SAN JOSE, Calif. – Victorious walk-off moments happen all the time in sports.
The game-winning home run. The touchdown catch in overtime. The buzzer-beating shot. The 18th hole birdie.
Not so much in hockey. The game-winning goals can be scored in extra time or during a shootout. However, the players are able to celebrate their victories on the ice.
KingsProspect Brandt Clarke chose to ignore the opposition and make his own walk-off exit.
It was the most surreal moment in the four-day Rookie Faceoff tournament for prospect players held at the Sharks’ spanking expanded ice facility and new home for their AHL club. Clarke defeated Jesper Vikman, Vegas’ goalie, in Saturday’s shootout to win a 5-4 victory. Golden Knights. And then the Kings’ top prospect found the door to handle to leave the ice.
Ballgame. Goodbye.
Winner of the Brandt Clarke shootout#LAKings #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/u6lUd7oQu6
— Eric (@kingsgifs2) September 18, 2022
“That’s kind of what happened,” said Clarke, whom the Kings took with the No. 8 pick in 2021 draft. “I wasn’t too happy with the Vegas guy going back to the hit. I was hit very late in the game. They were kind of chippy all game and I just thought it’d be a cool way to kind of send a message after it was over.
“I just saw the door there. It was a very cool moment. It was liked by many people on social media. I found it funny. It was something I thought was cool in the moment and I thought I’d go for it.”
Just as regulation was ending, Clarke got hit from behind by Carter Souch (Golden Knights forward). The 19-year old defenseman was able to stay on the ice for just a few minutes before Souch sent him from the game with an automatic match penalty.
Clarke was back on the ice in overtime. In the shootout, Clarke would win with a shot between his pads. Then he was out of the Zamboni tunnel.
But not for the best. Clarke would then turn around and go back. Did that ruin the walk-off moment, though? He admitted that he lost track and believed he had messed it up. “That would have made it a little more defiant if I just kept walking,” he said. “But, ah, whatever.”
Such a moment seemed destined for some ridicule from his teammates. Hardly.
“They actually loved it,” Clarke said. “They were laughing. They thought it was hilarious.”
It brought out the good nature of the Nepean native from Ontario. After he was diagnosed with mononucleosis in the fall, he missed his trip to Arizona so this was his first camp. He was productive in this camp, using his clever passing skills to help teammates score power-play goals. There were also some positive moments on defense.
“I think I showcased my offensive abilities, but I also showcased my two-way game,” Clarke said. “They put me on the penalty kill a lot. I blocked many shots. I was displaying my defensive skills. I was winning battles inside our own zone. From the point, I was getting shots through.
“These are all things on the checklist that I want to come in and show are in my repertoire, and I think I did that pretty well. I’m pretty happy with how my weekend went overall.”
Clarke didn’t register a point in Monday’s 3-0 win over San Jose. But Marco Sturm, who will coach the AHL’s Ontario Reign this season, felt it was his best game.
“He was just very solid,” Sturm said. “Didn’t do too much. He just played a very good game. That’s what we need from him. He’s learning too. A lot of things we saw on video or even during the game, some of the stuff he just didn’t know yet.
“He’s a young kid. He must learn. But he’s definitely a good player. We’re excited that we have him in our group.”
The likely destination for Clarke is a return to the Barrie Colts for his third Ontario Hockey League season because the Kings’ blue line is crowded, especially on the right side. Clarke’s confident approach on the ice made him stand out, and it often seemed as though he had a target in his back.
“I feel like it’s been like that for a lot of my career,” he said. “I feel like I keep rising in the ranks and people keep wanting to get to me. It’s cool that I’m at this high level right now and that’s still going on.
“I feel the puck is on my stick a lot and I think they know if I have time and space, I’m going to make something happen. So, they’re trying to keep me down for that. But I just keep going up. That’s not going to stop me from playing my game. I’m still going to do the same thing next shift.”
What was the other standout player at the tournament? These are some additional notes and quotes about the six western-based Kings players and prospects. NHL teams. Teams. We met up with Quinton Byfield, who had some impactful, play-driving shifts among his moments even though they he didn’t put up big numbers in his two games.
Akil Thomas
Thomas, 22 years old, had an advantage over other Kings prospects because he was one of the few who spent the entire last season with Reign. It wasn’t an easy year as he had surgery on both shoulders and played in just 40 games. He was the second round draft pick in 2018, scoring 11 points in 14 of his final games. He scored eight goals, which is more than he had scored in his 26 previous contests.
“I definitely didn’t want to end off like how it started, so I was just trying to find it,” he said. “I had to just keep working hard and tried to do the right things and then slowly get my confidence back. For me, it happened very quickly. After scoring a few goals, I felt like I was back in my element. All of a sudden, I was making plays and feeling like myself again.”
