The No. 2 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft made his NHL debut April 28, playing 17:59 during a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks, and had one assist in six games. Byfield has scored six points (four goals, two assists) in 11 games for Ontario this season, all coming during a five-game point streak from Jan. 2-15. He has scored 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 43 AHL games.
The 19-year-old was set to start this season with the Kings, but fracutured his left ankle in the final preseason game against the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 5.
He was placed in NHL COVID-19 protocol Dec. 21 and came out Dec 30, when he started his rehab assignment in the AHL.
"Definitely a little bit of a journey just this season, it's been kind of crazy," Byfield said. "Playing quite a bit of preseason games, excited, hopeful of making the team, and then having that injury that took quite a bit. And then coming back, excited to play hockey again, then got COVID, so it's been a lot of ups and downs this year and hopefully from here it's only up."
Byfield said he feels more at ease now as compared to when he made his NHL debut last season.
"There wasn't any fans last year so it was maybe a little bit more easier on the nerves." he said. "There wasn't too many eyes watching you. But this year there's definitely more fans, so maybe a little bit more nerve-wracking. But I do feel a lot more comfortable where my game's at just having that AHL season under the belt last year.
"I just want to be comfortable with my game. Stats don't always tell the story. I could say I want to go out there and get two or three goals, but I just want to go out there, play hard, be myself and know I left it all out there tonight."
The Kings (20-15-5) have lost two straight following a four-game winning streak. They're second in the Pacific Division, three points behind the first-place Vegas Golden Knights, and are trying to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017-18.
"We need to give Quinton Byfield a little breathing room," coach Todd McLellan said. "He's not the savior right now. He's just Quinton Byfield. He's going to play a game tonight and I'd rather take the pressure off of him rather than put it on him. That type of weight should go on other shoulders to have to give us a real good game tonight."
McLellan said it's important that too much pressure to succeed is not put on Byfield, given his draft selection.
"I think that (Edmonton Oilers center) Connor McDavid (No, 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft) and (Toronto Maple Leafs center) Auston Matthews (No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft) and (Vegas Golden Knights center) Jack Eichel (No. 2 pick in 2015 draft) put pressure on everybody," McLellan said. "Those three are special players ... they've been able to produce 80 or 90 points right off the bat, be Calder Trophy candidates. So in turn, everybody expects to see one of those three arrive in somebody else's body. It doesn't happen that way.
"Everybody is going to develop at their own pace. ... So we're not trying to temper expectations. We're just trying to make them realistic."
NHL.com independent correspondent Dan Greenspan contributed to this report
