According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Los Angeles Kings are set to sign forward Alex Laferriere to an entry-level contract.
Laferriere, 21, recently finished his sophomore campaign at Harvard. He had 73 points in 69 games, including 21 goals and 42 points in 34 games this year. That was good for second behind Montreal’s Sean Farrell for the team lead, and six points ahead of recently signed Calgary Flames prospect Matt Coronato. He worked well on Harvard’s top line, making up one of the more dangerous scoring units in the ECAC. Laferriere was a big part of the team’s championship efforts last year in a season that saw him take home the ECAC’s rookie of the year honors.
Drafted 83rd overall by Los Angeles in 2020, Laferriere previously spent parts of three seasons with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL. He had a career-high 50 points in 49 games in 2020-21, but it wasn’t until he hit the college ranks that he really started to show his potential.
His skating has improved quite a bit in recent years, and he’s much more impactful in his own zone compared to when he was drafted. Laferriere is a competitive forward who battles hard for every puck, has an excellent release and can be deceptive as a scoring winger.
With Laferriere set to join the Kings immediately, he could play a role in the team’s chase for first in the Pacific. They entered Sunday four points behind Vegas while on an 8-0-2 run. Laferriere could become the second Kings prospect from the 2020 draft to play in the NHL behind Quinton Byfield, whom the team selected with the second pick that year. The Kings have a solid prospect pool, and Laferriere gives them some extra scoring depth in the meantime.
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