Kirill Kirsanov Enters Kings Camp With a Crowded Left Side

Kirill Kirsanov is a strong candidate to return to the Ontario Reign, but the Kings' own training-camp preview places him in a wider NHL-AHL competition on the left side.

Kirsanov signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Kings after his KHL and VHL season wrapped up, ending four years of waiting to see whether he would come over. He played 68 games for the Reign in his first North American season, putting up 13 points (four goals, nine assists), and suited up for all five of Ontario's playoff games.

Kirsanov spent a stretch alongside veteran Kyle Burroughs before Burroughs left the lineup after Dec. 21. Head coach Andrew Lord later paired Kirsanov with second-year pro Angus Booth; the two had already worked together on the penalty kill and carried that familiarity to 5-on-5.

Hockey Royalty's camp preview highlighted a solid skating base, an unhurried first pass and smart stick placement in his own end, with offense as a bonus rather than the selling point.

The competition is real. The Kings' official camp preview lists Kirsanov among 10 left-shot defensemen under contract. It says the group includes seven players who could appear in NHL games this season and describes more questions than at the same point last year. The preview leaves Kirsanov's opening assignment unresolved.