After a four-day break in their schedule, the Ontario Reign look to regain momentum up in Northern California with a two-game set against the San Jose Barracuda.
With a pair of back-to-back games set to begin on Friday, how coach Marco Sturm will arrange his defense continues to be clouded in a bit of mystery. The team did not have a full skate on Thursday before departing SoCal, and Wednesday was more of a development day (meaning players spent time with the Kings development coaches, rather than an actual Reign practice).
Regardless, there is plenty of optimism and excitement surrounding the team right now, as two key players — captain Joe Hicketts and Kings prospect Angus Booth — appear to be on the verge of making their return to Ontario’s blueline. Each have been sidelined with injuries but are on the cusp of resuming game action. Both skated in regular-colored jerseys this week, which is always a good sign. Hicketts has only missed one game (upper-body injury), while Booth has been sidelined since February 19 with an undisclosed issue. Although he’s a first-year pro, Booth had been one of the team’s most consistent defensemen all season.
Their potential return would be a major boost to the blue line, bringing stability and added depth, as the Reign look to gain traction heading into the playoffs.
Equally intriguing is the pending debut of Kings prospect Otto Salin, who just recently signed his entry level contract and came over from Finland. He traveled with the Reign to Calgary last week and has skated in a few practices now. He’s eager to draw in and make an impression following a strong season back home, where he showcased growth in his game and a new offensive upside. Read more about Salin’s situation here:
Up front, Martin Chromiak (another Kings prospect) continues to light up the score sheet of late. In his most recent outing, the 22-year old winger netted two goals, including the game-winner. With Jeff Malott up with the Kings for the foreseeable future, Chromiak will likely remain on the top line alongside Glenn Gawdin and Charles Hudon heading into the playoffs. The trio has recently emerged as Ontario’s best line; and Chromiak is a big reason as to why.
Francesco Pinelli is also looking to build on his recent success. Since returning from an upper-body injury, the talented forward has racked up a goal and two assists in his last four games.
One more Kings prospect is also expected to debut this weekend — and he comes with a ton of hype. Goaltender Carter George arrived this past weekend after his OHL season came to an end with a first-round playoff exit. LA’s second round pick at last year’s Draft, as well as Team Canada’s No. 1 goalie at the most recent World Junior Championships is believed to be starting one of Ontario’s two games this weekend.
In the below projection, we have LA’s young netminder getting his feet wet a bit tonight by serving as Ontario’s backup, before getting the start tomorrow. Should that idea hold, it would mean veteran Phoenix Copley will be in net for this contest. He turned away 21 of 23 shots in a crucial 3-2 win last time out. More on George — who has quite the personality — can be found in this article:
REIGN PROJECTED LINEUP vs. BARRACUDA
Should there be any key changes during warmups, alignment below will be updated.
Hudon – Gawdin – Chromiak
Lee – Studnicka – Fagemo
Jamsen – Pinelli – Ward
Element – Lawrence – Doty
Hicketts – Millar
Booth – Salin
Jones – Cecconi
Copley
George
Other roster options include: (F) Olson, Singleton and (D) Dvorak, Rowe, Walsh and (G) Ingham
Injured: (D) Booth, Krygier and (G) Portillo
Puck drop is scheduled for 12:00 pm Pacific Time and the game can be viewed on FloHockey. An audio only feed is also available on the ESPN LA app.
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Lead photo by Megan Sanders
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