LA Kings Grow Hockey in Southern California with Three Successful Camps

It was an eventful summer as the LA Kings Hockey Development staff hosted three local California hockey camps; the Girls Elite Camp, Pro Competition Camp and the 30th annual Kings Camp.

Female hockey players between ages 7-16 participated in the Girls Elite Camp, which ran from July 16 to 20 at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, CA.
The girls found a role model in coach Hannah Westbrook, former professional and Division I player. Her, along with Kings alumni Derek Armstrong and Daryl Evans, led the group throughout the week with a sense of humor and strong hockey knowledge.

Each day consisted of on-ice training that included skating, skill drills, and 3-on-3 games, followed by off-ice workouts.
"It was amazing to see how much these girls improved throughout the week and we are so excited with the growth we have seen with this camp. We expect to be back next year with an even bigger crowd," said Tori Pizzuto, LA Lions Coordinator.
The camp concluded with team scrimmages followed by an awards ceremony that recognized the winning team and most valuable player.
The following week, the Hockey Development team headed to Santa Barbara for the Pro-Competition Camp. Players flew in from all over the US, China, Holland and Sweden for the 2nd annual camp.

Former Kings player and current Santa Barbara Royals coach Steve Heinze lead the coaching staff, with support from alumni Derek Armstrong and the Hockey Development team.
All players were hosted in the Sierra Madre dorms on UCSB's beautiful campus, which was the first time away from home for many.

Campers met in their dorm cafeteria for breakfast, which was followed by two on-ice sessions, lunch and off-ice training.
In the middle of the week, the players were treated to an afternoon at Goleta Beach, where they participated in their off-ice workouts and enjoyed the sunshine.

"As we were in the second year of this camp, we wanted to follow up our success in the first year and take it to another level. We added an extra day with more ice time so we could really focus on helping these kids reach their full potential," explained Courtney Ports, Manager of Hockey Development.

The longest running camp in LA Kings history, Kings Camp, celebrated it's 30th anniversary this year. One hundred and twenty youth hockey players came together to spend a week with all-star coaches, such as Jaroslav Modry, Daryl Evans, Matt Johnson, Brad Smyth, Kyle Calder, and Derek Armstrong.

During the week, current LA Kings players Mike Amadio, Daniel Brickley, and Sheldon Rempal joined the kids on the ice for some small area games and defensive drills.

"Overall this was an amazing experience for these kids and we feel that each kid left camp a much better player," said Armstrong.