"Hockey players always remember the key firsts: First goal. First assist. First fight?

"It was like probably when I was 12 years old," said Kings left wing Kyle Clifford.

"It was a guy named Steele from Florida. He didn't drop his gloves, but I fought him anyway. I don't know his first name. He was an American guy … so it was good."

Naturally, Clifford's fighting debut against young Mr. Steele isn't anywhere to be found on hockeyfights.com since he was, after all, only 12. But his vintage scraps against the heart of the Ontario Hockey League when he was a junior player and every tussle in the NHL have been duly recorded.

But whereas so many tough guys came and left the NHL and never got much better, that has not been the case with Clifford, taken by the Kings in the second round of the 2009 draft. What makes him intriguing to the Kings is his potential to bloom into a top six forward. In terms of upside, a good comparison might be Todd Bertuzzi in his prime, a player who could use his hands not just to fight, but also to score.

When Kings Coach Darryl Sutter was the general manager in Calgary, Clifford was on the Flames' draft radar in 2009.

"Character, courage, those things were always high on his list," Sutter said.

OK, like a Sutter then, right?

"Everybody said if his skating improved he'd be a good player," Sutter said. "I think he'll grow into that. Probably a lot of organizations need a player to spend the whole year in the American [Hockey] League.""