Andre Lee and Sammy Helenius.
Or simply, Helenius and Lee.
They seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly.
From Kings GM Rob Blake name checking them during his end-of-season press conference to coach Jim Hiller singing their praises, the towering duo have seen their stock in the organization continually rise throughout 2024.
Internally anointed as the players topping the ‘first to be called up’ list heading into LA’s 2024-25 campaign, now comes the difficult part — temporarily separating Lee and Helenius.
Sure, they were paired together for Monday’s preseason game in Utah, and very well could play together a few more times during the remaining five exhibition games. However, in reality, they’re now potentially competing for one open roster spot with the Kings.
It’s a possible opening created by the absence of Arthur Kaliyev. To be fair, though, the door has barely been cracked open. At this point, Hiller is projected to carry 13 forwards and 8 defensemen into opening night; slightly different than the usual 14+7.
With Kaliyev healthy, 14+7 made sense. It also would have likely left one of Andreas Englund or Kyle Burroughs exposed to waivers in order to reach that alignment. That’s all a moot point at the moment.
Could Lee or Helenius possibly show enough in camp to push their way onto the roster?
Sure, it’s possible. How likely is it? That’s probably the better question.
If they keep doing what they’re doing, the odds should — in theory — only continue to increase in their favor.
With all the attention, though, is Lee feeling any extra pressure right now?
“No, not really,” Lee told Mayor’s Manor in his typical calm, cool, collected manner. “I just feel like I’m doing my thing. I’ll do what I do best and just keep doing it throughout the camp and into the season. I don’t think it adds any pressure. It’s nice to hear, but I don’t pay that much attention to it.”
Originally selected in the seventh round at the 2019 NHL Draft, Lee’s odds of making the NHL may have started long, but he’s closed the gap considerably. Director of Amateur Scouting Mark Yannetti is even on record saying Lee will play NHL games in the not-too-distant future.
So, with all the chatter about his future, Lee has to at least be hearing some of this, right?
“Yeah, for sure,” he said, finally letting half a smile breakthrough. “Definitely my mom. She’s listening and reading everything, then telling me about it. But I’m always telling her, The job isn’t done’ or ‘I still have more to prove, so ignore what they’re saying.’ There’s still a lot of time left in the camp, so I just have to go to work every day.”
And that’s exactly what Lee did in the opening minute of Monday’s first preseason game.
While he didn’t score, that early scoring attempt gave Lee some extra confidence and helped propel him to a strong effort for the remainder of the evening. He finished the game with three shots on goal, tied for second-most among Kings skaters.
With Helenius being a center, he’s almost competing for a different spot on the NHL roster than Lee would be aiming for. Even with them seeming like almost a perfect pair, they’ll most likely have to come up one at a time before possibly being reunited on the Kings at some point down the road.
With that in mind, Lee knows he’ll need to bring something more to the table than just his 6-foot-5 frame. Many point to his soft hands and ability to chip with him with some offense. Yet, it’s also worth noting that the organization saw enough leadership potential to have him serve as captain at last year’s Rookie Faceoff tournament. Should he start the year back in AHL Ontario, Lee would certainly be interested in getting a special tap on the shoulder from Reign coach Marco Sturm.
“Throughout my career, wherever I’ve played, I’ve always kind of Taken on a leadership role,” Lee shared. “I like to be that guy to speak up and talk to the guys, and stuff like that. So, it would definitely mean a lot [to wear a letter this season], but if it doesn’t happen, I’ll still be one of those guys to push other guys and be a leader.”
He’s all-in when it comes to being a member of the LA Kings too. Being drafted by the club was his early dream. With that behind him now, he’s putting in the work to reach the next level. And that includes being a supportive teammate, even in small ways. Prior to training camp opening he came with a few other prospects to watch the latest crop of young Kings hopefuls compete in this year’s Rookie Faceoff.
“It was fun to see the guys grinding,” he remarked. “Back when I played in it, you come in feeling like you have something to prove. From that perspective, I think the guys did a really good job. I think the hockey was fast and physical. There were even some fights too. It was very entertaining watching from the stands.”
Now, his attention is keenly focused on the task at hand. Lee says he’s still trying to prove himself, just in a different way to different people now — including Hiller.
The challenges are increasing, yet his effort hasn’t lost pace. Lee put in all the work necessary over the summer and believes he is giving more now than ever before, both on and off the ice.
He just wants one more game.
Then, he plans to earn another.
And hopefully another one after that.
Each day, his goal remains the same as it has been for many years now. He wants to be known as Andre Lee, forward for the LA Kings.
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