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).