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Asia still a question for NHL, but not L.A. Kings, who plan youth camp there in July

The Los Angeles Kings aren’t waiting for the NHL to make a decision about future Olympic participation before heading to Asia.

The Kings next month will host a four-day youth hockey camp in Shanghai in conjunction with the Feiyang Hockey Program, marking the first time the team will make a visit to China. The camp, which will be for kids between the ages of 14 and 16, will be managed by the Kings’ director of hockey development, Chris Crotty, as well as former Kings players Derek Armstrong and Brandon Convery.

“There’s a natural connection to being able to build our brand over in China with this effort, as well as help grow the game of hockey around the world,” said Kings Chief Operating Officer Kelly Cheeseman. “It’s become a strategic focus of ours to grow internationally.”

The Kings will lean on parent company AEG’s business efforts in China while on the trip. AEG owns multiple arenas in the country.

Cheeseman said the opportunity came about as a result of officials with the program in China contacting Luc Robitaille, Kings president of business operations.

The NHL, meanwhile, remains noncommittal about participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea or the 2022 Games in China. NHL players have taken part in the Olympics since 1998, but NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said earlier this month that the league’s participation in the 2018 Games was likely in doubt unless the International Olympic Committee were to subsidize travel and insurance costs — something the IOC has provided in past Olympics but has since reversed course on.

There was no discussion of Olympic participation at last week’s NHL board of governors meeting in Las Vegas.

The Kings won’t be the first NHL team to have a presence in Asia. The Vancouver Canucks have sponsored a similar hockey camp at the Feiyang Skating Center in Shanghai in recent years. The Toronto Maple Leafs and parent company Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment opened a Chinese business division in 2011, becoming the first (and still only) NHL team to do so. In addition, New York Islanders owner Charles Wang, who was born in Shanghai, has helped build a number of local rinks in China.

At the league level, the NHL has a broadcast agreement with China’s CCTV, which airs more than 80 games per season.

Earlier this year, the league hired former NHL player Kevin Westgarth to serve as vice president of business development and international affairs, with the view that he will help the league continue to broaden its overseas efforts.

Cheeseman noted that while the Kings are excited to embark on the Chinese endeavor, the team has been sure to follow the league’s steps on proper conduct for working outside of their designated marketing territory. Clubs seeking to act outside of their home markets must get the league’s approval before doing so.

He added that he hopes the Kings’ early efforts become part of a long-term NHL initiative.

“We’d love to work with the league and play actual games over there eventually,” Cheeseman said. “But ultimately our goal is to grow the game, so we’re happy to follow the league’s lead to accomplish that.”


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