At the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Los Angeles Kings selected Forward Liam Greentree 24th-overall.
Greentree was assigned to the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Windsor Spitfires after competing in an NHL preseason game against the Utah Hockey Club on September 23, 2024.
Captaining the Spitfires, Greentree has cemented himself as one of the top point producers in the OHL; currently ranked third in points (79), fourth in goals (33) and assists (46) league-wide.
Ideally, he’d be promoted to the American Hockey League (AHL)’s Ontario Reign, next season, but given his age and birthdate, he may be forced to play another year of juniors.
In November, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ruled that players in any of the three Canadian Hockey Leagues (OHL, Western Hockey League, Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League) could make the jump to play collegiate hockey in the United States of America.
In the official press release sent out by the NHL, there’s a specific passage that makes me wonder if Greentree would even be eligible to play in the NCAA.
“The NCAA Division I Council voted Thursday that players who have skated in one of the three CHL leagues – the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League – will be permitted to play NCAA hockey effective Aug. 1, 2025, provided they were not compensated above actual and necessary expenses prior to enrolling in college.” – NHL.com
Greentree signed his entry-level contract with the Kings on July 20, 2024, worth $975K AAV.
As the NHL.com NCAA article states, players can make the jump, “provided they were not compensated above actual and necessary expenses prior to enrolling in college.” I’m not sure if Greentree’s NHL salary is factored into the decision and/or exceeds the financial limit.
If signing his NHL entry-level deal is a deal breaker for the NCAA and Greentree can’t make the jump to the AHL due to his age, then making the Kings roster might be his only option for growth.
It’s possible the Kings could take the same approach with Greentree as they did Defenseman Brandt Clarke – giving him nine games in the NHL before sitting him, assigning him to AHL Ontario on a conditioning stint, and eventually shipping him back to the OHL for the second-half of the season.
Taking a different approach, I’d suggest the Kings have Greentree make the opening night roster and wait to use the nine-game stint until midseason. You could stretch the nine-games over a twenty-game period, send him to AHL Ontario for a conditioning stint, and by the time that concludes, it’s almost the end of the Regular Season.
Nashville Predators Forward Steven Stamkos said that when he first joined the league, he was held out of games, instead given time to train in the gym and work on his physique. The Anaheim Ducks took a similar approach recently with Forward Leo Carlsson, limiting him to a fifty-five-game pitch count in his rookie campaign.
Making the Kings roster would allow Greentree to work directly with the Player Development Staff who could improve his skating and refine other parts of his game.
I trust General Manager Rob Blake and his staff have a few tricks up their sleeve to keep Greentree progressing in his development.
Related Videos: LA Kings Weekly Preview
