While the LA Kings weren’t as heavily represented at the 2022 World Juniors, we got a good look at three prospects on display.
Helge Grans (Sweden) along with Kasper Simontaival and Samuel Helenius (Finland) all earned medals at the makeup tournament in Edmonton, Alberta, with the latter two guys very nearly taking home the gold medal.
With the performances of the LA Kings’ prospects in the WJC, it’s worth taking note of their efforts and where they land in our organizational prospect rankings.
For this exercise, I only considered players who will be under 23 at the start of the season. So while Jaret Anderson-Dolan is currently 22, he will turn 23 in mid-September.
Here we go!
1. Quinton Byfield, C
Age: 20
Acquired: 2020 NHL Draft – 1st round (No. 2 overall)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-5 Wt: 220
Contract Expires: 2024
In what was supposed to be his first full year with the NHL club, Byfield was injured in preseason and didn’t make his season debut until mid-January. When healthy, he didn’t have the best crop of linemates with him, and his production was limited to five goals and 10 points in 40 games. Assuming he’s 100 percent healthy, I’d like to see the former second overall pick take a monumental leap this year after an offseason to get stronger.
2. Arthur Kaliyev, RW
Age: 21
Acquired: 2019 NHL Draft – 2nd round (33rd overall)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 190
Contract Expires: 2024
It doesn’t feel right to label Kaliyev a prospect considering he played in 80 games last year. However, he’s still just 21 years of age and exploding with potential. Kaliyev finished with 14 goals and 27 assists while primarily limited to a fourth-line role. He should be elevated in the lineup this season, which will allow him to shoot the puck more often and put more pucks in the back of the net—thirty-goal season coming?
3. Brandt Clarke, D
Age: 19
Acquired: 2021 NHL Draft – 1st round (8th overall)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 185
Contract Expires: 2025
Twice snubbed for Team Canada at the 2022 World Juniors, the former eighth overall pick in 2021 has two options this year: earn a roster spot in training camp or return to the OHL for another year. It’ll be interesting to see how that transpires, but with a strong training camp and preseason, there’s a very real possibility that Clarke could be on the NHL roster come Opening Night. Of course, the Kings will have to sort out the right side of their defense, which is another article altogether. Clarke’s ability to move the puck and quarterback the powerplay are tools that will be hard to ignore.
4. Samuel Fagemo, RW
Age: 22
Acquired: 2019 NHL Draft – 2nd round (50th overall)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 190
Contract Expires: 2023
My player to watch this year – Fagemo was outstanding in the AHL last year, scoring 27 goals and 44 points in 63 games. He finished third on the Reign in powerplay goals (9), an area with which the NHL club could use a lot of help. Fagemo has a four-game sample size with the Kings under his belt, and his shot and offensive ability could see him sneaking on the Opening Night roster.
First laps never get old 😎 @samuelfagemo pic.twitter.com/e3ZCIUuqMb
— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 14, 2022
5. Alex Turcotte, C
Age: 21
Acquired: 2019 NHL Draft – 1st round (5th overall)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 185
Contract Expires: 2024
It’s a big year for Alex Turcotte. It seems like every 2019 first-round pick has not only made their NHL debut but also had an impact with their respective club. Turcotte is still looking for his first NHL point and played in eight games with the Kings last year. The big question heading into this year will be whether or not he can stay healthy. I still see him as part of the long-term future for now, but further injuries could cause him to slip in my prospect rankings.
6. Rasmus Kupari, C
Age: 22
Acquired: 2018 NHL Draft – 1st round (20th overall)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 200 lb
Contract Expires: 2023
Kupari showed flashes of why he was taken in the first round back in 2018. He didn’t have the biggest impact with the NHL club last year, but the Finnish forward gained some valuable experience. In all, Kupari tallied five goals and 13 points in a bottom-six role. He’s a good skater with terrific speed, and I’d like to see him utilize more of that this year, taking the puck to the net.
7. Jordan Spence, D
Age: 21
Acquired: 2019 NHL Draft – 4th round (95th overall)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 5-10 Wt: 175
Contract Expires: 2024
Spence gained some accidental NHL experience last year. What I mean by that is he likely wasn’t expected to make his NHL debut last season but was brought up in light of the rash of injuries along the blueline. With the Kings, he looked really solid, quarterbacking the team’s second powerplay unit. He recorded his first NHL goal in late March and had two goals total in 24 games. Given the logjam on the right side, Spence likely begins the year in the AHL, where he led all defensemen in points (42) last year, but he could make a strong case for the Kings to clear the way for additional NHL playing time.
