Jokinen Sent to Finnish Team

The Kings finally made a decision on what to do with rookie forward Olli Jokinen on Thursday when they assigned him to IFK Helsinki of the Finnish Elite League.

Jokinen, 18, the third pick overall in last June’s draft, did not score a point in eight games this season and was a scratch throughout the Kings’ recent five-game trip.

“I actually thought that he played pretty well,” King General Manager Dave Taylor said. “He needs a little more strength, a little more maturity. We went through the same thing, or something similar, with Aki Berg.”

Berg, the Kings’ first-round pick and third overall in the 1995 draft, played in 50 of the team’s first 65 games as a rookie before he was assigned to the International Hockey League.

Berg, now in his third season, has developed into one of the Kings’ steadiest defensemen and Taylor hopes the same will happen with Jokinen, who is expected to play for Finland in this winter’s World Junior Championships and could play in February’s Winter Olympics.

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Defenseman Garry Galley did not dress against Tampa Bay, Coach Larry Robinson deciding to give the 14-year veteran some rest for the first time this season. Other King scratches were forwards Brad Smyth and Matt Johnson.