The Los Angeles Kings have not made a first-round selection since the 2021 NHL Draft where they selected Brandt Clarke. With the Kings shifting from a rebuild to contention, they have not had a focus on drafting since 2021. However, they still have a few names that should be of note. Before we start, keep in mind Clarke, Samuel Fagemo, Akil Thomas, and Alex Turcotte are no longer Calder Trophy eligible, making them ineligible for this list.
Honorable Mention: Francesco Pinelli – 2021, 42nd Overall (Center)
Francesco Pinelli makes the list as a responsible center who had a disappointing 2023-24 campaign. He scored just 13 goals and 20 points in 67 games for the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was his first professional season, spending his prior two seasons as captain of the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
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Pinelli was put in an unfortunate situation given the OHL’s shutdown in 2020 as a result of COVID-19, losing a full season of quality development. In Kitchener he impressed, scoring 41 goals in 60 games in his final OHL season. While he may be placed at the bottom of this list, he has shown his upside before, so an impressive sophomore season with the Reign could propel him into the top five.
10. Aatu Jamsen – 2020, 190th Overall (Right Wing)
Aatu Jamsen is a 6-foot-2, 157-pound winger who can play both sides of the ice. He will be just 22 years old at the start of next season and has put up strong production throughout his professional career. He has 28 goals and 57 points over his past 79 regular season games with the Pelicans of the Finnish Elite League. He will start next season with the Reign and needs to put on weight if he hopes to someday make the NHL. However, until then, he cannot be ranked any higher.
9. Martin Chromiak – 2020, 128th Overall (Right Wing)
Martin Chromiak is a 6-foot, 190-pound right wing who thrives in all aspects of the game. He scored 15 goals and 32 points in 70 games for the Reign this past season. The best part of his game is his shooting, using his blistering wrist shot to go high and low on goaltenders.
He uses his silky hands to stick-handle from around the net, making moves that many professional hockey players cannot. The odds of him reaching the NHL anytime soon are quite low, but his right-handedness makes him more likely than others to make the Kings roster given the teams’ scarcity on the right wing. It is hard to imagine he joins the NHL in the 2024-25 season, but seeing him in 2025-26 is a possibility.
8. Jack Hughes – 2022, 51st Overall (Center)
Jack Hughes spent his draft season as a member of the Northeastern Huskies, scoring seven goals and 16 points in 39 college games. This was impressive for the teenager who matched up well against the top players in college. However, since then he has platooned, putting up similar point totals in each of the past two seasons, despite transferring to Boston University for the 2023-24 season.
Hughes plays a quarterback style of hockey, using his vision and playmaking abilities to drive the offense. He likes to carry the puck through the neutral zone to establish offensive production, using his best traits to his advantage. While he has not had the most productive past two seasons, his upside is still evident. Moving forward he will have his work cut out for him to make the NHL, but a few more seasons of development could prepare him for a middle-six role by around 2026.
7. Hampton Slukynsky – 2023, 118th Overall (Goaltender)
Hampton Slukynsky is a name the casual Kings fan would not recognize. He was a fourth-round selection in the 2023 Draft and won the United States Hockey League’s (USHL) Clark Cup for the Fargo Force. He is 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, and plays an aggressive, butterfly style of goaltending. He is fast up and down and side to side, and is not afraid to come out of his crease. He is on the younger side of 2023 draftees, not turning 19 years old until this July.
He is committed to Northern Michigan University for the 2024-25 season where he is projected to compete for the starting goaltender spot. From there, he will likely spend at least three seasons before turning professional. He is not a flashy name, and he will not be joining the Kings anytime soon, but a few seasons of crucial development could prepare him for the NHL. His upside is likely as a quality backup goaltender, but given his age, anything can happen.
6. Otto Salin – 2022, 148 Overall (Right Defense)
Otto Salin is a responsible, two-way defenseman who is not afraid to use his body. Despite being just 5-foot-11, he is not afraid to engage with forwards in the defensive zone, using his stick and strength to gain positioning. Offensively, his production is lacking, scoring three goals and 12 points in 44 Liiga games split between HIFK and TPS this past season.
Given he has spent parts of the past three seasons in one of the top professional hockey leagues in the world, Salin is closer to NHL-ready than most might think. The 20-year-old is likely to remain with TPS for at least one more season, but joining the Reign for the 2025-26 season is not out of the question. From there, he could rise the ranks and earn a potential call-up sometime in 2026.
5. Jakub Dvorak – 2023, 54th Overall (Left Defense)
Jakub Dvorak edges out Salin as the top defenseman prospect on the list. Watching Dvorak, his height immediately stands out. He is 6-foot-4 but looks even taller. He uses his size to gain leverage against the opposition, dominating the puck battles around the net. He is strong and resilient, and he can skate. He spent this past season split between the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and Bílí Tygři Liberec of the Czech Extraliga.
