Hard-hitting Raiders defenseman Landon Kosior is off to his first NHL rookie camp with the Los Angeles Kings. (Keith Hershmiller/WHL)

By Rob Mahon

Kosior To Kings

Raiders defenseman Kosior invited to Los Angeles Kings rookie camp

Aug 20, 2021 | 4:30 PM

Camp invites are rolling in for undrafted WHL players giving them a chance to show their skills against the top prospects for NHL teams. Another Prince Albert Raider will be among those headed to camps when they open up ahead of the season.

Defenseman Landon Kosior earned an invite to the Los Angeles Kings development camp, the team announced today. Kosior won’t have long to pack his bags and get on the road as the camp begins on Monday in El Segundo, California.

“It was super exciting,” he said. “Obviously, that’s something you dream about as a kid, going to an NHL camp, so I’m just really excited and really grateful for the opportunity.”

In his two seasons with the Raiders, Kosior has played with plenty of players who’ve earned rookie camp invites, whether by being drafted by the team in question or simply by playing their way onto their radar after the draft. He’s reached out to a few of these players for advice.

“Throughout the years I talked to guys like Zack Hayes about his experience in Anaheim when he went to their camp,” Kosior said. “I’ve talked to Ozzy (Wiesblatt, San Jose first-round pick) and Kaiden (Guhle, Montreal first-round pick) about their past experiences. It’s nice to just be able to talk to those guys and know what to expect coming into the week.”

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Kosior might’ve played his way into rookie camp contention last season thanks to an excellent rookie campaign with the Raiders in which he posted 23 points in 64 games. Most teams had no sort of rookie camp last year, however, due to the pandemic.

It’s a bit of a cruel twist of fate that while Kosior has played two seasons with the Raiders, he has not yet finished a season or had a playoff run with the team due to the pandemic. He was training in Regina this summer hoping to prepare for a complete campaign this time around.

“It’s unfortunate that they were both shut down but I’m super excited for the future,” Kosior said. “I’m really excited to hopefully get some playoff hockey in the Art Hauser.”

Over his two WHL season, Kosior felt he’d improved in all aspects of his game, from maturity to speed. One thing that remains integral to his game through all of that change is his physical play.

“It’s something I like to implement,” he said. “I’m not the biggest guy but I like to play physically when I can.”

Kosior added the Kings have some high draft picks on the roster, but there’s no intimidation factor for him and he enjoys playing with and against players of that caliber.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP