The LA Kings have signed goaltender Pheonix Copley to a one-year contract with an AAV of $825,000.

Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 200-pounds, the new LA Kings goaltender spent most of last year splitting time between the AHL Hershey Bears and Washington Capitals. With Hershey, he had a record of 18-12-7 with a GAA of 2.38 and a .913 save percentage in 35 games played. In two games with Washington, he went 0-1 with a 3.11 GAA and a .878 save percentage.

After going undrafted, Copley signed as a free agent with Washington in 2014. He was then traded to the St. Louis Blues in 2015 and then traded back to the Capitals in 2016-17. His experience will be welcomed amongst a group of young goaltenders in the LA Kings pipeline.

Copley has spent most of his pro career in the minors, playing for the AHL Hershey Bears and Chicago Wolves. He played college hockey for the Michigan Tech Huskies before turning pro in 2013-14. He then split time between Hershey and Chicago, with the odd NHL start sandwiched in. He’s a solid goaltender who has good recovery, is mentally strong, and is agile for a big netminder. He uses all of these attributes to his advantage, covering a large part of the net. The Alaskan native will be back in the AHL, this time with the Ontario Reign to begin the season, backing up starter Matt Villalta.

This is a good signing for the LA King’s organization because it gives them solid goaltender depth in Los Angeles and Ontario and provides a veteran net-minder with the capability to jump in if injuries to the top two tenders occur. This move is also good for the prospects as it gives them an additional year to develop before coming to Ontario full-time.