Clarke Could Provide Some Local Flavor

In their 36 seasons in the NHL, the Kings have never had a player who was born and raised in Southern California. They hope Noah Clarke of La Verne will be the first.

Clarke, 23, has signed a one-year contract with the club for next season and also signed an amateur tryout contract with the Kings’ American Hockey League team at Manchester, N.H. He will join the Monarchs this weekend.

A ninth-round pick in the 1999 entry draft, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound winger registered 70 points in 42 games this season as a senior at Colorado College to rank third in the nation in scoring and help the Tigers win the Western Collegiate Hockey Assn. regular-season championship. He led the nation with 49 assists.

“He’s had a very impressive collegiate career, particularly his senior year,” General Manager Dave Taylor said of Clarke, who participated in the Kings’ summer development camp the last two summers. “He was very strong.”

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To no one’s surprise, Ziggy Palffy is the Kings’ most valuable player, as voted by L.A. media. Other winners in the balloting: Alexander Frolov, best newcomer; and Mattias Norstrom, outstanding defenseman and best defensive player. In a vote of King players, Ian Laperriere was named most inspirational player and Derek Armstrong unsung hero.... In 41 games at Staples Center, among them 25 sellouts, the Kings drew a club-record 720,186, an average of 17,566 a game.

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TONIGHT

at Calgary, 6 PST, Fox Sports Net

Site -- Pengrowth Saddledome.

Radio -- KSPN (710).

Records -- Kings 32-37-6-5, Flames 27-36-13-4.

Record vs. Flames -- 1-1-0-1.

Update -- The Kings are 0-1-1-1 at Calgary since last winning in the Saddledome nearly two years ago, a 3-2 victory on April 7, 2001.