Browsing: habits

New Pittsburgh Penguins’ defenseman Caleb Jones may have suited up for the Los Angeles Kings’ organization last season prior to becoming an unrestricted free agent. But, oddly enough, he found himself training with some players from a different organization this summer.

And what better guys to train with in the National Hockey League right now than the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers?

Caleb, 28, is the younger brother of Seth Jones, 31, who was dealt from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Panthers prior to the 2025 trade deadline. It just so happens that Seth arrived at the perfect time, as he was an instrumental part of Florida’s 2025 run and put up four goals, nine points, and a plus-11 rating in 23 playoff games for the Cats.

During that playoff run, Caleb was in town, too, to watch his brother play on the NHL’s biggest stage – and to learn a few pointers from some of the very best the league has to offer.

“It was a great experience for me to see those guys,” Caleb said. “Theyâ€re obviously the champs, and everyoneâ€s trying to chase them right now and see their work ethic and their mindset every day.

“I think thatâ€s why Iâ€ve had a really good camp. I was able to be down there with those guys and learn a lot of good habits, and kind of just put them into myself and bring them here.â€

Of course, that ‘here’ is in Pittsburgh, where he signed a two-year, $1.8 million contract this summer.

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Jones was drafted in the fourth round (117th overall) by the Edmonton Oilers – ironically, the team that Florida beat in the Final for the second consecutive season – and spent the first three seasons of his NHL career there. Sure enough, he spent the next two seasons with the Blackhawks, which happened to fall within the same timeline as Seth being with the organization.

Caleb has relished the opportunity to go through the experience of NHL hockey with his brother and best friend, and he especially enjoyed those two years.

“Itâ€s been pretty cool,” Caleb said. “Weâ€ve trained together every summer since I turned about 20. And, obviously, getting the chance to play with him for a couple years in Chicago, that was really special. When youâ€re kinda in the moment, you donâ€t realize – you lose sight of, like, how actually cool that is… and then, once youâ€re done doing it, youâ€re like, ‘Wow, that was an awesome experience.—

But now – after a stint with the Colorado Avalanche in 2023-24 and the one in L.A. last season – he’s found a new home in Pittsburgh, and he’s ready to bring some of those “good habits” to the black and gold. For much of training camp, he has been paired alongside Penguins’ veteran defenseman Kris Letang, and it’s a combination that has stuck, even as the rosters were trimmed down to 23 on Saturday.

Of course, Jones is aware of the strengths in his own game. But he’s making sure to pick the brain of, arguably, the greatest Penguins’ defenseman of all-time.

“Itâ€s been awesome,” Jones said. “Iâ€ve been with him every day so far, and heâ€s obviously done a lot of great things in the league, knows a lot of tricks, and kinda has that veteran savvy to him. So, you kind of just try to take as much information from him as he gives you and, at the same time, just have confidence in yourself… trust yourself and your game and just try to play well with him. Thatâ€s all it is.â€

And Jones is fairly confident in the defining qualities of his game. The 6-foot-1, 184-pound blueliner brings an element of speed to the Penguins’ defensive corps, and he contributes a little bit of everything, bringing a defensive conscience while also aiding in the transition game and chipping in on offense occasionally.

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“Iâ€m playing with a lot of energy, playing with a strong gap, and kind of just using my skating to disrupt plays and move the puck and join the rush,” Jones said. “Getting a chance on the PP, PK… Iâ€ve been in those roles. So, you try to just be solid and try to have the coaches†trust. Iâ€ve gotten good feedback through [camp], so I’m just trying to stay energized and keep my confidence high, and do my thing.â€

Of course, there will be a bit of a battle for playing time on a crowded Penguins’ blue line. It appears the team is opting to carry eight defensemen – one of them being top prospect Harrison Brunicke, who figures to get some runway on the right side along with Erik Karlsson and Letang.

That means right-shot guys like Connor Clifton and Matt Dumba will, likely, be faced with some time on their off-side, potentially leaving little margin for error for the left-side blueliners in Jones, Parker Wotherspoon, and Ryan Shea.

Jones is aware of the competition within team walls, even as he’s felt extremely welcomed by the organization and his teammates. But he is focused on his game, his strengths, and bringing some of those champion habits he pried from Florida – as well as from some of the longstanding veterans in his current locker room – to the rink on a daily basis.

“I’m just trying to keep going day by day,” he said. “And I’ll keep trying to do something a little better every day.â€

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The Lakers entered training camp with hopes of finally establishing chemistry between stars Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. But the trio have yet to see the court together. On Sunday, they all stayed on the bench during the Lakers†111-103 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.

With Doncic (rest) and James (glute) already out, Reaves was rested Sunday after an already full first week of training camp. The fifth-year guard had the highest workload on the team entering the first preseason game that took place after three days of practice. He scored 20 points against the Phoenix Suns as one of the few offensive bright spots in Fridayâ€s blowout loss.

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Without their top offensive playmakers, the Lakers got a lift from guard Gabe Vincent, who made his preseason debut after nursing a knee injury. He had 16 points and five assists while center Deandre Ayton, who scored just one point on two shots in Fridayâ€s preseason game, scored seven points, all in the first quarter, with seven rebounds.

After their first two preseason games, the Lakers have one week of practice until their first home preseason game against the Warriors on Oct. 12. Coach JJ Redick said that although Doncic was scheduled to rest for the first two preseason games after he played in EuroBasket with his national team, the Slovenian superstar is still expected to play before the team officially opens its season on Oct. 21. The Lakers have four preseason games remaining.

Whether James, who was held out of early training camp practices because of nerve irritation in his glute, will play in the preseason remains to be seen. Entering an unprecedented 23rd NBA season, James is on a slower ramp-up schedule than previous years, Redick said.

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The Warriors took a similarly cautious approach with their aging superstars as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler III and Al Horford were all limited to one half. The 37-year-old Curry still scored 14 points in 15 minutes, draining five of seven shots from the field and drawing loud cheers from a nearly full Chase Center crowd when he laid up an acrobatic shot through contact and pointed two finger guns into the ESPN baseline camera.

Redick called it a challenge to get a proper evaluation of his team in a 48-minute preseason game when his top three stars are out, but after Fridayâ€s preseason opener, he was looking for better organization on offense early in the shot clock, playing with pace and more physicality.

“We’ve got to be more physical getting open,†Redick said before the game. “We’ve got to be more physical with our screening. That doesn’t change based on who’s in the lineup, so that habit, we can build that.â€

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“Championship habits†is one of three pillars Redick has preached relentlessly during training camp, along with championship communication and championship shape. He said he would judge the latter in part by whether players are sprinting back on defense.

The Lakers were outscored 23-5 in transition Sunday and 42-11 through two preseason games.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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