REPORT: Major Changes to NHL Rookie Faceoff Event for 2025, Returning to SoCal (2025)

Just when the NHL Rookie Faceoff was humming right along and in a good place, a wrench has been thrown into plans for the 2025 event coming up in September. Unlike past years where it featured six or seven teams all in one location, Mayor’s Manor has learned through various sources there will be two host locations this year.

In a nutshell, Colorado was expected to host the 2025 Rookie Faceoff, yet they apparently don’t have the facility space to accommodate all the teams — a group that actually grew to seven teams last year in Los Angeles, when the Seattle Kraken were added into the mix. Putting on the event is costly and takes a considerable amount of time and team resources. As such, it was decided that the event will be split this year. Colorado will now host the Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Hockey Club in a three-team format at South Suburban Sports Complex in Littleton.

Meanwhile, the Kings and Sharks will be hosted by the Anaheim Ducks at their training facility in Irvine. Great Park Ice, which has multiple sheets of ice and is anchored by a larger 2.500 seat Five Points Arena, previously hosted the event in 2019.

Even before the upcoming logistical changes were really finalized, we were already hearing Seattle would not participate this year (and likely not moving forward). They are said to be joining Vancouver for a similar rookie tournament in the Pacific Northwest. This is actually a good thing for the Rookie Faceoff, as seven teams was an odd number, and it made the schedule sort of funky. For example, rather than the traditional three games for each club, Seattle only played two games.

From what we understand, this year’s schedule has not been finalized yet — even though there is a preference to still play three games each, even with fewer teams at each location. With only two other opponents at each location, that does make for some interesting options. For example, if Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Jose each played the other two teams once (i.e. Anaheim vs. LA once, and Anaheim vs. San Jose once), could this open up the idea of a ‘championship game’ to get a third contest on the schedule? That would help the two teams in that final game, but what about the other team; would they only play two games? More to come on that front once things are ironed out.

While the official 2025 dates haven’t been locked in just yet, things are trending toward games being played Sept. 12-15.

Be sure to check out the article with Anze Kopitar linked below. Not only does LA’s captain talk about coming over to North America for his first rookie event after being drafted, but it also includes rare photos of the only time he wore a Kings jersey not featuring his iconic No. 11 on the back.

For those unfamiliar with the Rookie Faceoff, here’s a brief overview from a previously published Mayor’s Manor article:

Officially re-launched as a six-team event in 2018, the roots of this tournament actually go back more than 20 years ago — at something born in Los Angeles and dubbed the Pacific Division Shootout in 2003. Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Joe Pavelski are just some of the players who participated in those early events.

In more recent times, nearly every significant Kings prospect imaginable over the past seven years has suited up for games at the Rookie Faceoff, including: Mikey Anderson, Quinton Byfield, Brandt Clarke, Sean Durzi, Alex Laferriere, Andre Lee, Jordan Spence, Akil Thomas, Alex Turcotte, and Koehn Ziemmer.

[The event] has become a very popular showcase for up-and-coming NHL players. In fact, many of the games in other cities have sold out in advance. And it’s easy to understand why. For all the talk about the World Junior Championships being the best showcase in the world for future NHL players — and it clearly is — the Rookie Faceoff has proven to be a great way for fans to see the next generation without having to travel very far.

After stops in Vegas (2018) and Anaheim (2019), Arizona had to wait an extra year to host it in 2021 due to the pandemic forcing a postponement of what the Coyotes originally had planned for September 2020. There was a further trickle down of changes in the coming years, beginning with what to do with LA, who was initially slotted to host in 2022. They ultimately stepped aside that year after the Sharks called and asked to show off their new 4,000 sq. foot arena that was purpose built for San Jose’s AHL affiliate. The Kings politely agreed to delay hosting until 2023. That too ended up not happening because the big club was tapped to play a pair of preseason games in Australia, which also meant opening training camp Down Under. Vegas jumped in at the last minute and hosted the 2023 Rookie Faceoff for the second time.

MORE LA KINGS NEWS:

Kopitar Reflects on His U.S. Arrival and Some Kings Rookie Faceoff History

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