Ranking the LA Kings Goalie Prospects Ahead of the 2026-27 Season

The LA Kings’ prospect pool may be lacking in some areas, but one area of strength is between the pipes. Five years ago, the Kings had five goalies in the system (Matthew Villalta, Jacob Ingham, Lukas Parik, David Hrenak, and Juho Markkanen). All five were projected to have little upside, and the Kings took a quantity-over-quality approach at goalie. The cupboard at that position was basically bare.

Of those five, Villalta is the only one to appear in an NHL game, but neither made it to the NHL with the Kings. Once the Kings traded Jonathan Quick at the 2023 trade deadline and their future looked bleak between the pipes, the front office quickly revamped their goaltending pipeline. They acquired Erik Portillo in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres shortly after and drafted a goalie in each of the next four drafts.

The Kings have five goalies in their pipeline with more upside than the five mentioned before Portillo arrived. Goaltending is one of the hardest positions to analyze, let alone predict, because so much goes into it, and it’s one of the most mentally demanding positions on the ice. The hope is that one, maybe two, hits and gives stability in net for the future. The Kings had Jonathan Quick control the net for 16 seasons, and they’ve plugged in stopgaps since his departure.

With a plethora of riches in the net pipeline, here are my rankings for the five goalies based on last season’s play.

5) Yegor Rybkin (18 years old)

Yegor Rybkin is the recent inductee into the Kings’ goaltending pipeline. I have him ranked fifth only because he’s young and there hasn’t been much on him since he missed most of last season with an injury. Rybkin stands at 6-foot-6, but has good movement and doesn’t rely on his size to bail him out. I’ll plan on watching some of his games in the QMJHL with the Moncton Wildcats when I have a chance.

4) Petteri Rimpinen (20 years old)

Petteri Rimpinen probably has the most swagger to him, which is why his nickname is ‘Showtime’. Of the five goalies, I think Rimpinen is the most athletic and brings a lot of excitement, but is still raw at this development stage. Rimpinen is off to a strong start for Kiekko-Espoo (Liiga), posting a .942 SV% and one shutout in five starts. Kings fans won’t get a chance to see him at this year’s World Juniors because he has aged out.

3) Erik Portillo (26 years old)

Erik Portillo is the oldest of the bunch, and I considered placing him fourth due to his injury history, but his playoff starts last season kept him in the third spot. He’s in an awkward spot with Carter George and Hampton Slukynsky turning pro and needing AHL starts, and the only opportunity is spot starts on the NHL roster with Darcy Kumeper and Anton Forsberg manning the net. At this rate, he probably projects as a future NHL backup at best.

2) Carter George (20 years old)

I had Carter George first last year, but this year he falls to second, not because he is bad, but because the player at number one was slightly better last year. I like George and think he can be a future number-one goalie, and placing him at second was tough. What stands out with George is his calm demeanor, composure, puck tracking, footwork, reaction, and puck-handling ability. Kings fans should be very excited that he is turning pro.

1) Hampton Slukynsky (21 years old)

Hampton Slukynsky rounds out the goalie crop at number one. Slukynsky has had no trouble putting up strong numbers and winning at every level, and his trophy cabinet has to be pretty full of personal accolades, too. Slukynsky can play aggressively but never gets out of position. He has strong puck-tracking, lateral movement, reaction, and reflexes. Kings fans should also be excited that he is turning pro like George.

Featured image credit: Megan Sanders/Ontario Reign

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