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LA Kings suspend prospect Patrik Bartosak amid domestic assault charges
The Los Angeles Kings have suspended minor league goaltender Patrik Bartosak, who is facing 12 domestic-related charges after allegedly physically abusing and threatening his girlfriend.
“This morning our Club suspended Patrik Bartosak for his actions resulting in his arrest in Manchester, NH on November 16. We take this matter very seriously," the Kings said in a statement. "Our response in this matter reflects our extreme disappointment, particularly given the programs we have instituted internally and the commitment our organization has made to educating our players on the prevention of domestic violence. This is the first step in an ongoing process as we continue to gather information related to this incident and monitor the legal proceedings.”
The news was first reported by Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times. According to Dillman, the suspension is without pay.
The Union Leader detailed the charges against Bartosak, which stemmed from a Monday incident.
A felony charge of second-degree assault alleges Bartosak attempted to strangle his girlfriend early Monday afternoon at 22 Country Club Drive. Seven domestic simple assault charges allege he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her against a wall, put his hand around her neck and choked her, grabbed her right chest and pulled her up off a bed, punched her in the chest twice, slapped her in the face and slapped her three times on both legs.
This included alleged threats from Bartosak saying, “If you don’t have anything to say I’m going to kill you.” He was also alleged to have said: “I’m going to punch you in the face if you don’t say anything,” and “I hope you know I’m going to knock you out and put you to sleep before I leave.
Last season when former Kings defenseman Slava Voynov was arrested for domestic violence, he was not initially suspended by the team. The NHL suspended Voynov, though the Kings said they supported the suspension.
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The Kings eventually suspended Voynov after he suffered an Achilles injury during non-hockey activity.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the NHL declined to comment on Bartosak since he is a minor league player.
Bartosak – a 2013 fifth-round draft pick of Los Angeles – is with the ECHL’s Manchester Monarchs on a conditioning stint.
Last season he had a 2.23 goal-against average and .919 save percentage with Manchester when the team was part of the American Hockey League.
Before the season, members of the Kings organization, which included the Reign, took part in domestic violence training. AEG, which owns the Kings also created a "Conduct Awareness Program" for employees. The team has a partnership with the local group Peace Over Voiolence.
All the directives and partnerships were announced before this season.
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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