Kings entertain kids with post-practice clinic at Global Series

DOCKLANDS, Australia -- The kids showed up an hour before the Los Angeles Kings arrived at O'Brien Icehouse on Wednesday.

The Dockland Ice Wolves won a championship last week. Now these Australian hockey players, all of them younger than 11, were going to watch an NHL team practice on their home rink.

They were also going to skate with forward Kevin Fiala and defenseman Matt Roy as part of a post-practice clinic.

"They're riding the high life," said Tommy Powell, a former member of the Australia national team and the Melbourne Ice of the Australian Ice Hockey League. "Just super exciting."

The Kings and Arizona Coyotes will play two preseason games at Rod Laver Arena in the 2023 NHL Global Series -- Melbourne, the first NHL event in the Southern Hemisphere. The games are Saturday and Sunday at 12 a.m. ET and will be available on NHL Network and ESPN+ in the United States, Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ in Canada, and 9Go, 9Now, ESPN and the ESPN App in Australia).

It's all about growing hockey in Australia and inspiring kids like these.

The Ice Wolves put on their equipment and watched the Kings go through their second practice of training camp.

"That's part of our responsibility, not just in Melbourne, but worldwide," Kings coach Todd McLellan said as practice wrapped up. "We have to promote the game, and it's not always just to the fan that's sitting at home. It's to the little ones that are over there anxious to come on the ice.

"It's fun watching them. They got excited during practice when those big bodies got up against the glass. I'm sure this is a thrill for them, and in some ways, it'll be a thrill for our guys for the little ones to come out on the ice. But we're happy to be here and happy to do it."

The Ice Wolves joined Fiala and Roy on the ice after practice. Kings goalie coach Mike Buckley and radio analyst Daryl Evans helped with the clinic, along with Powell, Matt Armstrong and Scott Timmins, each of whom works at O'Brien Icehouse.

Armstrong has played for the Ice and the Melbourne Mustangs of the AIHL. Timmins, who played 19 games for the Florida Panthers in 2010-11 and five for them in 2012-13, led the AIHL with 82 points (33 goals, 49 assists) in 26 games and helped the Mustangs win the Goodall Cup this season.

The kids played keep away, competed in races, attempted penalty shots and got autographs.

"I think the kids enjoyed it a lot," Fiala said, "so that's the main point."

Meanwhile, parents took pictures and videos against the glass.

Patrick Henson, originally from Providence, Rhode Island, moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and to Melbourne about 10 years ago. His wife, Yenny, is a native of Australia. He wore a Los Angeles Dodgers hat Wednesday, while she wore a Kings shirt.

Their 7-year-old son, Marsilius, plays for the Ice Wolves and watches the NHL on television, but he has never had the chance to see an NHL game live. He'll be at an open practice at Rod Laver Arena on Friday and his first NHL game this weekend.

"We know how important this is and what a massive moment in history it is," Henson said. "We were already hockey fans, but this is only going to help us spread the news and spread the love to Aussies that we know here."