Greentree has size, scoring touch for impactful future with Kings

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Stand next to Liam Greentree, and it’s easy to understand why the Los Angeles Kings decided to select him with the No. 26 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

“He’s a big body,” Kings senior director of player personnel Glen Murray said of the 18-year-old prospect, listed at 6-foot-2 and 207 pounds for Los Angeles development camp earlier this month.

A forward with Greentree’s physicality was particularly appealing to the Kings following their third straight Western Conference First Round loss to the Edmonton Oilers. In breaking down their five-game exit last season, general manager Rob Blake pointed to the lack of offense generated from being on top of the goaltender to set screens, redirect shots and capitalize on rebounds.

Those are all aspects where Greentree showed his aptitude last season, when he led Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League with 90 points (36 goals, 54 assists) in 64 games and was tied for 11th in the OHL in scoring as team captain.

“Obviously I have a big body," he said, "so I definitely try to get myself to the net and drive the net, and I think a lot of my production happens from that.”

But there is more to Greentree's game than sheer size and brute strength. He showed effective puck handling and skating to draw a penalty shot during the last scrimmage of the three-day camp.

“I have a lot of finesse to my game and a lot of skill, so I try to use that as best I can,” he said.

The quality of Greentree's shot is one thing that stood out to Murray.

“He knows what he’s good at,” Murray said. “And he’s got a real good shot for a kid that age. His shot comes off like an NHL shot. The (player development) guys are really looking forward to working with him in the next couple years.”

Continuing Greentree’s physical progression will be one of the main steps for him to reach the NHL. Jarret Stoll, a two-time Stanley Cup winner as a forward for Los Angeles in 2012 and 2014 who now works in their player development department, gave Greentree an idea of how much work it will take in their first meeting.

“We talked to him the other night after the draft," Stoll said, "and I think he said he’s 212 (pounds), and we were joking 225, 230 is probably where we want him, we expect him to end up once he’s filled out and hopefully playing for the L.A. Kings.”

Greentree will also have to refine putting that muscle and mass he adds into action against players with equal or greater traits, which isn’t always the case in junior hockey.

Whatever punishment is ahead, be it in the weight room or on the ice, Greentree is ready for what comes next.

“I think I’m a guy who wants to get better and wants to do whatever it takes for my team to win," he said, "so yeah, I think I’m a guy who can crash the net and bang some bodies in front, get a dirty goal like that.”