The moment I enjoy more than any other as an announcer: getting to call someone’s first NHL goal. And tonight was Jordan Spence’s turn. pic.twitter.com/tNLiZEkYTb
— Alex Faust (@alex_faust) March 27, 2022
8. Tobias Bjornfot, D
Age: 21
Acquired: 2019 NHL Draft – 1st round (22nd overall)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 202
Contract Expires: 2023
Bjornfot is in a tough spot entering the year. He has over 100 games of NHL experience, and he’s still 21 years of age. But he was a healthy scratch down the stretch of the regular season and for all seven postseason games. Bjornfot is waiver exempt, so the Kings could conceivably option him to the AHL for additional seasoning to start the year. He’s never going to be a big-time offensive producer at the NHL, but he can’t continue to have the defensive lapses that made him a liability and, therefore, a healthy scratch.
9. Jack Hughes, C
Age: 18
Acquired: 2022 NHL Draft – 2nd round (51st overall)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 170
Contract Expires: N/A
No, not that Jack Hughes. Is that bit getting old? As one of the youngest players in college hockey last year, Hughes was thrust into playing in all situations for Northeastern. Very sound defensively, the Westwood, MA native didn’t get a whole heckuva lot of chances to showcase himself on the offensive side — seven goals with nine assists — of the puck, which should change this year. Keep an eye on Hughes in his second year with the Huskies.
10. Kasper Simontaival, RW
Age: 20
Acquired: 2020 NHL Draft – 3rd round (66th overall)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 5-9 Wt: 176
Contract Expires: N/A
Perhaps my biggest riser in these rankings after his play at the WJC, Simontaival racked up three goals and four assists in the seven games for Team Finland. He was a terrific player with the puck on his stick and an excellent facilitator. He will return to KalPa in Liiga this coming season, where he was injured to start the year last season and was limited to just 33 games.
TIC-TAC-GOAL!
Kasper Simontaival finishes off the pretty passing play and Finland leads 1-0! #WorldJuniors
🔗: https://t.co/YTEm0QUk2lpic.twitter.com/CWyGUuBniu
— Elite Prospects (@eliteprospects) August 17, 2022
11. Helge Grans, D
Age: 20
Acquired: 2020 NHL Draft – 2nd round (35th overall)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 6-3 Wt: 206
Contract Expires: 2025
Another player who had a solid performance at the WJC, Helge Grans continued to showcase his excellent passing abilities, collecting four assists in seven games while earning a bronze medal with Team Sweden. In 56 games for Ontario last year, Grans tallied seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points, including one goal on the powerplay. I’m curious to see his numbers after this season, if he has an expanded role on the powerplay, and where he fits in the logjam of right-shot defenseman.
12. Martin Chromiak, RW
Age: 20
Acquired: 2020 NHL Draft – 5th round (128th overall)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 187
Contract Expires: 2025
Chromiak didn’t play in the WJC because of an illness that kept him off Team Slovakia’s roster. However, that shouldn’t stop him from continuing to rise in these rankings. The former fifth-round pick in 2020 proved why he was one of the steals of his draft class with a dominant season in the OHL last year. Chromiak tallied 44 goals and 42 assists in 60 games and 12 points in 11 playoff games. His shot is NHL-ready, and he’ll get a chance to prove himself in pro hockey with the Ontario Reign to start the upcoming season.
13. Francesco Pinelli, C
Age: 19
Acquired: 2021 NHL Draft – 2nd round (42nd overall)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 185
Contract Expires: 2025
Pinelli captained the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL last year, scoring 22 goals and 38 assists, finishing with the third-most points on the roster. He is expected to spend another year in the OHL as Kitchener’s captain again. Pinelli is a gifted playmaker and won nearly 52 percent of his faceoffs last year. Look for him to continue to develop as a centerman while bolstering the Kings’ pipeline down the middle.
Logan Stankoven to Francesco Pinelli and Canada goes up 4-0! #2021NHLDraft
This is getting ugly quick! #WorldU18s pic.twitter.com/TWbXBxNycS
— Tony Ferrari (@theTonyFerrari) April 28, 2021
14. Kim Nousiainen, D
Age: 21
Acquired: 2019 NHL Draft – 4th round (119th overall)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 5-9 Wt: 170 lbs
Contract Expires: 2025
Despite missing the first 12 weeks of the season due to injury, Nousiainen put together a solid year with KalPa and was named an alternate captain for the club. The 21-year-old potted four goals with 10 assists for 14 points in 35 games and was KalPa’s top defenseman. He’s an excellent skater with a quick release, which made him a major asset on the powerplay. Nousiainen made the jump to the AHL for the final eight regular season games, registering two assists. Look for him to be with Ontario to begin the year.
