Norstrom Plans Few Changes as Team’s New Captain

Mattias Norstrom said Monday that his new role as the Kings’ captain will not alter the way he plays or prepares for games.

“I think one really important thing for me is not to change too much because they chose me as the captain for the way I’ve been before, the way I approach the game, so I won’t change much at all,” the veteran defenseman said. “I think it would hurt me to change the way I am in the locker room or on the ice.”

Norstrom, a Swedish Olympian from Stockholm, was named to the position Sunday night by Coach Andy Murray.

The assistants, on a rotating basis, will be Mathieu Schneider, Bryan Smolinski, Kelly Buchberger and Ian Laperriere.

“Of course I was a little surprised,” Norstrom said of his appointment. “We have a lot of outstanding guys who could have been named captain.”

The Kings had been without one since trading Rob Blake. They ended last season with three assistants-Norstrom, Buchberger and Luc Robitaille.

“It’s new for me,” Norstrom said, “so it’s going to be a learning experience. I have to learn what it’s all about to be a captain. Hopefully, after that, you feel comfortable in the role and you find out what you bring to the team as captain.”

Murray said in a statement released by the Kings that Norstrom, 29, “exemplifies everything we want a Kings player to be.”

The Kings’ annual kickoff luncheon, hosted by the L.A. Sports Council, is today at noon at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel, 251 S. Olive Street.