Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake announced Friday that the club has signed 2023 third-round draft pick Koehn Ziemmer to a three-year, entry-level contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $875,000.
Ziemmer was selected in the third round, No. 78 overall after notching 41 goals and 48 assists for 89 points in 68 games with the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Ziemmer’s 41 goals ranked second on the Cougars and seventh among all WHL skaters.
In 16 games this season with the Cougars, Ziemmer has recorded seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points with a plus-3 rating. The Cougars sit atop the Western Conference and tied for first league-wide with the Medicine Hat Tigers posing a 14-6-0-0 record.
The Mayerthorpe, Alberta, native added three goals and four assists for seven points in 10 WHL playoff games with the Cougars last season. In 176 career WHL games, Ziemmer has tallied 182 points (87-95=182), averaging 1.03 points-per-game.
Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis offered this scouting report on the Cougars forward:
"I know Jakub Dvorak was drafted ahead of Ziemmer, but I prefer the winger’s potential. Ziemmer finished with an impressive 41 goals and 89 points in 68 regular season games, with his 71 goals sitting second behind Bedard for the most among 2023 eligible players over the past two years. Ziemmer is a solid power forward that uses his strength to his advantage and should be able to carve out a decent NHL career. He’s not a great skater, but I’m confident that’ll be ironed out.”
If Kings fans want to watch Ziemmer in action, the Cougars play games this weekend against the Vancouver Giants on Friday and Kelowna Rockets on Saturday.
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