Clarke scored a power-play goal on two shots in Wednesday's 6-2 win over the Oilers in Game 2.
Clarke ended his 21-game goal drought when he scored at 8:44 of the first period. The defenseman has seen his ice time drop to begin the postseason, as it appears head coach Jim Hiller is leaning heavily on his veteran blueliners to begin the playoffs. That could make it tough for Clarke to be involved on offense, though he should be fine as long as he retains a power-play role. He posted 33 points (nine on the power play), 131 shots on net, 121 blocked shots and a plus-13 rating over 78 regular-season contests.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Hands out power-play assist
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Clarke logged a power-play assist, two shots on goal and a minus-2 rating in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Flames.
Clarke picked up two assists over the last four games of the regular season. The 22-year-old is set to get his first taste of playoff action, though he'll likely have to do well to stay in the lineup, as Kyle Burroughs' physical style will play well in the postseason. Clarke ended the regular season with 33 points (nine on the power play), 131 shots on net, 121 blocked shots, 46 PIM and a plus-13 rating over 78 appearances.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Draws power-play assist in win
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Clarke notched a power-play assist and four shots on goal in Sunday's 8-1 win over the Sharks.
Clarke set up the first of Warren Foegele's two goals in the second period. It was a middling March for Clarke -- he had a goal and five assists over 14 appearances, though he bounced back well after being scratched twice to begin the month. The 22-year-old defenseman is up to 31 points (eight on the power play), 119 shots on net, 111 blocked shots, 38 PIM and a plus-11 rating over 69 appearances. The Kings are once again turning to seven defensemen to manage injuries to forwards, so Clarke has a decent amount of stability in the lineup in the short term.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Deals two helpers Sunday
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Clarke notched a pair of assists, two blocked shots, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Bruins.
Clarke had been limited to one helper over his previous six contests. The 22-year-old didn't get in on the fun in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Hurricanes, but he didn't waste his second chance when the Kings copied that score line Sunday. The defenseman has been decent in his first NHL campaign, earning 30 points, 110 shots on net, 107 blocked shots and a plus-12 rating over 65 appearances. For now, it looks like Clarke's place in the lineup is secure over the likes of Jacob Moverare and Kyle Burroughs.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Goal, assist in Sunday's win
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Clarke scored a goal on two shots, added an assist and blocked two shots in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Golden Knights.
Both of Clarke's points came in the first period to help the Kings establish an early 2-0 lead. Prior to Sunday, he'd been held off the scoresheet in eight straight games. His move to AHL Ontario on Friday was just a paper transaction, which kept him eligible for the AHL playoffs, but it looks like he'll hang around with the big club a while longer. Clarke has five goals, 27 points, 101 shots on net, 99 blocked shots and a plus-7 rating through 58 appearances this season.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Assigned to AHL
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Clarke was sent down to AHL Ontario on Friday.
Time will tell if this is a paper move, but Clarke's ice time has been dropping and the Kings can't afford any passengers in the playoff race. The 22-year-old has also gone seven games without a point at the NHL level and could benefit from regaining confidence in the AHL. He has 25 points over 56 appearances at the NHL level.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Sets up game-winner
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Clarke notched an assist in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Jets.
The Kings dressed seven defensemen again Friday, but with Joel Edmundson (undisclosed) out, it looked like head coach Jim Hiller really only trusted five of his blueliners. Clarke is firmly in that group, as evidenced by his presence on the ice in overtime when he set up Adrian Kempe for the game-winning goal. Clarke has six helpers over his last 10 outings and is now at 22 points, 79 shots on net, 68 blocked shots and a plus-9 rating through 39 appearances this season.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Nets goal in loss
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Clarke scored a goal on three shots in Monday's 7-2 loss to the Sharks.
Clarke tied the game at 1-1 with a tally in the second period. The goal ended his five-game point drought. Clarke is up to three tallies, 14 points, 50 shots on net, 47 blocked shots, 20 PIM and a plus-3 rating over 22 appearances. The 21-year-old blueliner may still have some growing pains in his first full campaign, but there have been no questions about his place in the lineup in 2024-25.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Distributes three more helpers
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Clarke produced three assists and two shots on goal in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Golden Knights.
One of Clarke's helpers came on the power play. The 21-year-old is attempting to launch himself to star status quickly -- he has earned a goal and six helpers during his four-game point streak. Overall, he's at one goal, 10 assists, 21 shots on net, 19 blocked shots, 12 PIM and a plus-2 rating through 11 contests. He's tied with Josh Morrissey for fourth in points by defensemen this season, trailing only Cale Makar (19), Neal Pionk (12) and Alex Pietrangelo (12).
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Sends helper in win
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Clarke notched an assist and two shots on goal in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Sharks.
