Winning the 40th annual John Reid Memorial Tournament would be a crowning achievement for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings.
The last United States team to bring home the Reid tournament banner was the 2010 Los Angeles Selects.
“We have a team that can definitely win this,” said defenceman Aidan Hreschuk of the Kings, ranked fourth overall in the United States for 2003 born teams. “We can put together a complete game all three periods and we’ll find a way to win.”
The St. Albert bantam AAA invitational is the second tournament of the season for the Kings, winners of the fifth annual Rocky Mountain Classic in November at Calgary.
The Kings have also participated in showcase weekends in the United States at Notre Dame and Detroit.
“There is no tournament format for showcase events. You basically go play five games against top teams,” said head coach Jeff Turcotte. “With the Rocky Mountain tournament and this one you’re actually playing for a championship. The other ones are great but this is also nice because you learn how to win a tournament where every game counts.”
In the final of the Rocky Mountain Classic, the Kings prevailed 5-4 in a shootout against the Northern Alberta Xtreme after playoff victories of 5-1 against the Calgary Bisons and 6-4 over Delta Wild Prep Green and all three teams are in the Reid tournament.
“The compete level is so much higher when we come up here so it definitely helps us with this tournament. We had to face a lot of adversity because those teams brought it but we worked hard and found a way to win,” said Hreschuk, rated one of the top D-man in Western USA hockey. “It’s always cool when we get to play against top teams from around the world, especially in Canada. They always bring it. We don’t get that at home. We're the best team by far (in the California Amateur Hockey Association) so when we get to play teams like these it’s special. It’s good for us."
Teams from Michigan and Chicago also bring out the best in the Kings.
“They’re far away from us so we have to travel every time we want to play them so it’s a little tough,” Turcotte said. “We want to play those teams. We always want to play the top teams.
“Sometimes we even have to scrimmage against older teams.”
The purpose of the Reid tournament is two-fold for the Kings.
“Obviously we’re trying to get the kids noticed. We don't get a lot of Western Hockey League scouts back home or B.C. or Alberta junior league guys who come and watch. The kids all want to play at the next level and it’s usually at this level the scouts starting watching them so that’s the first thing,” Turcotte said. “The second thing is we make sure they experience what it’s like to be in these towns and for them to see the different calibre of kids and their intensity level. We have a bunch of kids from California who weren't raised on the farm so I think it brings a little bit to their game to help them become a better hockey player.”
The incentive is high for the players to perform at a high standard north of the border.
“When you come here it's a lot easier for the coaches, maybe not the stress level, but you don’t have to get the kids up for game day because they’re already up and they’re ready. It’s a different attitude,” Turcotte said. “When they come here they know the calibre of the kids and they know they have to bring their A game and if they don't they’re going to get beat. Every team here is good and if you don't play well you’re going to lose.”
Turcotte wasn’t too sure what the team’s record was going into the Reid tournament – 25-5-1 was a possibility – but knew without a shadow of a doubt what makes the Kings tick.
“We’re a very good position team. We have some skill. Our core is really good. Obviously on the D end we have some really strong D and we have a strong goalie,” Turcotte said. “We’re not a team that is going to be overly offensively on the forward side but we have very good forwards and they move the puck well and they’re smart. The hockey IQ is the key to our team.”
Hreschuk, 14, also weighed in on the team's strengths.
“We work hard, we’re strong, we have depth and our goalie (Alex Bonrouhi) plays great every game. He stands on his head so from there out we work to get the job done,” said the Long Beach resident.
The Kings are based out of the Toyota Sports Centre in El Segundo and the team is made up of 16 players from around southern California. Most of the players have been together since 2011.
Last year the Kings lost the 2002 level final in the Pacific District in double overtime to Alaska with a berth to nationals at stake.
“That was a hell of a accomplishment,” Turcotte said of the first-year bantam team. ‘California will get one of these type of teams every couple of years where they’re strong and they’re able to compete at that level so we’re very fortunate with this group.”
Hreschuk described it as a learning experience for this year.
“We were able to hang in there and give them a scare. It was a tough loss but now we get to compete against our own age.”
As for the Reid tournament, the Kings won their opener Thursday 2-0 against the Burnaby Winter Club Academy Bruins as Parker Murray scored twice in the third period and Andree Gasseau assisted on both goals. Shots were 35-31 for the Kings as Bonrouhi posted the shutout.
“Burnaby is a very strong team. They won the Pat Quinn tournament in Vancouver a couple of weeks ago,” Turcotte said. “It was a typical back and forth game. We tend to get that one when we need it and that’s what happened today.”
ICE CHIPS: Friday the Kings played the Yale Hockey Academy Lions of Abbotsford and the Calgary Royals but the scores were unavailable at press time.
The Kings have a wealth of coaching experience behind the bench and it shows on the ice.
Turcotte is a product of the Detroit Compuware minor hockey program and was a centreman in the Ontario Hockey League with the Toronto Marlboros (1986-89) with minor pro stints in the East Coast and Sunshine leagues.
His assistant coaches are James Gasseau and Glen Murray.
Gasseau was a defenceman with the Drummond Voltigeurs (1983-86) in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Rochester Americans (1986-88) in the American Hockey League and played 16 games for the 1988/89 Canadian national team.
Murray was a right winger with the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings during a 1,009 game career (337 goals and 651 points), plus 94 playoff games (20 goals and 42 points).
