Byfield coming of age for Kings in playoffs after breakout season

EDMONTON -- Expectations were high for Quinton Byfield when he was selected by the Los Angeles Kings with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

It may have taken time for the Newmarket, Ontario, native to gain traction in the NHL, but he is developing into the forward the Kings envisioned when they took him after Alexis Lafrenière went No. 1 to the New York Rangers.

The Kings play the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round at Crypto.com Arena on Friday (10:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TBS, BSW, TVAS2, SN) after Byfield helped them tie the best-of-7 series 1-1. The 21-year-old had two assists to help Los Angeles win 5-4 in overtime of Game 2 on Wednesday.

"I thought he was pretty good, I thought he was one of our better players in Game 1 also," Kings coach Jim Hiller said Thursday. "That's a playoff-style player; he's big, he's strong, he's quick, he's got lots of energy. I probably didn't play him enough in these first two games. He can run 20 minutes; he's got that in him. That's one thing you might see, is him playing a little more."

Byfield assisted on Kevin Fiala's go-ahead goal in the third period to put Los Angeles up 4-3 and then tipped a Mikey Anderson pass into the path of Anze Kopitar for the overtime winner. He also had a memorable hit on Connor McDavid in the third, sending the Oilers captain flying into the boards.

"He's an effective player both ways, because he tracks back through the middle," Hiller said. "We talked about cleaning up the neutral zone and he's one of those guys that tracks back and makes it hard on the rushes."

Byfield has three assists and is plus-5 in the first round. He had a breakout regular season with 55 points (20 goals, 35 assists) and was plus-19 in 80 games.

"I think it's just confidence, scoring the first game of the year and then it kind of carried out the whole season, just being able to know that I can score," Byfield said prior to the start of the series. "The opportunity as well, getting elevated to the first power-play unit, getting some touches there and playing with those guys, and also going to the net. I think I scored 19 of my 20 goals right in front, so getting to the front of the net and scoring the greasy ones."

The Kings took their time developing the 6-foot-5, 225-pound right wing and it is paying off. Byfield was elevated to the top line for Game 2 with Kopitar and Adrian Kempe, who scored two goals in the win.

Byfield played his first professional season for Ontario of the American Hockey League. He then split time between the NHL and AHL the next two seasons before making the permanent jump midway through last season.

"I think they did a good job just letting me come into my own," he said. "I had to work for everything and that's how it should be. It was different, a lot of high other picks were kind of just thrown into everything and here they handled it a little different, and it ended working out well."

He's more mature now than he would have been trying to make the Kings lineup as a teenager. An ankle fracture at the start of the 2021-22 season also set him back.

"Last year, I think he really established himself with his work ethic," Hiller said. "You take some time to transition from junior to pro. I give him full marks; last year he just really went to work on his game. He didn't score a lot, but he tracked, he forechecked, he finished checks, he blocked shots, so he did all the things that coaches like to put you on the ice more and now he's just growing into his offensive game.

"To me, it's just a natural progression. He's got a lot of skill, but he got his work ethic right and now his skill is starting to flourish."

Playing with Kopitar, the Kings captain, has also accelerated Byfield's development. Kopitar is the perfect role model coming into the League as a high-end draft selection with lofty expectations. The No. 11 pick in the 2005 NHL Draft is a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2012, 2014) and still produced offensively at age 36 with 70 points (26 goals, 44 assists) in 81 games of his 18th NHL season.

"Just being able to talk to 'Kopi' in between shifts after the game or whatever, know about the game what he sees, I tell him what I see, it's huge," Byfield said. "Just the communication there helps me quite a bit and just being able to watch him every day and how he works on the ice and how hard he plays at both ends. It's good to see that and have that communication as well."

Kopitar has seen a lot of growth in Byfield the past two years and believes he is a big part of the Kings' future. Byfield is in the last season of his entry-level contract and can become a restricted free agent.

"I think with 'Q' we have to go back to last year when he got called up. I thought last year, he took a step forward," Kopitar said. "I think it was January that he came up with us and got put together with me and Adrian on the line. The points or the numbers didn't say a whole lot, but he was doing all the right stuff, and he was a big part of our success last year.

"I think this year, him realizing that he belongs here and he can do it. He took another step forward and the numbers are showing too."