LA Kings Training Camp Preview: Cole Krygier

Originally posted on Hockey Royalty | By Kyle Garcia | Last updated 8/29/23

With training camp just around the corner, we are previewing each player on the LA Kings roster. Up next: Cole Krygier!

Cole Krygier

Birthdate: May 5, 2000

Birthplace: Orlando Florida

Height: 6’3

Weight: 192 lbs

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Draft: 7th round, 201st overall, 2018 NHL Entry Draft

2022-2023 season

Krygier started the year in the NCAA with Michigan State University and outside the LA Kings organization. The Kings have plenty of talent on the back end in their system. The only problem is they’re right-handed. It’s no secret that the Kings have been trying to add depth on the left side of the back end. Adding Krygier to the back end on the left side, a side with a lot of question marks, made sense for the Kings to acquire the 23-year-old left-handed defenseman.

On March 25th, five days after being acquired by the Kings from the Florida Panthers, Krygier signed his entry-level contract. Krygier made his professional debut with the Ontario Reign the following day as the Reign defeated the Abbotsford Canucks in overtime, 3-2. In his first three games, Krygier slightly struggled as he was still adjusting to the professional game. As the end of the season progressed, Krygier started to look comfortable and calm when making plays in the defensive zone. He recorded his first professional goal on April 7th in a 4-3 overtime loss for the Reign against the Canucks.

What a move and shot by @krygs18 pic.twitter.com/4OAUDIosyj

— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) April 8, 2023

2023-2024 outlook

This season will be Krygier’s first full season with the Ontario Reign. I expect Krygier to be more comfortable with the professional game as well, having already ten games under his belt (regular season and playoffs). Attending development camp this past summer, you can see Krygier is a good skater for a player his size and made smart plays during the scrimmages. From the very small amount of Reign games he played in, and somewhat of the eye test, I don’t expect much offensively from Krygier as I do from the defensive side of the ice. We’ll see where head coach Marco Sturm elects to place Krygier in the lineup, but it’s always good to have someone on the back end you can rely on.

This article first appeared on Hockey Royalty and was syndicated with permission.

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