LA Kings Prospect Profiles: Samuel Fagemo

LA Kings Prospect Profiles Quinton Byfield, Arthur Kaliyev, and Tobias Bjornfot

Samuel Fagemo

2020-21 Team: Ontario Reign
Date of Birth: March 14, 2000
Place of Birth: Goteborg, SWE
Ht: 5-foot-11
Wt: 190 pounds
Shoots: Right
Position: LW
Acquired: 2019 NHL Draft #50 overall

Samuel Fagemo Bio

Samuel Fagemo played hockey as a teenager with Frolunda HC, located in his hometown of Goteborg, Sweden. He dominated at the youth level; in the 2014-15 season, he put up 22 goals and eight assists in just 22 games with the U16 team. He worked his way up to the J20 team, playing his first full season in 2017-18, recording 19 goals and 11 assists in 37 games.

Samuel Fagemo of Frolunda HC
Samuel Fagemo of Frolunda HC (Tommy Holl/Frolunda HC)

Fagemo continued to play for the J20 team in 2018-19, scoring 10 goals in eight games, adding four assists. The majority of his games that season, though, came in the SHL, where he put up an impressive 14 goals and 11 assists in 42 games. He also played in the WJC that season, only getting one assist on the scoresheet in five games.

The Los Angeles Kings selected Fagemo in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, 50th overall. He followed up his draft with another season in Sweden, posting similar numbers to those he showed in the 2018-19 season—13 goals and nine assists in his 42-game post-draft campaign. He also returned to the WJC and had a great tournament; he put up eight goals and five assists in only seven games.

Samuel Fagemo Los Angeles Kings Draft
Samuel Fagemo, Los Angeles Kings, 2019 NHL Draft (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

This season, while Fagemo did play some games on loan to Sodertalje SK, he played mostly with the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. In his first season in North America, he scored 10 goals—third on the team—and eight assists in 32 games.

Scouting Report

Fagemo is elite when it comes to the offensive side of the game. He is a solid skater, has good hands, and he is an underrated playmaker. His greatest strength, though, is his shot. He has a very fast and accurate wrist shot as well as a wicked one-timer.

Fagemo is still developing his defensive play. He’s not very physical, which is understandable, as he isn’t the biggest player. He also is known to lose track of guys in his own zone, as he searches to get down the ice where he is more comfortable.

NHL Projection

The Kings don’t have a ton of depth on the wing, Fagemo’s position, so he could end up playing on the team’s first line alongside Arthur Kaliyev and Quinton Byfield. If not, he will still likely end up being a top-six player. Fagemo has been compared to both Tyler Toffoli and Mike Hoffman, but I believe Hoffman to be a better comparison due to his shot.

Mike Hoffman St. Louis Blues
Mike Hoffman, St. Louis Blues (Photo by Joe Puetz/NHLI via Getty Images)

Toffoli just came off a surprisingly good season, putting up 28 goals and 16 assists in 52 games, and Hoffman is a former 70-point player. Fagemo has the potential to hit these numbers with his stellar offensive skills, which would be great news for the future of the Kings.

Quotables

His shot is great and he can score with his hard accurate slapshot or his quick-released wristshot.

Hockeyprospect.com

Fagemo displays decent puck skills with stickhandling that allows him to beat defenders one-on-one and create space for himself.

Future Considerations

All in all, I love the kid. First off, just the way that he comes to the rink. He has an unbelievable attitude. His head is nodding all the time, he’s listening and taking in information. That’s a great base point for him to be able to then just accelerate into play.

John Wroblewski, Ontario Reign head coach, on Fagemo.

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