Kings draft player with two moms

CHICAGO — Moments after Jaret Anderson-Dolan was drafted by the Kings, he hugged his mothers Fran and Nancy. They cried a few tears as AndersonDolan made his way to the floor of the United Center for handshakes and congratulations from his new team.

It was a slight variation on a familiar picture at the NHL draft. And just another Saturday for the 17-year-old center, who was raised by two women.

“Obviously I don’t know any other way of growing up,” Anderson-Dolan said. “Even though people may say, obviously, it’s a little bit different, but for me it’s completely normal. For me, it kind of gives you a little bit of perspective just how much the world is changing, and I think it’s come a long way in the past couple of years. It’s really cool to kind of be in this situation and have a voice in the commu- nity that way.”

Anderson-Dolan went No. 41 overall to Los Angeles after a breakout performance last season with Spokane of the Western Hockey League. The Calgary, Alberta, native had 39 goals and 37 assists in 72 games with the Chiefs, becoming the fourth 17-year-old in franchise history to score 30 or more goals in a season.

Mark Yannetti, director of amateur scouting for the Kings, described AndersonDolan’s family situation as “a matter-of-fact thing.”

“It was nothing we ever discussed,” Yannetti said. “He has two loving, wonderful parents that raised him to be a certain way, and that’s why he’s the player he is today. His work ethic and what the coaches said about him, you can’t really say anything more.”

Anderson-Dolan said he thinks of himself as a hardworking, two-way forward. He also pays close attention to conditioning and nutrition.

Anderson-Dolan started playing hockey when he was 18 months old, according to Fran AndersonDolan, who works in recreation for the city of Calgary and coached him when he was younger.

Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s girlfriend, his older brother Dorian, three aunts, two uncles, a childhood friend and his father, and a longtime shooting coach were also on hand for his big moment in Chicago.