The Los Angeles Kings have brought Jared Wright back up from the Ontario Reign, and the move gets the club back to a full 23-man active roster, according to PuckPedia’s tracking.
Wright’s latest call to the NHL also fits the pattern that’s developed early this season. Los Angeles sent him down to the AHL on Oct. 17, a transaction that created a roster spot for Taylor Ward. Now Wright is back with the big club again, and this probably won’t be the last time he bounces between levels.
At 23, Wright looks like one of those players the Kings are comfortable moving around as needed. He’s already been shuttled up and down multiple times this season, and the way the team has used him suggests he remains a favored option whenever they need fresh forward depth.
The former Denver Pioneer is in his second full year of pro hockey after signing out of college late in the 2024-25 campaign. Last season, he made a strong first impression in the AHL, putting up 17 goals and 30 points in 54 games. That production also earned him 23 NHL appearances, and in those games he scored four points while averaging 11:26 of ice time.
This season, Wright has mostly been working at the AHL level. He has played five games there and collected three points. His only NHL appearance came on Oct. 10 in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, when he logged 10:24 of ice time.
The Kings have had to juggle their forward group around injuries, even after veteran Mats Zuccarello came off IR. Alex Turcotte was placed on IR on Oct. 10 with an undisclosed injury, and Kevin Fiala has been out since suffering a leg injury at the Winter Olympics in February. On Oct. 17, it was reported that Fiala could be back on the ice with his teammates in about three weeks.
Then came another setback Tuesday, when center Quinton Byfield left the team’s win over the Washington Capitals with an upper-body injury. He is day-to-day.
Wright is not a like-for-like answer for Byfield, but his return gives head coach Peter Laviolette another forward to work with as he pieces together the lineup.
In Wright’s lone NHL game this season, he skated on the third line with Scott Laughton and Joel Armia. That kind of bottom-six role is the most likely spot for him again in the near term.
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