Ontario Reign: Prospects to Watch in 205-26

With a fresh batch of prospects making their way over to the sunny skies of California, let’s preview which ones you should keep an eye on, as well as two returning prospects to the Reign.

Kenny Connors – Center (21 years old)

Kenny Connors is an intriguing prospect to watch for Ontario this year. He is a 200-foot player. He drives play, setting up his teammates, and played all situations at college. It will be interesting to see how the new head coach, Andrew, deploys him. He won 51% of his faceoffs last year as a junior at UMass, but I can see him being utilized as both a center and a winger when inserted into the lineup.

Aatu Jamsen – Left wing (22 years old)

Aatu Jamsen enters his second season in North America after 11 points (7 G, 4 A) in 36 games. Seventh-round picks don’t garner much excitement, but Jamsen has skill in his game to keep an eye on. The winger has a great shot, despite being shy and not utilizing it as much, as well as playmaking ability and edgework. He’s not the fastest skater, but he can go at his own pace.

One area to assess was his strength. If he improved there, it would complement his skillset and 6-foot-2 frame.

Jared Wright – Right Wing (22 years old)

Jared Wright had a cup of coffee with the Reign to close out the regular season and playoffs. Still a rookie, Wright will be playing in his first full professional season. Wright was instrumental to David Carle’s squad during his three years at the University of Denver, helping the team win a national championship by scoring the game-winning goal in his sophomore season.

Wright’s weapon is his speed. With his speed, Wright can cause chaos on the forecheck for the opposition. With his size, speed, and two-way ability, the rookie could prove to be a good option in Ontario’s bottom six for new head coach Andrew Lord.

Koehn Ziemmer – Right wing (20 years old)

Like Wright, Koehn Zimmer had a cup of coffee with the Reign last year after a phenomenal career in the WHL with the Prince George Cougars. Ziemmer is Los Angeles’ second-best forward in the prospect pool and brings plenty to the table.

The 20-year-old has a wicked shot, isn’t afraid to show the physical element in his game, and can play a front-net presence on the power play. We’ll see if his skating improves because it was a notable concern during his short stint with the Reign last season.

Kirill Kirsanov – Defenseman (23 years old)

It took four years, but we’ll finally see Kirill Kirsanov touch North American ice. Kirsanov has good defensive instincts, whether it be in the defensive zone or one-on-one. The most important aspect I can’t stress enough is for fans to be patient with his development this year.

Otto Salin – Defenseman (21 years old)

No defenseman in the Kings’ system saw their stock rise more than Otto Salin did last year. His 28 points in 56 games marked a career high in his time overseas. Salin is an active defenseman on the rush and in the offensive zone and can be a candidate to quarterback one of Ontario’s power-play units this year.

Erik Portillo – Goalie (25 years old)

This will be Erik Portillo’s third season with the Reign. After a strong rookie campaign, where he exceeded expectations, the 25-year-old netminder took a step back last year and struggled once the calendar year flipped to 2025.

A back injury prematurely ended his sophomore season, so it’s worth watching how he bounces back after a long road back from recovery. I expect it to take time, but knowing how competitive Portillo is, I bet he will play with a chip on his shoulder with Carter George and Hampton Slukynsky getting all the shine in the pipeline for goalies.