Kings assign Richard Clune to Manchester to get him playing time

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The Kings assigned rookie forward Richard Clune to the Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League in an effort to get him playing time during the Olympic break.

Clune, 22 and a native of Toronto, made his NHL debut on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers and had 11 minutes, nine seconds of ice time with one shot on goal.

But on Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche, with only eight minutes 59 seconds of ice time, he collected his first NHL points (both assists) and had seven penalty minutes.

He has played in 41 games for the Monarchs and has three goals and 12 points along with a team-leading 119 penalty minutes.

The Kings have won 10 of their last 12 games, and are scheduled to return to work with a practice at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo on Feb. 24.

Meanwhile, the Kings’ five Olympians have only begun their journey toward what they hope will be a medal. They are: Jack Johnson, Dustin Brown, Jonathan Quick for the U.S., which won its opener, Drew Doughty (Canada) and Michal Handzus (Slovakia).

The team returns to NHL action with a trip to Dallas on March 2 and then Nashville on March 4. They return home to Staples Center on March 6 to host the Montreal Canadiens.

-- Debbie Goffa