KINGS DRAFT DAY: MORE OFFENSE IS KINGS' GOAL HIGH HOPES FOR SLOVENIA'S KOPITAR.Byline: Matt McHale Staff Writer EL SEGUNDO El Segundo (ĕl sēgŭn`dō), industrial city (1990 pop. 15,223), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1917. Its products include navigation and computer systems, aircraft parts, office machines, telephone apparatus, and - The Kings' scouting report on center Anze Kopitar, their top pick in Saturday's NHL Entry Draft The NHL Entry Draft is a collective meeting in which the franchises of the National Hockey League systematically select the rights to available amateur players who meet the eligibility requirements to play professional hockey in the NHL. : First player taken from tiny Slovenia has a strong shot and could be in the league within two years. Kopitar's scouting report on the Kings: ``I hear they do not have many stars.'' Although Kopitar, 17, was considered the top European prospect, his comment said more about the Kings' needs than anything that happened in Saturday's seven-round draft in Ottawa. Beginning Monday, the first day teams can sign unrestricted free agents, the Kings will attempt to upgrade their offense under the new $39 million salary cap. The team has made no secret it wants to re-sign high scoring right-winger Ziggy Palffy. The club also could be targeting former New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York, U.S.A. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). center Bobby Holik and former St. Louis winger Pavol Demitra. Palffy, 33, rejected a three-year, $19.5 million offer by the Kings before the lockout lockout, intentional closing up of a company, factory, or shop by an employer to prevent employees from working during a strike or labor dispute. The term lockout began in September 2004. He was their leading scorer in 2003-04 before requiring reconstructive surgery reconstructive surgery n. Plastic surgery. reconstructive surgery, n surgery to rebuild a structure for functional or esthetic reasons. on his right shoulder in January 2004. ``We saw Ziggy play (for Slovakia) in the World Championships last spring, and he looked great,'' Kings general manager Dave Taylor said. ``But we really can't talk about anything officially until Monday.'' Holik, 34, was a third-line center for two Stanley Cup winners in New Jersey, but he struggled for one season after signing a huge contract with New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . Demitra, 29, a teammate of Palffy's on Slovakia's national and Olympic teams, scored at least 20 goals during each of his seven seasons with the Blues and reached 35 goals three times. The Kings hope Kopitar, the 11th overall pick, someday can be mentioned with those players, although his native Slovenia, in the northwest corner of the former Yugoslavia, is not considered a hockey-playing country. ``This is an exciting day for me,'' said Kopitar, from his home in Slovenia. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. much about Los Angeles. We don't get the NHL NHL Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, see there on TV here.'' The Kings began tracking his progress last year when he played for Slovenia at the World Junior (under-18) Championships and World Championships. He also played in Sweden. The team likes Kopitar's size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and passing skills, but it acknowledged he is not a physical player. ``We are looking at a potential home run here, to have Anze Kopitar fall to 11,'' Taylor said. ``We had him rated very high. Certainly, if you look at his skill package with the size and the hands, he has a tremendous amount of upside.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Slovenia's Anze Kopitar, right, considered Europe's top prospect, was the Kings' first pick in the NHL Entry Draft. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images |
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