The Los Angeles Kings have kicked off the professional tryout season, as according to Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider, the team has signed former NHL forward Andrei Loktionov to a PTO for this fall’s training camp. Loktionov will attend camp in search of a spot on the Kings roster after spending the last three seasons in the KHL.
Selected by the Kings in 2008, Loktionov spent one outstanding season with players like Taylor Hall, Ryan Ellis and Adam Henrique in Windsor of the OHL before making the jump to professional hockey. It wasn’t long before he got a chance in the NHL, but couldn’t seem to deliver quite the same offensive jump. After bouncing around for a few years from Los Angeles to New Jersey to Carolina, Loktionov signed in the KHL where he has turned himself into a two-way force that logs big minutes for Yaroslavl.
Though this doesn’t come with the promise of an NHL contract, it’s an easy chance to give for the Kings who could desperately use his speed down the middle. He could also add another dimension to a penalty kill that was already among the league’s best, though he still isn’t an excellent faceoff man. In Russia last season he won just 48% of his draws.
There will be more PTOs given out over the summer, many to older players looking for one last chance or European free agents. Remember it doesn’t neccessarily mean the player will sign with the team he’s working out with. Last year saw Calgary snatch Kris Versteeg out from under Edmonton’s nose, something that happens fairly often.