Warm Welcome to LA for Quinton Byfield During 'Crazy Week'

Quinton Byfield collects bowties. Ever since he started having to dress up for hockey games, he's added them to his wardrobe. He figures at this point he probably has over 30 of them and that doesn't include the ones he has lost over the years going to and from the rink.
Although the bowtie has become a signature part of his look, Byfield recalls he first started wearing them so he wouldn't have to sport a regular necktie.
"I wasn't a big fan of the tie," he said. "It kind of hurt my neck and bothered me, so I just threw on a bowtie and really liked it."

While the bowties were more comfortable, Byfield kept wearing them in order to stand out. "I like to be different and I think it's something that not a lot of people wear, so I thought I'd be out there," he said.
He wore a bowtie when the Sudbury Wolves took him first overall in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection in 2018 and when he accepted the Emms Family Award as the OHL's top rookie in 2019, he was wearing one.
So when it came time to pick something to wear for the virtual NHL Entry Draft, there wasn't much to think about. Byfield was going to be wearing a bowtie.

After LA selected him second overall that night, making him the highest Black player ever to be drafted to the NHL, Byfield realized he would soon have to add a Kings bowtie to his collection. "It's up there on my check list," he laughed.
The draft may have not happened how he expected when he went into the season, but it didn't make it any less special.
"Just working your whole life your that moment and then it finally came," he said. "It was an amazing night and one I won't soon forget."
But that night was just the beginning of a surreal week for the 18-year-old prospect. In the coming days, in addition to receiving congratulatory messages from fans and supporters around the world, Byfield was welcomed to Los Angeles by legends such as Magic Johnson and Snoop Dogg.

"I couldn't even believe it," Byfield said. "I wouldn't even think they'd know who I am, let alone go on social media and welcome to LA, that is something special. Those guys are icons in their own ways, so seeing those messages from those guys really makes you feel welcome and really want to get down there and start playing."
In Sudbury, Ontario, where Byfield spent the past two seasons playing junior for the Wolves, there's already frost on the ground in the mornings, so he's been tempted to think about what it might be like one day to trade winters in Canada for the warmth of Los Angeles.
"Going from Sudbury where it's minus 30 weather to plus 30 weather in LA will definitely be a bit of a change of lifestyle, but I think it might it be for the better," he chuckled. "It was freezing in Sudbury, but I'll get to enjoy the beaches now."
After spending some time daydreaming about the sand and sunshine, reality set in for Byfield when the Kings signed him to an three-year, entry-level contract just over a week after the draft. "It was a pretty crazy week," Byfield said.

Now that he's put pen to paper and is officially a member of the Kings, he is already looking ahead to the future.
Although he hasn't played a game in more than seven months, Byfield's been training harder than ever, so that he's prepared for whenever the Kings come calling.
"Throughout quarantine I've been working out and skating quite a bit," he said. "Just trying to keep in shape and put on a little more muscle and weight and get stronger."
Part of that regimen has included training with Gary Roberts, one of hockey's most acclaimed strength and conditioning coaches. Byfield believes that it has helped in his development and that he's on his way and ready to take the next step in his career.
While it's unclear when Byfield will be on the ice at STAPLES Center in black and silver, he's already let his imagination run a bit wild and think ahead to what it might be like to be a King.

"I've thought about that a little bit," he said. "That core has won a couple Stanley Cups now. They know what it takes to win and there's a couple of Hall of Famers on that team. I think we still have a really good team for next year and a lot of young prospects and I think we're going to be a solid team soon."
Whenever Byfield joins the Kings, the question is what will his teammates call him. The most popular nickname he goes by on and off the ice is simply Q, but after Snoop Dogg referred to him as "QB" in a video, things might be changing. "If he gives me that nickname, I'll roll with that any day," Byfield said.