With the Los Angeles Kings down several forwards, they're doing something they haven't done all season: recalling skaters from the American Hockey League.
Due to injuries to Anze Kopitar , Joel Armia and Trevor Moore, along with Corey Perry stepping away to deal with an ill family member, the Kings have brought Taylor Ward and Andre Lee up from the Ontario Reign ahead of tonight's game against the San Jose Sharks .
Of the two forwards, Lee has more NHL experience, appearing in 19 games and registering three points, all last season. Ward has only appeared in one NHL contest, the Kings' final game of last season, but he did score a goal in that game.
"I do think that game last year helped me out a lot, especially coming in here today, [I] feel a bit more comfortable than I probably did last year," Ward said. "It's been a big help, and there's a lot of the same faces in this room, so much more comfortable this time."
They earned their call-ups thanks to strong performances during training camp and with the Reign this season.
"[Lee and Ward] both had solid camps," head coach Jim Hiller said. "[Lee's] playing extremely well. [The Reign] tell us [he's been] physical and scoring goals, so he's doing all the good things. And [Ward] had such a great camp, been solid for them. So they'll get in tonight, and they'll get some minutes for sure."
Both players face the challenge of slotting into a team filled with established players who have developed chemistry from playing together all season, and in some cases for multiple seasons.
"It's pretty easy to get in your own head in situations like this," Ward said. "So just to keep it simple and play my game, that's pretty much where my head's at."
"What they want from me is [to] play my type of game, playing heavy, physical, hunting down pucks, being strong around the net," Lee added. "And, I mean, they have a really good team. So I just try to help as best as I can."
Ward, Lee and Hiller all noted the importance of the similarities in systems between the Kings and Reign, specifically designed to make this type of transition easier.
"When you go up and down, it's not that big of an adjustment on that front," Ward said. "Which obviously helps us just focus on our game, and not too much about the Xs-and-Os part of it."
The Reign are currently under the direction of first-year head coach Andrew Lord, who is building up his relationship with Hiller after taking over for Marco Sturm.
"We usually have a chat after practice," Hiller said. "Just catch up. You know, they watch our team. Of course, we don't see them as much, but they pop by and talk — 'Who's playing well for you?' … not just the Wards and the Lees and all these guys. How are our younger guys, our rookies doing? So it's really good. They've done a great job down there. Lord's slipped right in there, and built right on what Marco has built, and just kept it going."
Unsurprisingly, both players are excited for the opportunity and looking to embrace their first chance of the season to prove themselves at the NHL level.
"Everybody's pretty excited for tonight, so it's great," Ward said. "Just gonna do my best to help this team win and go from there."
