Kings Sign Draft Picks Lukacevic and Taylor

[Thrillhouse]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms on a multi-year entry-level contracts with forward Ned Lukacevic and goaltender Daniel Taylor, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced Thursday.

Lukacevic, 20, recorded 53 points (25-28=53) – with his 25 goals and 28 assists the highest totals on his club – and 71 penalty minutes in 63 games with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season. In addition, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound native Podgorica, Serbia, also appeared in four post-season games with the Broncos (4 GP, 1-0=1, 5 PIM) and seven post-season games with the Manchester Monarchs (7 GP, 1-0=1, 4 PIM), the American Hockey League affiliate of the Kings.

Selected by the Kings in the fourth-round (110th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Lukacevic has 137 points (63-74=137) and 217 penalty minutes in 238 career regular season games in the WHL. Prior to last season, he played for the Spokane Chiefs (WHL) from 2001-04.

Taylor, 20, played this past season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), his third in the OHL and first with the Kingston Frontenacs, and he posted a 32-15-6 record, three shutouts, a 3.11 goals-against-average and a .911 save-percentage in 57 appearances, with the 32 wins ranked sixth best in the OHL. In addition, the 5-foot-11, 186-pound native of Plymouth, England, compiled a record of 2-3, one shutout, a goals-against-average of 2.80 and a save-percentage of .918 in five post-season appearances with the Fronts.

Selected by the Kings in the seventh-round (221st overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Taylor has a record of 61-33-12, five shutouts, a goals-against-average of 2.89 and a save-percentage of .909 in 114 career OHL appearances with the Frontenacs and the Guelph Storm, which traded Taylor to the Frontenacs in June of 2005.