklin Celebrini. As much as they're cognizant of not putting too much on his plate, the 19-year-old is their franchise face. He's a potential superstar.
Michael Misa is the latest major piece in San Jose's rebuilding effort. And from the looks of his first two competitive games in a Sharks jersey, Misa could slide into their growing new core as a second-line center behind Celebrini. Will Smith might fill that role, since the Sharks seem determined to test if he can flourish in the middle. But Misa could take on those duties and allow Smith to continue to ascend as a dynamic right wing.
In his two tournament games, Misa factored directly in five of the Sharks' 14 goals. Even more impressive is that this year's No. 2 overall draft pick played with poise well beyond someone who doesn't turn 19 until February. He put himself in the right spots in most situations and was never flustered under duress from defenders as he repeatedly made plays for his teammates.
"I think there's times where I try to slow the play down," Misa said. "Just find the best next play I can make. Then there's other times where there's guys on you in a split second, so you've got to make fast decisions. Overall, trying to slow the play down, it's something I try to do."
On his one goal, Misa showed good speed by getting out on an odd-man rush with Quentin Musty and finishing off a pass in an 8-5 win over the Kings. Misa can make little plays and big plays with the puck while reading the game's tempo and even dictating it.
"That's why he was taken where he was, and why he's going to be a big part of the future of this organization," said AHL San Jose Barracuda coach John McCarthy. "It's a lot of upside there."
After an interesting 2024-25 that began with an unfulfilled trade request from the OHL's Sudbury Wolves and a broken hand that effectively kept him from playing for Team USA at the World Juniors, Musty left a favorable impression heading into his second Sharks camp. The offensive-minded left wing's skating allowed his playmaking to shine. He also showed that he would put his body on the line and block a shot.
The Sharks have Yaroslav Askarov ready to step into the No. 1 goalie role, but that didn't stop them from selecting Joshua Ravensbergen with the No. 30 pick this year. At 6-foot-5, Ravensbergen showed on a couple occasions how much athleticism he has for his size by making some crucial saves to foil rushes by the Ducks.
Also: Sam Dickinson's great skating is an eye-opener, and the defenseman was essentially operating as a rover in continually looking to generate offense. It's what you would expect from the top defenseman in Canadian junior hockey, who totaled 91 points. ... Haoxi (Simon) Wang is a 6-6 Beijing-born, Toronto-developed project who needs time, but the raw ability to defend and manage the puck were present. He also fought the Kings' Kaleb Lawrence ... Igor Chernyshov, who showed great chemistry with Misa after joining the OHL's Saginaw Spirit, had some flashes but didn't make much noise offensively.
At some point, the Kings' defense won't include Drew Doughty. And while new acquisitions Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin are signed for multiple seasons, the two veterans don't figure to be long-haul members. The Kings traded 24-year-old Jordan Spence to Ottawa. More youth in the pipeline is necessary to join Mikey Anderson and Brandt Clarke, the future centerpieces of the blue line.
The Kings fortified their defense in recent drafts but also traded Brock Faber and Helge Grans while they were prospects. That recently drafted talent was in L.A.'s lineup over the weekend, including Kirill Kirsanov (2021), Angus Booth and Otto Salin (2022), Jakub Dvorak (2023), Jared Woolley (a 2024 late-round find) and 2025 initial pick Henry Brzustewicz.
Kirsanov might be the most intriguing. The 22-year-old Russian played 120 KHL games across five seasons while also playing additional games each year in the lower-tier leagues. The Kings managed to bring him over with a two-year entry-level contract this June. He plays a calm, steady game and makes an effective first pass.
"His experience back home will be big," said Andrew Lord, the new Ontario Reign coach, who figures to have Kirsanov in the AHL. "At the same time, it's a huge adjustment. It's going to take time. We're talking two practices and one game here. It's a slow burn with these younger players."
