Kings take Washington Township native in Round 1

Washington Township native Henry Brzustewicz, left, stands with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being drafted by the Los Angeles Kings during the first round on Friday in Los Angeles. DAMIAN DOVARGANES — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By Matthew Mowery

MediaNews Group

If there’s one thing that Ken Holland knows from his 22 years as Red Wings general manager, it’s prospects around the Great Lakes basin.

So he grabbed one in his first draft as the GM of the Los Angeles Kings, picking Washington Township native Henry Brzustewicz with the 31st pick in Friday’s first round of the NHL Draft.

It just took a minute for the Kings to get there, though, as they traded down from the 24th pick, acquiring the 31st and 59th picks from the Pittsburgh Penguins, before selecting the 18-year-old defenseman.

Brzustewicz was sitting with former London Knights teammate, and sometime defense partner, Jared Woolley during the draft.

“Best friends. He was sitting with me, when I was picked. Super cool moment,” Brzustewicz said in a post-draft interview video posted to the Kings site. “I was hoping LA would pick me. I think that was my best interview, and stuff like that. I had a good feeling about them, and happy it came true. … They’ve got a lot of good players. Obviously, they defend really hard. I like that.”

Brzustewicz played for the back-to-back Ontario Hockey League champion and Memorial Cup-winning Knights in the this past season, contributing 10 goals and 32 assists in the regular season and another goal and four assists in the playoffs. He amassed a plus-31 rating through two OHL seasons, with 48 total points (12 goals, 36 assists).

“It’s pretty cool. You think about this moment, ever since you’re little, then to see my brother go through it two years ago, just waiting for this point. Grateful to be here, and really excited for (Friday),” said Brzustewicz in a pre-draft video posted on the OHL website.

His older brother, Hunter Brzustewicz was the 75th overall pick in the 2023 draft, selected by the Vancouver Canucks, then traded to the Calgary Flames.

“I’m way happier for him, this time around, than mine, two years ago. I think it’s an exciting time for our family. They’re all nervous, but anything can happen. I think it’s going to be good to see,” Hunter Brzustewicz said in a pre-draft video posted on the Flames’ website.