The Los Angeles Kings have called up top defensive prospect Brandt Clarke from the AHL’s Ontario Reign on Wednesday.
The Kings also placed defenseman Tobias Bjornfot on waivers.
Clarke was one of the top prospects outside of the NHL, leading all AHL defensemen in scoring with 32 points in 30 games as a rookie with the Ontario Reign. Just 20, Clarke is tied with Rocco Grimaldi for third in AHL scoring among all players and six behind the Texas Stars duo of Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque with 38 each. Olen Zellweger is the next closest U-21 defenseman in scoring with 21 points in 28 games for the San Diego Gulls.
What’s most impressive about Clarke’s season is his point-per-game average of 1.07. According to Elite Prospects, the only defenseman with at least 30 games played and a higher PPG among U-21 defensemen in league history is Gaston Gingras, who has a 1.27 PPG in 1979-80 with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs.
A key piece of Canada’s World Junior Championship victory at the 2023 world juniors, Clarke started 2022-23 with the Kings, registering two assists in nine games. He was ultimately loaned down to Ontario before finishing the year by putting up 61 points in just 31 games with the OHL’s Barrie Colts.
Meanwhile, Bjornfot is still young at 22, and could be a good reclamation project elsewhere. Drafted 22nd overall in 2019, the Swedish-born defenseman has struggled to perform over the past few years, which included him spending most of 2022-23 in Ontario after being a fullt-ime NHLer the two years before that.
In 117 NHL games, Bjornfot has one goal and 15 points to go along with 31 points over 104 AHL contests. He has another year remaining on his contract with an AAV of $775,000. Perhaps, a team looking for some defensive depth can give him another shot in the NHL.
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