Brzustewicz was another standout. With the right side of the Kings' defense thinned out over the years, the Michigan native is an important prospect for Los Angeles. His all-around game managed to impress the Kings, even on a loaded London Knights club that captured the Memorial Cup.
When the Kings faced the Sharks on Saturday, it also played out like a Knights reunion game, as Brzustewicz and Woolley went up against San Jose's Dickinson and Kasper Halttunen. Brzustewicz had fun with that, at least until a high-sticking penalty he took against Halttunen. "Kasper flopped on me so that's not nice," Brzustewicz cracked.
"Obviously a super-special group there with all those guys," he added. "Those are my brothers. We came into this last year with the mindset of, we want to win. There's no other option. We were lucky enough. Just battled through everyone. Everyone really stuck with it and played their role. It was really fun to play in and be a part of."
Also: Kenny Connors had three goals in Sunday's 4-1 win over Anaheim. Connors was very effective with his skating, as was his other hard-working linemate, Koehn Ziemmer. Ziemmer has the look of a winger who can be effective without scoring but also provide offense down in an NHL lineup. ... Hampton Slukynsky is returning to Western Michigan for his sophomore season after backstopping the Broncos to the NCAA title, so goalie Carter George had the spotlight in this tournament and he was razor-sharp in a 35-save effort on Sunday. George's tracking of plays and the puck was excellent.
The Ducks love defenseman Stian Solberg. That was apparent when they moved up eight spots in the first round of the 2024 draft and gave up an extra second-round choice to select him.
It isn't just the big open-ice hits or hard edge in his game. Solberg, now 19, may not be an offensive savant but he has underrated skill that can translate to the NHL. His hat trick for Norway in a near upset of the United States at this year's World Championships -- against a roster full of NHL players -- turned heads.
Anaheim managed to get Solberg stateside last season even though his Swedish club, Farjestad BK, reached the SHL playoffs. And in his first 10 games with the AHL's San Diego Gulls, Solberg had two goals and three assists while impressing people throughout the Ducks organization.
"Stian plays with so much confidence," said Matt McIlvane, the Gulls' coach. "And that was something that I started to learn about him at the end of last season. He's a wonderful kid with tremendous upside. I think that what he's going to find as he keeps going through his North American journey, particularly as he's getting into camp and playing in the NHL games, things move quicker than they do in Sweden. Things move quicker than they do in the American League, and being able to use your confidence to play with some pace with the puck and a little bit more simply.
"We know what he can do when he gets it. There's some magic in there that you don't want to take off his stick. But I think he'll thrive through connected team play, which he'll get the chance to open up in the next week."
Goalie Tomas Suchanek was an unexpected success story as an undrafted free agent. Suchanek, 22, earned a three-year entry-level contract after a stellar 2023-24 season in which he put up a 14-10-5/2.92/.910 line on an AHL deal. But his 2024-25 follow-up was shelved when he torn his ACL and missed the entire year. Sunday's game was his first in 17 months.
"It's a shot of life," McIlvane said. "A couple years ago, I think he went 11-2-2 or something like that in his first chunk of games and it's like, oh my gosh, he was a savior (and) a turnaround for our season. It's obviously a huge loss when you don't have somebody like that.
"Coaching-wise, I can't help but smile just seeing him in the net. I was looking at him during the anthem and as the opening faceoff was going. And I'm just thankful that he's back in there with an opportunity to come in and compete."
Also: Without a ton of gifted offensive talent around him, Beckett Sennecke didn't particularly flourish. The No. 3 overall pick in 2024 had a few moments and was more engaged from the start in his second game but he was also knocked off the puck too often. He did get off his hard shot on occasion and drew a penalty with his skating, but he also didn't use that to his advantage enough. ... Dropping the mitts with Konnor Smith is a daunting task. The 6-foot-6 defenseman decisively won his fights. ... Will Francis, 24, continues to build toward a pro career after three bouts with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The big defender continues to be an amazing story.