Justin Auger

Oct 2017 – Justin Auger will finally get a chance to prove that the Kings made a mistake by placing him on waivers to start the season. In his fourth pro season, he will slot into the Kings lineup for the first time. Familiar to the bottom six role, he will need to use his size and possession driving style to contribute. – Jamie Barber

January 2017 – Auger is having another decent season for the Ontario Reign, although perhaps not as great as last season where he finished fourth in scoring on the Reign. He is currently on pace for a 30 point season, which would be slightly less than his 36 points scored last season. However, his penalty minutes have crept higher (44 minutes in 36 games), and the 6-foot-7 winger is on pace to easily set a career high. Auger still projects to be a bottom-six winger, but he seems to have the capability of one day becoming an NHL player. Philip Kamhi

June 2016 – In the 2014-15 season, Auger scored 13 goals and added 16 assists for 29 points, with a plus-15 rating and 59 penalty minutes in 70 regular-season games, as the Monarchs won the Calder Cup. In his second AHL season, Auger improved upon his first season, scoring 19 goals and 17 assists (36 points). Auger also improved his play in the post-season (despite a third-round exit), as he scored two game-winning goals in the second-round matchup against the Gulls.

The hulking 6-7, 229-pound winger has proved to be not only an effective defensive checker, but he has provided the Reign with a front-of-net presence and is extremely difficult to move off the puck. Auger has shown continual improvement in the facets of the game that his coaches have asked him to work on, and certainly fits the style that the Kings are looking to build around. Although it is unlikely that there is a spot for him on the Kings at the start of the 2016-17 season (final year of his ELC), he will likely get at least one callup. It seems likely that Auger could compete for a bottom six role in 2017-18. Philip Kamhi