The Ontario Reign are down to 26 players as they prepare to open their AHL season Friday, with coach Andrew Lord back after a franchise-best 99-point run and a Pacific Division title. Lord will also have a new assistant coach on the bench.
This week’s roster trimming sent several players on minor-league-only contracts to ECHL Greenville: Brendan Gorman, Neal Shea, Jacob Murray, Cameron Supryka, and Mattias Sholl. What’s left is a group built mostly around Kings prospects, plus a few AHL veterans.
Joe Hicketts returns as captain, while Scott Perunovich gives the blue line a veteran stabilizer after being signed by the Kings as a depth option. The most eye-catching names on defense are rookies Henry Brzustewicz and Jared Woolley, both arriving from the OHL with championship experience. Angus Booth and Kirill Kirsanov are also in the mix and both are viewed as players who could push for NHL call-ups, even though they’re starting the year in Ontario.
Up front, Kenny Connors and Jared Wright are expected to see big minutes and work in every situation. Both have already had a taste of LA and could be back with the big club at some point. It also shapes up as a pivotal season for older prospects such as Franky Pinelli and Martin Chromiak.
Based on what Ontario used in its two preseason games, the projected lineup Friday looks like this:
Jamsen - Pederson - Chromiak
Pinelli - Connors - Wright
Ward - Guttman - Ziemmer
Cihar - G. Slukynsky - Doty
Isogai - Lawrence - Hughes
Booth - Brzustewicz
Woolley - Millar
Hicketts - Mastrodomenico
Kirsanov - Perunovich
H. Slukynksy
George
Portillo
Injured: (F) Jenik (D) Dvorak, Salin
The biggest unresolved question involves Vojtech Cihar. The Kings’ 2025 second-round pick was a point-per-game player in 31 WHL regular-season games, then picked it up in the playoffs with six goals and seven assists in nine games for Kelowna. He ranked fifth in the most recent LA Kings Prospect Rankings, and plenty of attention is on where he’ll begin this season.
Cihar’s options are wide open because he was drafted out of Europe: NHL, AHL, CHL, or Europe. He began last season in the Czech league before moving to the WHL after a run with his national team at the World Juniors.
Right now, he wants the AHL. The question is whether his size and maturity are enough for that leap, and some scouts believe another WHL season would help him.
For now, his starting point remains unsettled, and it may not be the same place where he finishes. He is also expected to join Czechia again for the WJC in December.
Jan Jenik has not officially been assigned to the Reign, but that is only a paperwork issue because he is injured. Once he is healthy enough to practice, he’ll join the club. Defensemen Jakub Dvorak and Otto Salin were also injured during training camp, and no return dates have been set.
Kaleb Lawrence is another player worth watching closely. He was sent to Rochester last season after failing to lock down an everyday role with Ontario, but he has been a full participant since rookie camp opened in early September and also played at the Rookie Faceoff tournament in September.
At 6-foot-6, he brings size and some depth scoring, but he’ll need a clear role to stick in the AHL. If he doesn’t find one, he could be an early candidate to head back to the ECHL.
In Other News...
Kings Open Season With Two Big Questions Still Unsettled
The Kings open their 60th NHL season against the Colorado Avalanche with plenty of fresh faces and a few major changes shaping the early look of the roster. They have a new captain, a revamped coaching staff and several new players, all part of the push to play a faster, more creative style under head coach Peter Laviolette.
Even with training camp in the rearview, some of the most important questions remain unsettled. The Kings still have to sort out who fits alongside Brandt Clarke on the blue line, and the crease picture is no clearer with Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg both in the mix for the opener. [Read more 🡒]