Jeff Deslauriers To Attend Los Angeles Kings Training Camp

Jeff Deslauriers is moving on after his one-year return to the AHL Penguins last season.

News out of Los Angeles, in particular this training camp story from LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen, is that former Penguins goaltender Jeff Deslauriers will be attending the Kings training camp on a tryout. Deslauriers, who turned 30 in May, will be looking to compete for the backup job to Jonathan Quick along with 24-year-old Martin Jones.

Oddly enough, the Kings liked Jones so much a few years ago that they didn't re-sign then Kings free agent Jeff Zatkoff, ultimately allowing him to sign with the Penguins following the 2011-12 season.

Deslauriers had an up-and-down season with the Penguins' AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last year, going 20-15-3 with a 2.58 goals against average and a .895 save percentage in 40 games with the AHL Penguins before losing the starting job to Peter Mannino. In fact, a late-season injury forced Deslauriers to miss the end of the regular season, and he was not seen in the Wilkes-Barre locker room through the duration of the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs.

Deslauriers is probably most remembered for his altercation with then Norfolk Admirals goaltender John Gibson during a center ice fight in a game on January 24th, 2014.



It seemed from that point on, the Penguins weren't getting the same Deslauriers they had signed to an AHL contract earlier in the season. He played 11 more games after the fight with Gibson, his last in a WBS uniform coming on March 23rd in Atlantic City. The Pens came from behind and beat the Albany Devils in overtime that night, tying the game with 1:04 left in the third period before an overtime game-winner from Chuck Kobasew.

For the Penguins, it leaves Mannino as the only unsigned goaltender at the AHL level from last season. Both he and Deslauriers were given standard AHL contracts, with Deslauriers' coming after a professional tryout invitation to the AHL Penguins training camp last fall.