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Kings’ Alec Martinez finally gets a second chance

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Alec Martinez’s first NHL game was less than a roaring success. The rookie defenseman -- like the rest of the Kings -- had a horrible night in a season-opening 6-3 loss to Phoenix Oct. 3, and he emerged with a minus 2 defensive rating.

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His teammates quickly got chances to atone for their mistakes. Martinez has had to wait until tonight, when the Kings face Calgary at the Saddledome in their league-high 37th game this season.

Martinez caught his skate in a rut on the ice and suffered a badly sprained ankle performing a post-practice drill before the Kings’ second game, and the injury was slow to heal. He was placed on injured reserve and wasn’t activated until Nov. 19, when he was sent to Manchester of the American Hockey League.

He was recalled Wednesday after Jack Johnson suffered a foot injury -- and he’s sure to get a lot of playing time because Johnson and Randy Jones (headache and stiff neck) won’t play against the Flames.

“It’s been a while, between my ankle and just rehabbing that for a little while. It was nagging me for a little bit,” Martinez said after today’s game-day skate. “It’s good to be back playing again.”

He was paired with Davis Drewiske this morning and likely will be paired with him against the Flames. They’ve played together before. “Not for a real long period, but enough where I’m pretty comfortable with him,” Martinez said.

Manchester has experienced as many injuries as the Kings have, an unwelcome coincidence. “It’s great that we’re able to keep winning, both up here and down there,” Martinez said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before, so many injuries in one organization. But it’s good that we’re battling through and getting some more marks in the ‘W’ column.”

Martinez is one of five Kings who have played in the U.S. Hockey League, a fact noticed and passed along by Brian Werger, director of communications for that Chicago-based league.

The 14-team USHL is the only Tier I league in the U.S. Unlike players in the Canadian junior leagues, USHL players can maintain their NCAA eligibility and go on to play in college -- and many do. Martinez was a teammate of Kings winger Teddy Purcell in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and both later played college hockey, Martinez at Miami of Ohio and Purcell for one season at the University of Maine.

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Other USHL alumni on the Kings are Drewiske, Corey Elkins, and Scott Parse. Elkins, who made his NHL debut on Tuesday, played two USHL seasons before going on to Ohio State. Drewiske played at the University of Wisconsin, and Parse played at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

‘All five of these Kings players developed in the USHL and earned college scholarships,” Werger said in an e-mail. “Neither Elkins, Purcell, or Drewiske were drafted in the NHL, but benefitted from playing in the USHL before eventually earning the opportunity to sign professional contracts. This is what our league is all about and we are proud of these success stories along with the hundreds of other players that who follow similar paths.”

Ducks winger Dan Sexton, off to a terrific start with four goals and seven points in six games, is another USHL alumnus.

Werger said 17 players were selected directly from the USHL in the NHL entry draft, and that 80 former USHL players played in the NHL last season.

More later from Calgary, where the streets are slushy but the temperatures are above freezing, at www.latimes.com/sports

-- Helene Elliott in Calgary, Canada

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