THOMAS HICKEY - #37
You have to start with the premise that, with one spot already open and Matt Greene out for the first month, the Kings will keep a defenseman such as Davis Drewiske and also take a rookie. Based on that, I give the edge to Hickey because while he was not the oldest, most-experience defenseman in rookie camp — that would be Fransson — he was consistently the most poised and in control, and made few mistakes. Are there more dynamic defensemen out there? Certainly, but whomever makes the roster will be asked to play immediately, so that’s why I give the nod to Hickey.
Thomas Hickey knows his chance is now to make roster
The Kings are without several defensemen from last season, meaning the 21-year-old Hickey might finally make it to the big leagues.
LATimes September 12, 2010|By Helene Elliott
After developing some decent depth on defense — a process accelerated by Drew Doughty's arrival in 2008 — the Kings could afford to take their time grooming Thomas Hickey, the fourth overall pick in the 2007 draft.
Injuries to his left shoulder and left ankle limited him to 19 regular-season games and four playoff games with Manchester (N.H.) of the American Hockey League last season, but it wasn't a huge problem because the Kings had plenty of other bodies.
Suddenly there are fewer bodies between Hickey and the NHL, with Sean O'Donnell and Randy Jones departing as free agents and Matt Greene recovering from shoulder surgery that will idle him until November. Hickey, who spent the summer in Los Angeles to work on his strength and conditioning, is in prime position to claim a roster spot but isn't putting undue pressure on himself.
"Going forward I want to make this team and that's the only thing on my mind," he said Sunday. "You've got to be realistic. I want to play in the NHL for a long time and I want to play professional hockey for as many years as I can.
"If there's time it takes to get to the level where you can do that and be successful then you take it. Hopefully there's no time for that and I can jump in, but it's certainly not make or break."
Hickey, 21, is known for his intelligence on the ice. He was the captain of his junior team, the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League, and can make up in smarts what he lacks in size at a generously stated 6 feet tall and 190 pounds.
He's also smart enough to know the situation here is a good one for him.
"There's a bunch of guys that would be in contention to take a spot and they've let us know there's opportunities with injuries and just numbers," Hickey said. "We all know there's opportunity and I'm looking to jump up and snag one of those spots and then keep it from there."
He said playing four playoff games for Manchester after his ankle healed last spring was a valuable experience.
"That was huge. You grow a lot as a player and as a team playing playoff hockey," said Hickey, who had three assists in four games. "The regular season's a lot different. You show yourself something and you show everyone else something too, that you're going to be counted on at the most important time of the year. So for me that was huge confidence-wise to step in and contribute."
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