﻿- [Commentator] Coyotes with a dangerous pass across, Austin Wagner keeps the zone. Byfield hit
hard in the corner, staggers back to his feet. - Ooh, oh.
- He's having trouble. - Something's wrong.
- [Commentator] That's... - [Commentator] Aww.
- [Commentator] Ai-yai-yai. - [Commentator] Yeah, and he's pointing
at his left lower leg. - It wasn't that painful or
anything like that. It was just... I knew something was off when
I was just laying there and my foot was just throbbing and I was like, "That can't be good."
I tried getting up and I couldn't put any weight on it. So I just went down, just waited to go off.
They were feeling around, playing with the foot obviously and looking to see what's wrong.
I didn't feel too much pain with anything. So I was like, "I might be all right here."
- I feel incredibly disappointed and distraught almost to see what happened to Quinton Byfield.
- [Jesse] Just prior to him being injured in that game, the conversation in the press box
was everybody looking at each other, shrugging, and saying, "Well that's that, that kid has earned
a spot on the line. There's no way you're sending him down to Ontario." He looked great. He looked
fantastic. He was compelling. He was dynamic. - [Commentator] Byfield point
blank turned up by Hutton. - [Jesse] And then obviously the injury
occurs. So that's a bummer on multiple fronts. - It sucks, I was sitting there letting... You
hear the timeline, Like I finally started... Not finally, but I started playing well,
feeling confident in my game. And I had a real good shot at being on the team, winning on the
Kings this year. So I was definitely excited to get that opportunity, wanted to play and then,
it was definitely a major setback. - The initial six weeks are probably the
most challenging because he's non-weightbearing due to the type of injuries. That's probably the
most difficult part for the athlete. So we have to devise a rehabilitation program that minimizes
any weight on the injured leg but do everything that we can to maintain his muscle mass,
his tendon health.
-The first couple days, the ankle was super painful.
I couldn't even walk on it. I was just hopping around and stuff like that,
just sitting on my couch. Each couple weeks I think we progressed a little bit, a little bit
more. And I started walking after like three and a half weeks, I think. I got rid of the scooter and
just walked on my boot. - [John]
Once the physician examination and the imaging clears him for weight bearing,
then we start working on retraining him how to walk and ultimately move.
We're fortunate to have a pretty wide range of data on Quinton. So we utilize a lot of
his ongoing in-season testing and just other performance data to look back at his previous
baselines. And I'm using that throughout the rehabilitation process to guide progression.
Anytime he's not progressing back towards those benchmarks, we have to ask ourself why.
He's kept a great sense of humor throughout the process. Obviously challenging for a young player,
probably his first major injury where he suffered significant time loss. He's worked really hard,
shown tremendous grit through the process. - When you get hurt, during the season, you'd
always like a couple days off, everything's so hectic, the schedule and everything,
to just recover, rest. But when you're hurt, you're like, "I just wanna get back out there.
I don't want any days off." You missed it so much. It makes you appreciate what you do and
you know how lucky you are to play the game that much more.
- [Trent Frey] That's it. -
I was in that boot for just under two months. So just to finally being able
to put on a skate again, started skating, just even by myself and be able to do my thing was
definitely just a big relief. -
It's difficult for a player to be off the ice for that extended period of time. And as most players
will tell you, there's no way to really simulate skating in the gym. You gotta get on the ice.
- Oh, we get to play around a little bit. As soon as you get it,
get low, get down on it, no dribble. - Okay. Hopefully, I give you a good pass.
And hit the net. - When I got out there,
I was trying to test out my edges and see how much pressure I put on.
At first definitely it was pretty sore out there and just kind of took it day by day,
step by step out there. - Feel good?
- I feel all right. Just the boot, just kills. Trying to see how much I could
do on it. Try and push it each time. And each skate got better and better.
I am uncomfortable. - [Jarret] Good?
- It was nice to see him buckle down and just
work at the intensity level that it took to get back from this injury in really a short
period of time. - [Jared]
Of course, we're gonna talk about Quinton Byfield because he is the LA Kings' top prospect. And
he's playing with The Reign right now which we didn't know if we were gonna see this year.
- It was kind of weird, you're definitely a lot, like super nervous to just be back out
there in a game situation. In practice, the guys are trying to trying to hit you and get
the puck off you. But in games, other teams try to really finish their hits and stuff.
Not being in a game situation for a while takes you a little bit to get back up to pace.
And after your first couple shifts felt a little bit lost but the game
went on, I felt more comfortable. I just felt like I could my thing a little bit more.
- [Host] I think everybody in King's Land was very interested in seeing how this debut was gonna go.
And man I think if people look and see, well he didn't have any points, but I'll be honest,
I thought he looked really, really good. - Each game definitely felt better and better,
just on the ankle. And then just about timing, making the plays, making the
right reads and everything like that. - [Commentator] Three on three, here in
overtime. Byfield shoots, he scores! Quinton Byfield! Feeds behind the net for Vilardi, turns,
look to wrap it around, Byfield in front, scores! Quinton Byfield has goals in three straight.
- [Host] He is recovered, he is back. He is down with the Ontario Reign in the AHL.
And as of late, guys he is just absolutely lighting it up down there.
- [John] I'm expecting Byfield to be called up to Los Angeles here in the next couple of days and
perhaps even play as early as Thursday. -
Good, how are you? - [Reporter] Good.
- Yeah, I think so. I'm definitely a lot more confident than I was right off the injury I think.
I'm definitely confident in myself and my game and I'm not really going to be
thinking about all the noise around it. - [Reporter] Tonight is all about the season
debut of 19 year old Quinton Byfield. - [Reporter] It's finally here, Reeder,
what are we gonna witness from Quinton Byfield?
What kind of player? - [Reporter] He is back.
He is healthy and he is ready to go. - [Reporter] He's able to make players
better. He sees the ice extremely well. He's got all the talent.
- [McLellan] We need to give Quinton Byfield a little breathing room.
He's not the savior right now. He's just Quinton Byfield He's gonna play a game tonight.
- [Quinton] Now, I think if I just go out there and play my game just how I know I can,
there won't be too much noise around that. - [Todd]
His play in the American League has got better over the last three weeks, which is exactly what
we hoped. Now he'll likely need some time to get his game back at the NHL level as well.
- Hey, reverse, reverse. -
Definitely excited to play in front of the LA fans for the first time, and just wanna do something
that they can cheer about. -
I know that, dude, I thought of that right after. I was like, "Yo."
- [Todd] His legs, his lungs, his sense of timing, the team play. All those reminders as a real young
player had to show up again in his game. - Hey Kopi, what do you do
to Compher on the draw? - [Quinton] I just wanna be comfortable with my
game. Stats don't always tell a story as well. - Yeah. I can say, yeah, I wanna go out
there and get two or three goals. But I just wanna go out there, play hard and just in myself, just
know that I left it all out there tonight. -
Nice going, man. -
This guy's six foot four, 200 some'n pounds, as a under 20.
It's hard to carry that big body around if you haven't trained, he broke his ankle. It took him a
long time to get that back underneath him. -
Just the desire, the desire and the work ethic to be a contributor at this level, and to compete.
To this point he's had a tremendous return and not expecting any major setbacks.
- [Quinton] Definitely a little bit of a journey just this season. You can't make
excuses anymore. Now it's like, I should be back to where I was at beginning the season.
- [Commentator] Byfield moves in the zone, shoots, and scores! Quinton
Byfield his first National Hockey League goal. - [Quinton] Hopefully from here, it's only up.