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Kings prospects Zielinski, Vandenberg prepare to don the black, silver and white……as freshmen at Providence

As a part of our prospects coverage this season on LA Kings Insider, please welcome Jon Paul Morosi to the Insider family! Morosi will provide first-person coverage of several LA Kings prospects, centering around coverage from the World Juniors Summer…

By Jon Paul Morosi Morosi · LA Kings Insider

Published: Friday, 9 October 2026 at 5:19 PM

Key Things to Know

Los Angeles Kings draft picks Blake Zielinski and Thomas Vandenberg are making their NCAA debuts for Providence College.
Zielinski was selected in the third round and Vandenberg in the fourth round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Providence opens its season with home non-conference games against St. Lawrence and Clarkson.

The Story in 60 Seconds

Los Angeles Kings prospects Blake Zielinski and Thomas Vandenberg are set to make their NCAA debuts as freshmen for Providence College against St. Lawrence University. The forwards were selected 23 picks apart in the 2026 NHL Draft, with Zielinski taken in the third round and Vandenberg chosen in the fourth round. Now roommates alongside Jack Laferriere and Ryder Cali at Providence, both players are preparing for their opening collegiate weekend under head coach Nate Leaman.

Vandenberg previously played for the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and the OHL's Ottawa 67's, where he scored 25 goals last season as an 18-year-old center. Zielinski joined the Friars after two seasons with the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers, where he received the Gaudreau Award and led Team USA in scoring at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

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