Tom McCollum, a former No. 1 pick of the Detroit Red Wings and one of the all-time leading goaltenders with the Grand Rapids Griffins, is headed west.

The 26-year-old reached agreement with the Los Angeles Kings' on a PTO (professional try out) last week, ending an association with the Detroit franchise that began in 2009.

"Obviously, I was hoping for a contract, but that didn't work out, so out of all the teams I talked to the Kings seemed most interested in me being at their camp," McCollum said by phone Tuesday. "They were very persistent and I looked at it and decided it was a really good fit. They have a long history of churning out pretty good goalies, so it seemed like a good spot for me developing even more."

The 30th overall pick in the 2008 draft, McCollum spent nearly all his time in the AHL with the Griffins, where he became the franchise's all-time leaders in games played (226), saves (5,653) minutes (12,737) and second in wins (103) and tied for fifth in shutouts (7).

Last year, McCollum played in 30 games with a 2.42 goals against average and .923 save percentage and split time with Jared Coreau. Likewise in the playoffs, McCollum started the first seven games and then gave way to Coreau.

"I think we were both looking at different things," McCollum said of briefs talks this summer with Detroit. "They were looking to give Jared a lot more playing time and, obviously, more playing time is something I was also looking for. So, staying wasn't going to be a good fit for either party."

The turning point for McCollum came in the 2012-13 season in Grand Rapids and the fast emergence of Petr Mrazek, who played in all the postseason games and led the franchise to its first Calder Cup trophy.

Afterward, McCollum never received much attention with the Red Wings as Mrazek quickly played his way into the starting job Detroit. Overall, McCollum played in three games with the parent club with a 2.98 GAA and .879 save percentage.

In addition to the stats, McCollum was also the Griffins' IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year the past two years.

"I had a lot of fun when I was in Grand Rapids and I definitely learned a lot as a player and as a person," he said. "I'm definitely disappointed things didn't turn out better for myself and for the team as far as my situation is concerned. But that's what was meant to be, I guess, and I'm looking forward to a new challenge."

Without him, Coreau becomes the clear No. 1 goalie in Grand Rapids. The Griffins will give a shot at backup to 22-year-old Jake Paterson, who played most of last season with Toledo Walleye in the ECHL, and recently signed Calvin Heeter, 27, who played the past two seasons overseas and was formerly with the Philadelphia Flyers organization.

In California, McCollum faces competition from four veterans. Jonathan Quick is the established starter for the Kings, while last season with the Ontario Reign in the AHL, 33-year-old veteran Petr Budaj played in 60 regular-season games and another 13 in the playoffs.

There are two others in the mix, both with Michigan ties. Detroit native Jeff Zatkolf, previously with the Penguins' organization, signed a one-year, two-way contract on July 1, and Port Huron's Jack Campbell, a former No. 1 pick of the Dallas Stars, signed July 11 as a restricted free agent to a two-year, two-way contract.