15. Akil Thomas, C
Age: 22
Acquired: 2018 NHL Draft – 2nd round (51st overall)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 177
Contract Expires: 2023
Thomas’s development was slowed last year due to double shoulder surgery in the offseason that didn’t see him make his Ontario season debut until early December. After playing in two games, he missed another month and some change. Thomas didn’t score his first goal of the year until the end of March, but the tally seemed to get him going as he finished with eight goals and 13 points over the final 14 regular season games, including a hat trick on April 20. He carried that over into the postseason, scoring four goals in four games. At this point, I’m not entirely sure where he fits into the Kings’ long-term plans.
16. Kirill Kirsanov, D
Age: 19
Acquired: 2021 NHL Draft – 3rd round (84th overall)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-1 Wt: 198
Contract Expires: N/A
Kirsanov spent the majority of the 2021-22 season in the KHL playing against grown men. At first glance, his four points (all assists) total is unimpressive, but he only had 16 shots on goal all year. The Russian defender played big minutes for SKA Saint Peterburg, averaging 17:27 TOI per game to go along with a +6, tied for fifth-best among SKA defensemen. He’s expected to spend the 2022-23 season in the KHL again, and I’m curious to see if he gets more opportunities in the offensive zone.
17. Samuel Helenius, C
Age: 19
Acquired: 2021 NHL Draft – 2nd round (59th overall)
Shoots: Left
Ht: 6-6 Wt: 201
Contract Expires: 2025
Helenius continued his strong 200-foot game in the WJC restart. He missed one game for Team Finland due to injury and registered just one goal in the tournament. However, there’s a lot to like in Helenius’s game, and he’s expected to spend the year in the AHL after playing the final 12 games there in 2021-22. His skating isn’t the best, but he is a real problem around the net.
The flying Finns are back!
Samuel Helenius gets right into the net to pick up a nice pass from Brad Lambert and widens @leijonat's lead by 2. #WorldJuniors #FINGER pic.twitter.com/4ZgWTKYM1E— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) December 26, 2021
18. Tyler Madden, RW
Age: 22
Acquired: via trade from Vancouver for F Tyler Toffoli (Feb. 17, 2020)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 152
Contract Expires: 2023
The 2022-23 season is a big year for Tyler Madden. Not only has he been in the Kings’ system for a couple of years now, but the 22-year-old is entering a contract year. Madden tallied 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points in 48 games overall, but he was relatively quiet down the stretch. He recorded just one point in the final seven regular season games and was held scoreless in three playoff games.
19. Otto Salin, D
Age: 18
Acquired: 2022 NHL Draft – 5th round (148th overall)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 187
Contract Expires: N/A
Salin could surprise a lot of people this year. The Finnish defenseman is a really strong skater and was over a point per game player in the U20 SM-sarja last year. He got a six-game cup of coffee in Liiga play, registering one assist, and he could have an expanded role with HIFK this year. Salin is a strong skater and shines on the powerplay. He has a wicked wrist shot from the blue line. Not the strongest puck carrier, but Salin has some deception that can make defenders freeze to give himself more space and time.
20. Alex Laferriere, RW
Age: 20
Acquired: 2020 NHL Draft – 3rd round (83rd overall)
Shoots: Right
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 172
Contract Expires: N/A
The Kings’ third-rounder in 2020 has made noise at every stop of his development. He spent last year at Harvard after part of the previous three years with Des Moines of the USHL. With Harvard, Laferriere racked up 14 goals and 17 assists in 35 games, earning NCAA ECAC All-Rookie Team, Rookie of the Year, and Third All-Star Team honors. He’s expected to return to Harvard for his sophomore year, but the primary question is if and when he will sign his entry-level contract. However, there’s no questioning his playmaking ability.
#GoCrimson forward Alex Laferriere (#GoKingsGo ) makes it 2-0 @HarvardMHockey @ 3:17 pic.twitter.com/UMroxLcNd0
— PuckingOff™ (Jason Scales) (@PuckingOff) November 24, 2021