Approaching the end of August also means approaching the start of September. We’re still around a month away from the start of training camp but it’s not too early to look ahead, as the LA Kings prepare to hit the ice in El Segundo come next month.
Starting in net, this position for the Kings has so much more clarity today than it had 12 months ago. Last season’s preview was filled with what if’s and question marks. I actually think it might’ve been the biggest question facing the team in camp last fall. Not to say that 2024-25 answers automatically translate into 2025-26 solutions but I think there is so more stability in net and a body of work that is a lot more encouraging than what we were looking at a season ago.
Where players will be placed to start the season and the expectations of those players all feel very clearly defined for the organization’s top four goaltenders and that makes the article below easy to define.
Starting first with the collection of who we are talking about –
NHL Contracted Goaltenders, Pro: Pheonix Copley, Anton Forsberg, Darcy Kuemper, Erik Portillo
NHL Contracted Goaltenders, Junior: Carter George
AHL Contracted Goaltenders: Isaiah Saville, Mattias Sholl
*Just for reference, the only players being discussed here are those signed to contracts for the upcoming season. Therefore, while Hampton Slukynsky and Petteri Rimpinen are both very exciting prospects, they are not yet signed to an entry-level contract and won’t factor into this story specifically.
Where They’re At
The LA Kings entered training camp one year ago with questions in goal.
The Kings had acquired goaltender Darcy Kuemper from Washington in a large-scale summer trade, coming off one of the worst seasons of his NHL career. He followed it up with one of his best, as he earned a nomination for the Vezina Trophy for the first time in his NHL career.
Now the question that needs to be asked is much different. We’re not talking about a goaltender looking to rebound. We’re talking about whether or not he can run it back.
In 2024-25, Kuemper proved to be a terrific fit.
With a record of 31-11-7, complementing a .921 save percentage and a 2.02 goals-against average, Kuemper’s 2024-25 season was one of the best in the NHL at the goaltending position. He also ranked third in goals saved above average, with the supporting metrics behind the base ones we usually look at. All shook out to a third place finish in the Vezina Trophy voting. Any way you look at it, Kuemper had a really, really good season.
Now, we ask whether or not he can do it again.
The Kings have a goaltender-friendly system and the way Kuemper plays works well with the way that the Kings defend. He’s formed a strong working relationship with goaltending coach Mike Buckley. The pieces are all there but as we know, the goaltending position can be extremely volatile, season-over-season. It’s hard to run back at an elite level and make no mistake, Kuemper was elite last season.
If there was one blemish on Kuemper’s season it was that he twice missed time due to injuries. Both came in the first half of the season but those injuries did limit Kuemper to 50 games more via necessity than by workload management. A healthy Kuemper, playing at or even near last season’s level, would be a huge crutch to lean on for a Kings team that has questions in other areas. Easier said than done, but that’s the expectation.
Behind Kuemper is set to be Anton Forsberg, who signed a two-year contract on July 1 as a free agent to replace David Rittich as the number-two goaltender with the Kings.
Forsberg was a long-term target for the Kings, someone who has been highly thought of here for a while now as I understand it. He’s a solid goaltender too. Forsberg has been a number-one in the NHL, he’s played in a tandem arrangement and he’s been a backup. He’s had varying degrees of success in each role and should be what the Kings needed. With Kuemper’s age and injuries last season, the Kings need someone in net who is comfortable playing 30-40 games if called upon. Forsberg should be comfortable with that and the Kings should be comfortable with him doing that.
Forsberg’s numbers last season were not jaw dropping. They were right around league average. In a number-two goaltender, I’m not sure you can ask for all that much more. He’s steady, reliable and doesn’t cost the Kings all that much in terms of dollars or term. A good signing who should help the squad push forward.
Behind Kuemper and Forsberg are two goaltenders who are likely to begin the season in the AHL but bring with them NHL experience. The same two goaltender written about here last season in Erik Portillo and Pheonix Copley.
Last year was supposed to be the year that Portillo took the step towards perhaps being the backup goaltender with the Kings entering the 2025-26 season. Due to a back injury that cost him the final three months of the regular season and the Ontario Reign’s short playoff run, he wasn’t quite able to do that. Portillo is in Los Angeles now and has been on the ice for summer skates over the past few weeks, a good sign towards his health and availability. He’s on Year 2 of a three-year extension and is still in place to showcase himself as a capable, NHL option. He just doesn’t yet have the body of work that gives a team that sees itself as a contender confidence he can play 30-40 games if needed.
Expecting Portillo to start in Ontario with NHL opportunities perhaps down the road. Joining him is likely to be Pheonix Copley, who has plenty of NHL experience if called upon. The Kings know exactly who Copley is. He was tied for fourth in the AHL last season with 24 wins and was one of 12 goaltenders with goals-against average of under 2.50. If the Kings need him, he’s there and there’s confidence in him. He’s also a veteran AHL goaltender who is more than capable in a starter’s role at that level. He rounds out a nice group of four between the pipes in the organization, providing both AHL performance and NHL depth.
What To Look For
Barring injury, a Kuemper/Forsberg tandem is all but assured to begin the season.
Kuemper’s status as a number-one goaltender is unquestioned and the Kings did not sign Forsberg to a multi-year contract, with an AAV over $2 million per season, to play in the AHL. He’ll be with the big club, likely making his Kings debut on either October 7 versus Colorado or October 8 against Vegas.
A Portillo/Copley tandem is also extremely likely to begin the season, barring any injuries.
The distribution here could be interesting. The Kings would like to see more of Portillo and the hopes would be that he comes out playing very well, establishing himself as one of the AHL’s top goaltenders, setting him up for a potential recall if he is needed. A strong AHL season – and a full season at that – is the hope here. It’s a big year ahead for Portillo, who is approaching a point in his development where he is no longer a prospect and should be eyeing NHL opportunities.
Copley is more known than Portillo and should be solid when called upon. If there’s a shorter-term injury with the Kings, I wouldn’t be surprised if Copley was the choice to come up. He’s comfortable around the team in a backup role and he can play games as needed. That would allow Portillo to be the guy in the AHL. If it’s the other way, Copley is more than capable of playing a starter’s role in Ontario.
Behind those two are three players signed to contracts – Kings second-round draft pick Carter George and the duo of Isaiah Saville and Mattias Sholl, both signed to AHL contracts over the summer.
George is a very good prospect but he is not AHL-eligible and will likely report to Owen Sound in the OHL for what should be his final season of junior hockey. I’d expect George to be the starter for Team Canada at the upcoming World Juniors tournament and he has already proven himself to be one of the best goaltenders in the OHL. Hopefully he’s on – or gets traded to – a more competitive club and we see George get a longer run of postseason hockey this spring. He’ll be in camp in September and should feature at the Rookie Faceoff and in preseason games before he returns to the OHL.
Saville and Sholl provide depth and could factor in either with the Reign or in the ECHL with Greenville. Saville has a decent AHL body of work with Henderson while Sholl is a Hermosa Beach native and is beginning his professional career out of the collegiate ranks at Bemidji State University. Solid depth options, should they be needed. I’d see Saville as the “fifth goaltender” out of the gates, considering his experience, while Sholl could see some ECHL action with eyes on potentially advancing as he gains experience.
Looking Ahead
Previews on previews to come!
Will break down defensemen into two articles – left shot and right shot, with forwards also split into two groups, centers and wingers. Lots of content over the next month as training camp slowly inches closer!