Seeing time in all situations, Thomas was active and didn’t hesitate in going to the net to create havoc or look for loose pucks. Thomas also took his own shots. He’s more of a jackofall-trades player who contributes to the situation.
“Every team is different, right?” he said. “Every team kind of needs (people) in different roles every year. I pride myself in being a Swiss Army knife, and being able fill any role. I feel like as long as continue to be me, any team can play me up and down the lineup.”
Martin Chromiak
Chromiak, 20 years old, has one clear characteristic on the ice. The right wing out of Slovakia and the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs can shoot the puck.
He proved it during a camp scrimmage, and Saturday against Vegas. He scored two goals by following up on a rebound, and then scoring a clean, low goal. Chromiak, who led Kingston last season with 44 goals, will be playing for Sturm AHL.
“It will be good for him,” Sturm said. It’ll be good for us to see him. He’s not a junior anymore. He must also understand this, and he must learn it. It will take some time. But you can already tell. I think he’s a goal scorer.
“He doesn’t need much. But there’s a lot more to it. It’s definitely nice to have him.”
Kim Nousiainen and Helge Grans
Grans was one of the few who struggled in Grans’s first game. Grans had a promising debut season in North America, and had seven goals and 17 assists in 56 games for Ontario. Grans also played solid defense.
But in Friday’s opener, the 20-year-old turned the puck over in dangerous areas or failed to execute a few passes and had trouble with his gaps in defending. The errors were greatly reduced and his game on Monday was much better.
21-year-old Nousiainen had a better result. The diminutive Finn, who is only 21 years old, is a skilled skater and plays offense. He looks for passing lanes and ways to get his puck toward the net. Some attempts were blocked but it didn’t leave him gun-shy.
“Kim, he’s been really solid,” Sturm said. “He’s been really good. Helge was a better player than he was in Game 1. But we need these guys. They have to step up for us because they’ve been around for a little bit now. I think there’s still room left. But they played good.”
Jacob Ingham, David Hrenak
L.A. is the place where goaltending takes place Jonathan QuickAnd Cal Petersen. But it could be a free-for-all in Ontario and elsewhere in the Kings’ system. Ingham and Hrenak had a few games with the Reign, but they will be competing for the net with holdovers Matt VillaltaNew veteran acquisition Pheonix copley.
Sturm referred to Copley as the AHL’s leading netminder, with 118 wins. Villalta won 28 Ontario games with a.903 save percent last season. Hrenak, Ingham, and Hrenak could push for both. Each received a full contest at the Rookie Faceoff. Then, they were split Monday against San Jose.
Ingham, 22 years old, was very strong against ColoradoAfter allowing two goals in the first period, Hrenak made 30 stops. Hrenak (24 years old) made great stops against Vegas, allowing the Kings’ to recover from a 4-2 deficit. Both had little trouble shutting down a Sharks squad that didn’t dress top prospect William Eklund.
The Kings’ recent two-year affiliation agreement with the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits could be an outlet for either or both to get a lot of playing time if they can’t dislodge Copley or Villalta.
“The goalies gave us a chance every day to win a hockey game,” Sturm said. “And again (Monday), they were really, really solid. I’m happy for them that both had no goals against. This weekend was a big one for goaltending. They deserved every credit.”
Samuel Helenius
Helenius, a 6-foot-6, 213-pounder, was very effective using his long stick to stop penalties kill passes. He also got physical when he saw an opportunity to confront an opponent player.
Martin Hanzal (ex-NHL center) was one name that was mentioned in the weekend. Although he was never an offensive force, Hanzal was a smart pivot who managed to turn his defense and defensive consciousness into 673 games before his back issues forced him to retire. Helenius might find it fitting.
“He’s not a big goal scorer,” Sturm said. “But he plays a really solid two-way game. That’s what we need from him. He is a man of size and strength. And that’s a good sign.”
Francesco Pinelli
Pinelli, a 2021 second-round selection, went to the net to score a goal against Colorado. The 19-year-old center was very engaged and played a hard game. He could be a contributor in a mid-six position.
Pinelli is known to have an NHL-ready shot and has produced with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers but didn’t have many opportunities to unleash it.
Taylor Ward
Ward, 24, was among the showcase’s oldest players and got 16 games with the Reign last year after completing four seasons at Nebraska-Omaha. Because he was undrafted, Ward earned a promotion from the second line. He worked well with Byfield and found open areas to make plays with the puck or shoot it. This is what Clarke did with him on his one-timer.
“I didn’t really know anything about him,” Sturm said. “But there’s definitely something there. We just have to build on that.”
(Photo of Brandt Clarke by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images
