Ontario Reign: Glenn Gawdin and Pheonix Copley sign elsewhere

Every offseason sees a major overhaul for an AHL roster, whether players are signed to AHL or NHL contracts. For the Ontario Reign, they had to say goodbye to Glenn Gawdin and Pheonix Copley, key contributors to the 2025-26 team on NHL contracts, who signed elsewhere on day one of free agency.

Glenn Gawdin’s two-year NHL contract, which he signed in July of 2024, expired, and he is off to the Big Apple, signing a two-year contract with the New York Rangers. Gawdin was a player I predicted the organization would re-sign to an NHL contract, but it appears my prediction was unsuccessful. The 29-year-old filled the role of the number-one center for the Reign and proved to be a valuable player and leader. In 143 games for the Reign, Gawdin recorded 113 points (42 G, 71 A) and played in every situation. The Kings pivoted and signed center Lane Pederson to a two-year contract, who should fill in the void left by Gawdin.

Now that leads us to Pheonix Copley.

Copley, 34, is a player I’m sure the organization would’ve liked to bring back, but quantity at the goaltending position forced their decision. Hampton Slukynsky (21) and Carter George (20) are two young goaltenders with lots of promise turning pro and will need playing time in the next stage of their development. Oh, and Erik Portillo is knocking on the door to make the Kings, with Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg already on the roster.

When you put all of those situations together, the Kings quietly have a logjam in net, making no room for a Copley return. Copley spent four seasons within the organization, and it was one helluva rollercoaster. In his first season (2022-23), he was called upon in December and took over the number-one goaltending duties when long-time netminder and King legend Jonathan Quick and the short-term future number-one goalie, Cal Petersen, weren’t getting the job done. Giving the Kings average goaltending, Copley kept the team’s head above water in net before trading for Joonas Korpisalo at the trade deadline; the trade also included Vladislav Gavrikov.

The following season (2023-24) saw Copley’s play fall, and his season was cut prematurely with a season-ending ACL injury. Returning for the 2024-25 season on a one-year contract, Copley returned on a one-year contract and started the season with the Reign. After starting slowly, as expected, Copley assumed the number-one goalie duties on February 19th until the end of the season, when Portillo suffered a season-ending back injury.

For his play in that stretch, the Kings rewarded him with a one-year contract for the 2025-26 season. He had a decent season for the Reign, but it is time to move on with Slukynsky and George ready for the next step. He should be a good number-three goalie for the Columbus Blue Jackets and will provide great leadership for their AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters.

Featured image credit: Megan Sanders/Ontario Reign

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