Ronning, Eloranta Leave Their Marks

Jason Allison’s contributions to the Kings are obvious. Rugged and durable, he leads the team in assists and points and has played in every game since he was acquired in an Oct. 24 trade with the Boston Bruins.

But the other two players acquired by the Kings in trades this season, Cliff Ronning and Mikko Eloranta, also have made an impact.

Ronning, acquired March 16 in a deal with the Nashville Predators, has quickly ingratiated himself, and not only by producing points in four consecutive games before Monday night after going scoreless in his first six after the trade.

“Cliff has actually been pretty good from Day 1 here; the puck just hasn’t gone in for him,” Coach Andy Murray said. “I would say in the majority of the games he’s had multiple scoring chances. But what I’ve really liked about him is, he’s been a really good team player. Late in games when maybe we’re protecting a lead we’ll put Kelly Buchberger in for Cliff and he’ll say, ‘Whatever it takes.’

“You like to hear that. So I think he wants to win. That’s the most important thing. He’s been a few years without playoff hockey, so the most important thing for him is to come in here and play on a winning team.”

Said Ronning: “I’m just trying to be a spoke in the wheel of a good hockey club. If I can help in different situations, that’s why I’m here.”

Eloranta, meanwhile, has produced eight goals and nine assists while finding a niche on the checking line since coming over with Allison in the deal that sent Jozef Stumpel and Glen Murray to the Bruins.

“His stock has gone up in our eyes,” Andy Murray said of the 6-foot, 194-pound Finnish Olympian. “We didn’t know what to think when we first got him. I didn’t know him real well as a player.

“Must be something about those Scandinavians. They like to get hit. He and Matty [Norstrom] get whacked more than anybody but they just bounce up and keep going. You’ve got to love Mikko. He’s not a real big man, but does he ever play hard.”

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Center Yanick Lehoux, the Kings’ third-round pick in the 2000 draft and the No. 3 scorer in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this season with 125 points, signed a three-year contract with the club and today will join the Kings’ American Hockey League team at Manchester, N.H.