Hey you. You’re swept up in all this Seattle Kraken hype. You want to know more about hockey but don’t know where to start. Well, we want to help make these games easy and fun for you to watch.

Throughout the season, we’ll release Landlubber’s Guides designed with the new fan in mind. This includes basic need-to-know info for you to absorb before you watch Kraken games and highlights.

Let’s dive into the Los Angeles Kings.

Are they any good?

The Kings certainly aren’t as bad as they’ve been these paste few years. They finished with a losing record in each of the past three seasons, but their rebuild seems to be turning the ship around this year. They’ve got a bright future with arguably the best prospect pool in the league, but it’s those crafty veterans still producing that’s really propelled them into what right now is a playoff spot.

Who should I look out for?

• Anze Kopitar (#11, Center) - The 34-year old Kopitar leads the team with 33 points in 37 games. He’s spent his entire 16-year career in LA, and only failed to reach 50 points in a season once — when he had 42 in 47 games in 2012-13. In addition to that offensive production, Kopitar has also always been one of the better defensive forwards in the NHL, with two Selke trophies to his name in his career.

• Drew Doughty (#8, Defense) - Doughty is another longtime King — this is his 14th season with the team. He won the Norris trophy as the league’s best defender in 2016, but his age has started to catch up with him since then. After an offseason of criticism and speculation that he shouldn’t make Canada’s Olympic squad (which doesn’t really matter now!) Doughty has turned in a point per game performance as we approach the halfway point of this season.

• Phillip Danault (#24, Center) - Danault was the Kings’ splashy add in free agency this offseason. Never a huge offensive producer, Danault is primarily known for his top-tier defensive abilities. When some of the league’s top stars are mentioning his name as a tough player to go up against, you have to listen.

Odds & Ends

• Seattle selected defender Kurtis MacDermid from the Kings in the expansion draft. They traded MacDermid to the Avalanche for a 4th round pick a week later.
• The Kings made history earlier this week when athletic trainer Aisha Visram became the first woman ever to work behind the bench during an NHL game.

• One of the Kings’ biggest fans is none other than Snoop Dogg. The team even lets him get behind the mic at times.

The puck drops at Climate Pledge Arena at 7pm Pacific tonight. Catch all the action on ROOT Sports NW if you’re in the northwest or on ESPN+ for out-of-market subscribers.