TORONTO -- Quinton Byfield's magical hockey moves were on display Sunday, drawing loud gasps of admiration from the hundreds of spectators watching him.
The Los Angeles Kings forward had just completed a triple deke of the opposing goalie, shifting in out in before finishing with a beautiful flick under the crossbar. The lanky 20-year-old then responded by gesturing to the appreciative crowd with his stick before being greeted by his congratulating teammates.
To be fair, he wasn't on the ice when he did it. No, in this instance, Byfield was showing off his slick hands on one of the tennis courts in the complex at Sobeys Stadium, where he joined the likes of Hockey Hall of Famer Doug Gilmour, Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli in a road hockey game against a team of ATP players during the tour's annual stop in Toronto.
No matter. Whether stickhandling a ball or a puck, Byfield is just happy that he's healthy enough to show off his talents after an injury-riddled start to his NHL career.
"It's just nice to feel good to do things like this and be feeling good heading into a new season for a change," he said after the event, part of the National Bank Open. "That hasn't been the case in previous years."
It's a trend Byfield, who has 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists) in 99 NHL games, is looking to change entering the 2023-24 season.
The Newmarket, Ontario native was selected No. 2 by the Kings in the 2020 NHL Draft, one pick behind the New York Rangers' selection of forward Alexis Lafreniere. He was scheduled to return to Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League for the 2020-21 season, but, because the league's season was postponed and ultimately cancelled due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, he was sent to Ontario of the American Hockey League instead.
Heading into the 2021-22 season, he'd been set to make the Kings' opening night roster before fracturing his left ankle in a preseason game Oct. 5, delaying his season debut by three months. He started last season with Los Angeles but became ill nine games into the season and didn't return to the Los Angeles lineup for two months.
"You know, it's always been a struggle for me for the start of seasons," he said. "The one year, it seemed like I broke my ankle in a thousand different places. And even at the start of last season I was sick for a bunch of weeks. That's why this is important. Hopefully this year, going in, I can stay healthy, be able to produce early on and help the team."
Something that health issues have kept him from doing the way he wants.
"It hasn't been fun at all," Byfield said. "You're excited all summer for the season, and you train all summer for it. And then, for something to happen to sideline things both years, that definitely [stinks].
"Hey, when you run into a little adversity you've got to keep going. There's always the next year, and this is it. So, very excited for the start of this season."
Once considered the Kings' center of the future, a glut of talent at the position saw Byfield shift from fourth line center to left wing alongside captain Anze Kopitar and wing Adrian Kempe for a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 31. With Kopitar, Phillip Danault and newly acquired Pierre-Luc Dubois giving the team a strong presence up the middle, Byfield is embracing the opportunity to continue playing on the flank as part of the Kings' top six.
"'Kopy,' Phillip, Pierre-Luc, even Blake Lizotte, they're all good two-way players who are hungry for the puck," Byfield said. "We are very strong at the position. I do think I'm going to pick up where we left off last season and start on the wing. It's a good opportunity for myself, playing in different positions and playing with a lot of high-end talent.
"I"m going to really enjoy it."
Especially, as he said, if he can remain healthy for a change.
