Utah Native and LA Kings Centre returns in preseason homecoming

“It was awesome, a lot of people here again. Obviously looking up and seeing my family up there, it’s something that’s pretty cool,” said Los Angeles Kings forward and hometown hero Trevor Lewis on playing in Salt Lake.

The highlight of the Salt Lake Shootout was not just the fact that there were two professional hockey teams playing in Utah, or that the final score was indeed a shootout at 7-5. No, it was the amount of cheers and roars from the crowd each time Lewis’s name was mentioned, and the fact that he was celebrated more for a couple assists than his teammates goals.

About Trevor Lewis

Lewis is from Cottonwood Heights, Utah, and attended Brighton High School. He is the first and only Utah native to win the Stanley Cup, winning in 2012 and 2014 with the Kings. After each Stanley Cup win, it is a tradition for each player on the roster to take the cup wherever they want for a couple days.

So, where did Lewis take Lord Stanley’s Cup each time? Back to his home state of Utah, of course.

“Haha, I mean there’s too many memories, I got to do so much. I think the coolest part was I took it (the Cup) to my grandparents’ grave, so that was pretty special,” said Lewis.

When will Lewis bring the Cup back? Well, fans of the Kings and Lewis can get excited.

“Hopefully this year, that’s for sure,” said Lewis as he smirked and smiled to reporters.

The Salt Lake Shootout

As for the Salt Lake Shootout, it was another successful year here in Utah. This was the second-consecutive year the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks played in this event. Both games brought in a crowd of over 10,000 fans, and both times the home team, the Kings, came out victorious.

In 2018’s contest, Lewis was able to tally an assist to go along with a penalty. So, how would he top last season’s visit? By simply logging two assists this time around. His first assist came in the second period with his second coming early in the third. The crowd noise seemed to double each time Lewis’s name was announced for the credit to his assists.

“It was a lot of scoring and a lot of chances out there,” said Lewis. “Definitely happy to get the win here.”

Lewis’ teammate, defender Daniel Brickley, is also from Utah. However, Brickley did not make the trip to this preseason game. Brickley is from Salt Lake City and attended Skyline High School. He made his National Hockey League debut last season, and attended Minnesota State University — which is traditionally known as a college hockey powerhouse.

Expectations and Utah hockey

So, what can we expect from Lewis and his Los Angeles Kings team this upcoming season?

“I think with a new coach here and new systems, it takes a little bit of time to get it down but we’re slowly starting to get it,” said Lewis. “We’re starting to see it pay off a little bit and you saw it with our chances. It was good to get some goals on the board.”

A new coach and new system for Lewis and company, but he and his teammates seem to have plenty of  confidence in anticipation of the 2019-2020 NHL season.

As for the hockey community in Utah, some may think it’s non-existent or have no idea just how big it may be. 

“It’s great I mean, anywhere you go a hockey community is really tight and it’s no different than here. Pretty much all of my friends that are still here, I grew up playing hockey with,” said Lewis. “It’s a very tight group and it’s still growing here and hopefully this (game) helps too.”

Lewis is primed for a great 11th season with the Kings. After being plagued with the injury bug during the 2018-2019 campaign, he’s headed into this season 100 percent healthy. Lewis and the LA Kings begin the regular season on the road in Edmonton to take on the Oilers Saturday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. MST.