Via nhl.com

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Welcome to the September edition of the DobberProspects 32-in-32 Series. This month, we explore each organization in depth, examining its recent graduates, risers, fallers, and top-20 prospects. 

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By: Cameron Riggers

Three straight seasons of falling to the Edmonton Oilers in the first round has not nearly been enough for a Los Angeles Kings team during an on-the-fly rebuild/retool. So, they made some pivotal changes this offseason, naming Jim Hiller as the full-time head coach. 

This season’s fresh, new (yet old)- looking uniform set, as well as some additional roster and management changes from within, are strides in what they hope is the right direction. 

The Kings have a slightly thinner and older pool of talent in the pipeline, as they’ve only had nine picks in the last two drafts to fill out the minor-league ranks. 

They’ve got a lot of work to do to find more homegrown talent again, but the graduating prospect pieces and younger faces set to play a full season with the big club will look to make profound impacts for the team this season. 

All these young players are sure to excite fans throughout the year, but will it all be enough to get over that royal blue and orange hump in the playoffs?

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Graduating Players

From Minors to NHL

Brandt Clarke, D, will finally get a full-season shot at the NHL level with the Kings and should immediately make an impact. 

Akil Thomas, C, will likely get a full-season chance in the NHL after spending the prior four seasons with Ontario. The 24-year-old powered his way to 22 goals and 46 points in 64 games in 2023-24 and will look to make a decent impact in the bottom lines for the Kings.

Similar to Thomas, Alex Turcotte will look to finally be an impact player in the NHL, marking his first full season with the Kings. The former 5th overall selection in 2019 has had a slower-than-expected start to his pro career but has steadily risen in Ontario, with 85 points in 126 games with Reign. 

Minors to NHL (Fringe)

Samuel Fagemo, LW, is arguably the best left-side prospect for the Kings this season and could contribute in case of injury on the big club. The depth chart for the Kings shows the LW position being barren compared to other organizations.

From Junior/College to Pro

Kaleb Lawrence, C, will join the Ontario Reign from the OHL in 2024-25. Maybe another Matt Rempe is in the making. The 6-7, 229 lb forward was a little over a half-point-per-game player in his overage season and had 89 penalty minutes.

Angus Booth, D will join the Reign from the QMJHL in 2024-25. The former fourth-round pick in 2022 is a strong player in transition, making some clever passes to teammates often already flying north to south. He could benefit from owning the game more physically.

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Risers

Brandt Clarke seems poised to break out in 2024-25 after spending the latter half of last season with the Kings. He’ll slot in somewhere on the second or third pairing, entrusted to provide an offensive spark from the back end that the team desperately needs.

Liam Greentree, RW, was one of the more creative playmakers in the most recent draft class and was a good value pickup from the Kings at 26th overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. He had 36 goals in 64 games in 2023-24 in the OHL and will continue to grow and produce even further in his 18-year-old season.

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Fallers

Alex Turcotte, C, has dealt with many injuries throughout his AHL career and finally looks to be healthy in 2024-25 for the Kings. There’s a lot of upside to having Turcotte start the season with the big club, but the injury history is cause for concern.

Francesco Pinelli, C, was touted for his two-way solid play but struggled to showcase that in his first full season as a Reign, tallying just 20 points in 60 games. He did produce as the season went along, but there’s uncertainty about his pace on a game-to-game basis and his ability to produce regularly.

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Organizational Depth Chart

(Combination NHL readiness and upside)

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Top 20 Fantasy Prospects

This section is intended to show the Kings’ prospects, whose current trajectory projects them to make the most positive fantasy impact when they reach the NHL. Arrival date and NHL certainty have been considered; however, potential upside is the most important factor in determining this list.

1. Brandt Clarke
2. Liam Greentree
3. Akil Thomas
4. Alex Turcotte
5. Samuel Fagemo
6. Francesco Pinelli
7. Otto Salin
8. Jack Hughes
9. Jakub Dvorak
10. Samuel Helenius
11. Carter George
12. Jared Woolley
13. Koehn Zimmer
14. James Reeder
15. Martin Chromiak
16. Jared Wright
17. Tyler Madden
18. Alex Laferriere
19. Matthew Mania
20. Bulat Shafigullin

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Rookie Faceoff Tournament

The Kings will host this year’s rookie faceoff tournament, September 13-16th, at Toyota Sports Performance Center in EL Segundo, CA. This year, the teams invited will feature top prospects from seven NHL clubs, with Anaheim, Colorado, Los Angeles, San Jose, Seattle, Utah, and Vegas. This will be Seattle’s first year at the event.

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Thanks for reading! Follow me on X @Cammriggs for more.