When Los Angeles Kings defenseman prospect Kevin Gravel got the call on February 11 to join the big club, like so many young players who get their first call up to the National Hockey League, he immediately called his parents.
“They were my first call, once the word became official,” he said. “It was a pretty exciting call to make. They were pretty excited. They’ve done a lot for me throughout the years. When I was in St. Cloud, they came every home weekend to watch the games. Hopefully, it meant a lot to them that I was finally able to get the call up to the Kings.”
But it was not all that long ago that playing in the NHL was secondary for him, as he was on the verge of leaving the Kings and going back into the NHL Draft. In fact, after his senior season at St. Cloud State in Minnesota, the Kings’ fifth round pick (148th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft was not offered an entry-level contract, making him eligible to re-enter the draft.