Clarke had been held off the scoresheet in the previous three games, which earned him a drop back to the third pairing. The 21-year-old blueliner looks set to compete with Jordan Spence all season for premium minutes. Clarke has done well early on with five assists, 13 shots on net and 14 blocked shots, but he also has a minus-1 rating and 12 PIM through eight contests. Taking too many penalties could lead to a reduced role.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Gets into lineup, scores
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Clarke scored a goal in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Canucks.
The Kings opted to play seven defensemen Thursday, with Clarke stepping in for forward Arthur Kaliyev. While it's a positive Clarke played after sitting out two games as a healthy scratch, he saw a meager 7:06 of ice time in the blowout win, as interim head coach Jim Hiller didn't alter his regular defense pairings much. It's fair to say Clarke has earned more time with two goals, four assists, 29 shots on net and 20 blocked shots over 13 appearances this season, especially with all but one of those points coming in his last seven outings. If the Kings go back to six defensemen Sunday versus the Devils, it's unclear which one of Clarke, Jordan Spence, Andreas Englund or Jacob Moverare will come out of the lineup.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Sends power-play helper
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Clarke notched a power-play assist, four shots on goal and two blocked shots in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Blue Jackets.
Clarke has four points over his last four games, including a pair of power-play helpers. He took a stretch pass from Cam Talbot and fed Pierre-Luc Dubois on the Kings' second tally Tuesday. Clarke has had a choppy path to playing time this season, but his recent play suggests he's leapfrogged Jordan Spence for a spot on the third pairing. Clarke is up to five points, 24 shots on net, 16 blocked shots and a minus-5 rating through 10 outings this season.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: First career goal an OT winner
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Clarke score the overtime winner and added an assist in Saturday's 5-4 victory over the Bruins.
The rookie blueliner was in the right place at the right time to score his first career NHL goal, stepping out of the penalty box and converting a breakaway on Linus Ullmark with just 27 seconds left in OT. Clarke is up to four points in eight games for the Kings this season, as he's had trouble keeping a regular spot in the lineup when he's been up with the big club. Saturday's performance could propel him into consistent ice time.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Sent down
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Clarke was reassigned to AHL Ontario on Thursday, per CapFriendly.
Clarke will get a chance to play in the AHL while the Kings are on their bye week. He could be called up again prior to their next game Feb. 10 versus the Oilers.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Summoned from AHL
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Clarke was called up from AHL Ontario on Wednesday, Russell Morgan of Hockey Royalty reports.
Clarke has seven goals, 32 points and 30 PIM in 30 contests with Ontario in 2023-24. He registered two assists in nine games with LA in 2022-23. The 20-year-old defenseman was taken with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft and figures to be a significant part of the Kings' long-term plans.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Heads back to AHL
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Clarke was returned to AHL Ontario on Friday, according to CapFriendly.com.
Clarke was recalled Thursday but has quickly been returned to the minors. He was drafted eighth overall in 2021 and has elite offensive skills. Clarke had 61 points in 31 games with OHL Barrie last season as well as two assists in nine NHL games.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Recalled from AHL Ontario
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The Kings recalled Clarke from AHL Ontario on Thursday.
Clarke was drafted eighth overall in 2021 and the defenseman had a taste of NHL action last season, playing in nine games while picking up a pair of assists. The 20-year-old spent most of the 2022-23 season with OHL Barrie, picking up 61 points in 31 games. Clarke is an elite offensive defenseman and should eventually take over for Drew Doughty as the Kings' quarterback on the power play.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Sent to minors
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Clarke was reassigned to AHL Ontario on Friday.
Clarke had two assists, six PIM, three hits and 14 blocked shots in nine contests with LA last season. He also recorded two points in five games with Ontario and 61 points in 31 OHL outings with Barrie.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Expected to play
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Clarke (shoulder) is expected to suit up for Wednesday's preseason game versus the Golden Knights, Scott Coffman of Mayor's Manor reports.
Clarke was held out of the Kings' Global Series games in Australia due to the injury, but he practiced while remaining in North America. The 20-year-old defenseman is set to make his preseason debut, beginning his quest for an Opening Night roster spot. Clarke will likely see a significant role throughout the rest of the preseason.
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Kings' Brandt Clarke: Not going to Australia
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Clarke (undisclosed) will not accompany the Kings to Australia, John Hoven of SiriusXM NHL Network Radio reports.
The Kings and Coyotes will play a pair of preseason games in Melbourne next weekend. Clarke suffered an undisclosed injury that will keep him out of action for 7-10 days without contact. The first-round pick, eighth overall in 2021, is expected to challenge Jordan Spence for the bottom spot on the Kings' defensive corps. Clarke had 23 goals and 61 points in only 31 games for OHL Barrie in 2022-23. Clarke will have plenty of fantasy value in the coming years but likely will need some time in the minors at some point this season.
