LOS ANGELES -- The youth movement that is the Los Angeles Kings season has skewed a little younger.
With the recent call-ups of goalie Jonathan Quick (age 22) and center Trevor Lewis (21), the Kings now have five players 22 or younger on the active roster -- and not just on the roster, but trying to become an integral part of it.
Quick, in particular, appears to be making inroads.
He posted his first NHL shutout on Tuesday in Columbus, made his third straight start Friday against Phoenix -- and played well enough in a 2-1 loss that coach Terry Murray indicated he'd get consecutive start No. 4 tonight in the conclusion of the back-to-back, home-and-home series with the Coyotes.
"He gave us a chance tonight," said Murray. "He's taking advantage of the opportunities he's been given, and we like what we see."
The opportunity was presented when Erik Ernsberg was sidelined by a groin injury (he skated with the team for the first time on Friday morning, but is still at least a few days away from playing). And even before Friday's game, Quick -- a third-round pick in the 2005 draft -- was making a good impression in a 6-4 loss at Detroit and the 3-0 win in Columbus.
"The Detroit game, being the first one, it's a pretty intense building to go into for a young guy," said Murray. "I thought he was very collected and composed. There was a play at the end of the game that I'd like to see him have it back -- the goal from the half-boards -- but overall, he was very good. ...
"He's very competitive. He's athletic. He's got skill, there's no doubt about that. I like his battle. I like his compete, a lot. He never gives up, he's on top of things, he's learning the NHL game here in the last couple games. He's really adjusted well to the NHL shooters."
The adjustment is ongoing, said Quick, who played three games with the Kings last year, going 1-2 with a 3.83 goals against and .855 saves percentage.
"The first day or two, it's a little different than the American League," said Quick, 6-5-2 with a 2.68 goals-against this year in Manchester. "But you practice with these guys, and you get used to it, and you get to know the guys a bit better, the more time you spend with them. Everyone's one the team been great and makes you feel welcome. ..
"The game's a little bit quicker and they shoot the puck a little bit harder, you know? So it's just about getting your timing. You get your timing down and you feel a bit better."
There was little about Friday's game, in which Quick stopped 24 of 26 shots, to suggest he was still moving in the right direction on that learning curve.
"You look at the two goals," said captain Dustin Brown. "One's a two-on-one back door, and one's a tip-in. He made some key saves, one in particular -- I think it was on (MIkkel) Boedker, with a pull-up shot in the third. If that's in the net, it's maybe game over right there.
"He made the saves. We just didn't come through on the other end."
Also new: Friday's game was not quite so positive for Lewis, who had vaulted from fourth-line duty in his debut at Buffalo to a spot on the first line with Anze Kopitar and Patrick O'Sullivan, and responded with a goal in Detroit and an assist in Columbus.
"He has fit on that line, I think, very comfortably, with Kopitar and O'Sullivan," said Murray at Friday's morning skate. "He's got nice speed and quickness, he's able to play the game at top speed. He handles the puck and can continue plays on that line. He sees the ice well, moves the puck.
"I think he's got a wonderful upside to his game. He's got some instincts there -- and that's why he's a first-round pick (17th overall in 2006). He has some nice instincts for the game.
"So we'll keep pushing him, and building on it, to see how that moves along."
Lewis was in Winnipeg with Manchester -- where he had eight goals and 19 points in 28 games -- when he received word of his promotion on Dec. 18.
"I got nervous," he said, "and just got out of there and called my parents right away. It's a great feeling."
It got better, of course, when he scored his first NHL goal in Detroit -- though it wasn't exactly an end-to-end rush: A rebound of his shot was knocked in by Detroit's Brian Rafalski.
"t was my first shift there in Detroit," Lewis said. "I was pretty nervous, but just got in there and puck kind of squirted out, so I just shot it. And I was lucky -- I think it hit their D's skate and went in.
"It wasn't how I pictured my first goal, but I'll take it."
Particularly in light of the location. Detroit, he said, "was my favorite team growing up. So it was pretty special."
Lewis, like Quick, is still adjusting to the NHL game -- the primary differences being "speed and everyone's so smart out there," he said, "so there's not many mistakes."
Friday's game -- his first as an NHLer with his parents on hand -- didn't go quite as well as the previous two. He started the night with Kopitar and O'Sullivan, but at the finish, when the Kings mounted their comeback, it was with Brown having moved onto that line. Lewis, who played a little over 12 minutes, saw the ice for just 2:41 in the final period.
One night, of course, is not going to undue what the Kings like about Lewis.
"This is a skating game today," said Murray. "... That's the way the rules have changed and it's brought more speed and quickness into the game, and he certainly has that skill in his repertoire. I'm looking forward to seeing how he moves as we go forward here.
Down the road: As if there wasn't enough young talent on hand, Kings fans will probably want to keep an eye on the World Junior Championships that began Friday in Ottawa. Along with center Oscar Moller -- who had six goals and 13 points in 30 games before being allowed to join the Swedish National Team -- the Kings have three draftees playing in the tournament which is a holiday highlight in Canada but remains barely a blip on the radar in the United States.
Defensemen Thomas Hickey and Colten Teubert, first-round picks the last two years, are playing for Team Canada, which opened the tournament with a 8-1 win over the Czech Republic on Friday. Defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov is playing for Russia, which beat Latvia 4-1 in its opener.
Hickey, the No. 4 pick overall in the 2007 draft, is playing junior hockey in Seattle, where he had six goals and 12 assists with a plus-13 rating in 26 games. Teubert, selected 13th overall this year, is playing for Regina, where he had eight goals and 14 assists, and was plus-14, in 33 games. Despite Canada's lopsided win, they each were held off the score sheet and were minus-1 against the Czechs.
Voynov, a second-round pick earlier this year, had four goals and eight assists, and was plus-4, in 24 games with the Kings' farm team in Manchester before joining the Russian team for the tournament. He scored Russia's first goal Friday.
Moller missed a penalty shot and was minus-one in Sweden's opener Friday, but his team beat Finland 3-1.
For those who have the channel on their cable system or satellite package, the tournament is being carried on The NHL Network. Canada, Russia and Sweden all return to action Sunday, as does the U.S. team, which beat Germany 8-2 in its opener. There are no Kings prospects on the U.S. roster, but there are two Californians -- defenseman Jonathon Blum (Rancho Santa Margarita), the team captain, and forward Mitch Wahl (Seal Beach).