Beginning the month of September with a banger of a story. Not really. But a good one nonetheless as we dive into the skaters who will be at LA Kings training camp this fall, beginning with left-shot defensemen.

It’s a deep part of the player pool for the Kings as 10 left-shot defensemen under NHL contracts will come to camp in September, including six with NHL experience. Nine of those defensemen are expected to play this season at the professional level with either the Kings or the AHL’s Ontario Reign and that’s a lot of guys for six spots on the left side of the blueline. I’d expect there to be opportunity at the AHL level for an off-side role and there’s always extras but it is an area that will need to be sorted out, for sure.

A look below at that group of players, what they bring to the table and what we might expect going forward.

First, here are the players under contract who will be attending camp in the fall –

NHL Contracted LHD, Pro: Mikey Anderson, Samuel Bolduc, Angus Booth, Brian Dumoulin, Jakub Dvorak, Joel Edmundson, Joe Hicketts, Kirill Kirsanov, Jacob Moverare
NHL Contract Goaltenders, Junior: Jared Woolley
AHL Contracted LHD: Parker Berge

Where They’re At
The LA Kings have some depth in this group and it’s a group that largely plays a similar brand of hockey, top to bottom.

When the Kings played a 1-3-1 neutral zone, it was an organizational focus to draft defensive-minded players who shoot left and puck movers who shoot right. The Kings no longer play the 1-3-1, so that’s less important, but there are certainly some trends to detect with this group, especially when it comes to the players who were Kings draft picks.

Of the three who played in the NHL last season with the Kings, Anderson, Edmundson and Moverare are all defensive-first players. Anderson is a solid puck mover though not necessarily a point producer. Edmundson has a bomb of a shot – amongst NHL defensemen last season, he ranked in the 88th percentile in top shot speed and 95th percentile in average shot speed – but his game is based around physicality and his play in the defensive zone. Moverare is a reliable, third-pairing option who does not have a ton of offense in his game but is very capable defensively.

In Dumoulin, who was signed to round out that group at the NHL level, he’s also a capable puck mover and a decent skater but he’s only cracked 20 points twice in the NHL. A similar theme. He’s a very solid defensive defenseman but not a point producer. His 2023-24 season in Seattle saw him post excellent metrics as one of the best suppressors of high-danger chances in the NHL. More on that HERE.

TLDR, the top four players on that depth chart entering camp take care of their own end first and they’re pretty darn good at that part of the job.

Behind those four is Ontario Reign captain and veteran defenseman Joe Hicketts. Hicketts does have a little bit more offense in his game and he has 22 games of NHL experience with Detroit. He’s a great leader at the AHL level and is a candidate to play on the right side this season, considering the numbers laid out above. The Kings also added Samuel Bolduc from the Islanders organization, after he played 52 games with New York from 2022-25. Bolduc has two good seasons of offensive production at the AHL level with Bridgeport and is an interesting player to watch in camp to see if he can make an impact on the NHL picture.

Rounding out the group of blueliners expected to play professional hockey this season are three draft picks – Angus Booth, Jakub Dvorak and Kirill Kirsanov.

Booth is likely the most NHL-ready from that group and he was very impressive with the Reign during the 2024-25 season. He is thought of highly internally and his style of game has some Mikey Anderson to it. He’s not the biggest, not the flashiest, but he’s reliable and is well thought of by most coaches. If he continues to progress as he did last season, he’s one to keep an eye on.

Dvorak played his first full professional season with Ontario last year and his upside is higher than most. Great size at 6-4 and he grew into his role as the season went along. As a second-round pick, he’s one of the higher drafted players in the system and should be a factor at the AHL level this season. Kirsanov, on the other hand, is finally set to play in North America. The 2021 draft pick has played professional in Russia since that time and should get his chance at the AHL level first to assess where he’s at.

The Kings also have Jared Woolley, who has seen his stock rise over the last 12 months, who will be at camp but will likely return to OHL-London for his final season of junior hockey. Parker Berge signed an AHL contract with the Reign after he was selected as an ECHL All-Star and named to the All-Rookie Team last season.

What To Look For
As of right now, the top four seem to be in pretty stable positions entering training camp.

Anderson, Dumoulin and Edmundson are all established NHL players who should be expected to play every night. Moverare has earned his place with the Kings and was valuable last season, especially when the Kings went 11/7, and is a plug and play fill-in option.

Players like Bolduc and Hicketts should come to camp feeling like they have a chance to crack the roster as an extra defenseman. Or, if an injury occurs, there’s experience there to rely on. I think Booth could see himself in that mix as well, especially with a strong preseason, but he’s not going to sit in the press box. The Kings want him to play and would prefer him playing games in the AHL to sitting out in the NHL. There’s a first callup to battle for and those three figure to be at the top of that list beyond the other four.

Dvorak is looking at a big season where he likely starts in the AHL and should be expected to play every game down there. Same goes for Kirsanov as an AHL rookie. The Kings have been very patient with Kirsanov and at 23 when the season starts, he’s older than your typical rookie player. Kirsanov’s development curve was always expected to be shorter than most, meaning that if he developed as planned, he could get to the NHL faster than most. Now’s the time to show that.

I think most guys in this group will get their chance to impress during the preseason. While I do think the top four guys are pretty well set, you never know what happens in a camp. I like Bolduc’s profile, though admittedly I have never seen him play, and I know that Booth is highly thought of within the organization and there was some happiness with his Year 1 development path. Kirsanov also has some strong believers organizationally. A few to keep an eye on for sure.

Looking Ahead
It’s officially camp month. Moving over to the right side later this week to discuss everyone’s most talked about portion of the Kings this season. Then it’s on to the forwards as we are now just a couple of weeks away from the team hitting the ice for the first time.