Otto Salin’s Impressive Rise

Today I’ll be looking at the LA Kings’ fifth-round pick in 2022 Otto Salin and why Kings fans should be excited about his future in the organization. The year before he was drafted he played in the Under 20 league in Finland and put up a very respectable 12 points in 11 games. He then got the call to play in Liga at the top level and in 6 games had an assist but was also a +2 in his brief stint. The year after he was drafted by the Kings he played for two teams in Finland. For HiFk he played in 27 games, produced two goals, six assists, and a plus-six rating. In eight playoff games that year he had two assists. He was also loaned to Kiekko-Vanta of the Mestis league and put up four points with a plus-seven rating in three games. Like the previous season, Salin played for two teams in Finland in 2023-2024. For HIFK Helsinki he played in 29 games, had six assists, and was a plus-two rating. He then played for TPS Turku and in 15 games he had three goals and three assists for six points and was a minus-one rating in the playoffs for Turku he played in 9 games and had 2 assists. This season for TPS Turku, he’s played in 25 games and has seven goals and ten assists for 17 points, along with a plus-two rating. His stats would be even better if he didn’t miss time with injury. He’s a smaller defenseman at 5’11 but has enormous skills and doesn’t back down from bigger competition. The Kings no longer have the insane depth at the right-handed defenseman like they did in years past but this player could be a long-term option if he continues his impressive growth like he has since being drafted. His main strength is his puck-handling ability. He’s insanely skilled and active in the offensive zone and can keep a cycle game going for stretches at a time. That is crucial in the modern NHL.