His offensive numbers do not reflect his abilities, especially in his time in the WHL. He had just two goals and 10 points in 21 games, but it was clear he needed to get acclimated to playing in North America. He will spend the entirety of the 2024-25 season in the WHL with the Broncos, so his production is bound to improve. He is likely to push for an NHL roster spot in the 2025-26 preseason but not earn a spot until sometime during the 2026-27 season.
4. Kasper Simontaival – 2020, 66th Overall (Right Wing)
Kasper Simontaival is an undersized, speedy winger who has a high offensive upside. The best part of his game is his hands, using them to score nifty goals on top Liiga goaltenders. He has spent the past five seasons in the Liiga, scoring a career-high 17 goals and 33 points this past season with KalPa.
Despite being just 5-foot-9, Simontaival keeps up defensively, using his speed and IQ to outwit the opposition. He is comfortable in his body and does not let his size hold him back. His NHL projection is the hardest to gauge of anyone on this list. While he is 22 years old and has vast experience in professional hockey, the Kings likely would prefer for him to spend a season or two with the Reign.
However, given Los Angeles’ need for right-handed wingers, adding Simontaival and his entry-level contract would be of great value. This would not be solving the team’s need for physicality in the bottom six, but it would be adding a highly skilled forward who could score north of 10 goals while playing a strong two-way game. With that said, he is likely to join the NHL in the 2025-26 season at the earliest where he will become an immediate contributor.
3. Erik Portillo – 2019, 67th Overall (Goaltender)
Erik Portillo is such a fun prospect for the Kings to have. He is a 6-foot-6 goaltender who spent three seasons with the Univesity of Michigan before being traded by the Buffalo Sabres to the Kings. In his two seasons as Michigan’s starter, he impressed, posting a .926 save percentage (SV%) and 2.14 goals-against average (GAA) in the 2021-22 season while going 31-10-1.
In Portillo’s first season of professional hockey, he suited up for the Reign, going 24-11-3 with a .918 SV% and 2.50 GAA. He may be 23 years old, but these are very impressive numbers for any goaltender in their first professional season. When watching him play, he truly has no weaknesses. He stands tall in the net, blocking almost the entirety of the net for oncoming skaters. He is calm and smart, forcing the opposition to make a great pass or shot to find the back of the net.
For the Kings who, most of the time, do a good job at minimizing chances from around the net, Portillo should have an easy time acclimating to the NHL, whenever that time comes. With the Kings’ uncertainty in the goaltending department, it could be possible to see Portillo in the NHL as soon as the 2024-25 season. If not, he would be the goaltender called up in the case of an injury, and will most definitely be on the roster by the 2025-26 season.
2. Ryan Conmy – 2023, 182nd Overall (Right Wing)
Ryan Conmy was a late-round selection by the Kings in the 2023 Draft and has already exceeded expectations. As a draft-eligible, he was coming off of a 33-goal, 62-point effort in a 60-game campaign for the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL. To compare, projected second-round pick Christian Humphreys had seven goals and 24 points in 23 games in the USHL this past season. To put it simply, to get Conmy at 182nd overall was a steal, and he has not disappointed.
He scored 14 goals and 31 points in 34 games for the University of New Hampshire, showcasing his elite shooting talent throughout the season. He uses his speed and size to squeeze through defenders and along the boards, constantly driving towards the net. He does a good job at finding the open space for scoring opportunities, and he is always a step ahead of the opposition. Given he is just 19 years old, he is likely to spend a couple more seasons in college. He should be in the NHL around 2027, depending on development.
1. Koehn Ziemmer – 2023, 78th Overall (Right Wing)
Perhaps a controversial pick for the Kings’ top prospect is Koehn Ziemmer. After dropping to the third round in the 2023 Draft, he began proving doubters wrong for the Prince George Cougars of the WHL. However, after 21 games, his season was cut short due to injury. He had 11 goals and 31 points as one of the team’s top forwards.
Despite losing half a season of development, Ziemmer showed signs of becoming a star. His game looked well-rounded, playing responsibly in the neutral and defensive zones. He minimized turnovers and used his skating and body to win key puck battles. He would turn his defense into offense, developing a stronger passing game by keeping his head up more.
Ziemmer is the most skilled prospect in the Kings’ pool, and his upside is higher than the rest. Realistically, he will not see the NHL until the 2026-27 season, but he has the potential to become a great player in the top six. He is also right-handed, so his path to joining the Kings’ top six is a little less challenging. With the right development, Ziemmer could turn into a 25-plus goal, 60-plus point forward who excels in all aspects of the game.
With the Kings having their first-round pick for the first time since 2021, they have the ability to add a strong prospect to the dwindling prospect pool. The team has no glaring needs, but rest assured that whoever they select will immediately provide a sense of youth and hope for a team that could use someone new to get excited about right now.
