Kyle Garcia 
It’s early, but why not?
Free agency is almost 36 hours old, and the LA Kings have added only one forward (as of this writing) as depth, with intentions of playing for the Ontario Reign. Ontario is projected to have a good amount of prospects featured on the opening night roster, including decisions to be made on Henry Brzustewicz and Vojtěch Čihař.
One prospect who could be primed to see an increased role is forward Aatu Jamsen.
Jamsen, a former seventh-round pick in 2020, had a solid sophomore season after a sluggish rookie season in Ontario. In his rookie season, Jamsen wasn’t an everyday player. In 36 games, he recorded 11 points (7 G, 4 A) and suffered two separate injuries. Year two saw an uptick in his offensive production (28 points in 59 games), especially in the second half when he scored nine goals in 17 games.
Jamsen is not your typical seventh-round pick. He is a crafty forward with the puck, a good wrist shot, and glides at his own pace while not being the swiftest skater on the ice. Get the puck on his stick, and he can try to make something out of nothing.
Known as a finesse player, playing on the larger ice sheet in Finland was a huge advantage with the open ice and more time to make plays. On North American ice, he’s still adjusting to the smaller ice sheet, physicality, time, and pace of the game.
OHKAYYY JAMMER😮💨
1-0 ONT pic.twitter.com/qyTSbV47tQ
— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) March 1, 2026
The Kings brought him back on a one-year contract, and he will be on his way to Ontario for a third season (waiver-exempt). I expect Nikita Alexandrov and Logan Brown to sign elsewhere (both wingers), but the Kings (NHL contracts) and Reign (AHL contracts) can always add players during the summer.
Insert Jamsen.
As it stands right now, Jamsen could be a player who slides up in the lineup at this early projection of the Reign roster. I expect him to be on the power play again, playing on the half wall or down low as a left-handed shot or passer down low. As for the lineup, he could be an option on the second line after playing a bottom-six role the past two years. If he could put it together for a full 72-game season offensively as he did from late January to early March, that would be a big plus for his development.
Although we’ve taken notes on his offensive profile, it’s the defensive side of the puck and the strength where he will need to improve. Defensively, late in the season, he made small strides by buying in and committing to doing the little things, such as blocking a shot, and he will need to do so again this season.
His strength is the big X-factor. His 6-foot-2 frame isn’t the issue, him weighing 181 pounds is. It’s why he gets knocked off the puck easily a lot and could be the deciding factor that keeps him from making an NHL roster. There were times last year he did take the puck to the net instead of button hooking at the top of the zone in transition, but just enough won’t cut it when it comes to trying to make the NHL.
JA-JA-JAMMERRRRR!!! pic.twitter.com/iCZzjuwwNV
— Ontario Reign (@ontarioreign) January 25, 2026
The Kings have excelled in developing players in the late rounds of the draft, and Jamsen could be a player who sneaks his name onto the list if he makes important strides in his development, as I mentioned above.
I project he could be a 20-goal scorer for the Reign, playing consistent top-six minutes with power-play time. Ultimately, it will be up to him with a strong training camp.
Featured image credit: Megan Sanders/Ontario Reign