Kings Trade and Draft

Kings snatch RW Tukonen with 11th pick; acquire G Garon

June 26, 2004

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Ticker) - With forwards Adam Deadmarsh and
Jason Allison facing uncertain futures, the Los Angeles Kings used the
11th pick in Saturday's draft on Finnish right wing Lauri Tukonen.

The 6-2, 198-pound Tukonen was NHL Central Scouting's fifth-ranked
European prospect and was expected to go earlier.

"We had Lauri ranked in our top seven," Kings general manager Dave
Taylor said. "We think he will be a solid player in the NHL. He had
good size and strength to go along with a nice combination of skating
ability and skill level."

This was one of the first times Tukonen was behind schedule. He played
junior hockey before he was 15 and became the youngest skater in
recent memory to play for Finland at the World Junior Championships.

Tukonen had three goals and three assists in 35 games with Espoo of
the Finnish senior league and is projected as a power forward.

Scouts loved his tenacity and combination of size and skill. He was
described as a good skater with soft hands who showed good hockey
sense and is expected to make a smooth transition to the next level.

Tukonen's defensive game has improved but still needs work.

"This is real fantastic to play for the Kings, where Jari Kurri played
a few years ago," he said, referring to the Finnish Hall of Famer.
"This is a dream come true."

Both Deadmarsh and Allison missed the entire 2003-04 season while
recovering from potential career-ending head injuries.

As part of a three-team trade, the Kings acquired goaltender Mathieu
Garon and a third-round draft pick from the Montreal Canadiens for
former All-Star center Radek Bonk and backup goalie Cristobal Huet.

"We think Mathieu is a solid, young goaltender with the upside to be a
No. 1 goaltender in the NHL," Taylor said. "We have been watching him
since he came into the league and as far back as juniors. He has
excellent size, real quick feet and he has matured a lot in the last
little while."

Presumably the other team was Ottawa? Or did the Kings get Bonk at some
point in the recent past and I missed the news....

I might be able to get excited about Garon. Seems to have promise.

>
> As part of a three-team trade, the Kings acquired goaltender Mathieu
> Garon and a third-round draft pick from the Montreal Canadiens for
> former All-Star center Radek Bonk and backup goalie Cristobal Huet.
>
> "We think Mathieu is a solid, young goaltender with the upside to be a
> No. 1 goaltender in the NHL," Taylor said. "We have been watching him
> since he came into the league and as far back as juniors. He has
> excellent size, real quick feet and he has matured a lot in the last
> little while."