The Goaltending Prospects

Erik Portillo

Age: 24

Erik Portillo is one of the three goalies the Kings brought into the organization in the past two years. In fact, he was the first one and was acquired via a trade with the Buffalo Sabres. I won’t go into too much detail about his season because I’ll be saving it for his season review article that I’m doing for the Ontario Reign prospects (be on the lookout for that in the next week!).

It was a different season compared to his rookie one for Portillo. He missed two weeks (three games) with an illness in October and got off to a slow start, as did the Reign as a whole. He turned a corner in November and even made his NHL debut against the Anaheim Ducks on November 29th, where he made 28 saves in a 2-1 Kings victory. After being loaned back to the Reign five days later, Portillo continued his strong play.

He had a stretch where he allowed two goals or fewer in ten games (nine starts), and it looked like we were going to see a repeat of his rookie campaign (2023-24). However, from January 15th to February 17th, he went into a slump and allowed at least four goals against in five of his next eight starts. He surrendered two goals in his final start of that stretch in a 3-2 overtime Reign victory over the Calgary Wranglers on February 17th, and he missed the rest of the season with an injury. He finished the season with a 2.82 GAA and a .889 SV%. One area for improvement still is his rebound control.

With David Rittich set to be a free agent, there’s a good chance Portillo can compete for the backup role on the Kings for next season in training camp. As I mentioned earlier, I’ll go into more depth on that in my season review article about him next week.

Hampton Slukynsky

Age: 19

Hampton Slukynsky performs and wins at every level. After backstopping the Fargo Force (USHL) to the Clark Cup in 2024, I was curious to see how Slukynsky’s play would translate and adjust at the NCAA level. Any concerns were put to rest with the outstanding season he had. He finished the year with a 1.90 GAA, .922 SV%, and one shutout in 25 games for Western Michigan University (WMU). He also won a Gold Medal for Team USA at the U20 World Juniors.

He split starts with teammate Cameron Rowe but became the team’s number-one goalie during the NCHC and Frozen Four tournaments, and backstopped WMU to championships in both. One area that stood out to me when I was able to watch some of his games this season was his athleticism. I’m looking forward to seeing how his sophomore season at WMU goes.

Carter George

Age: 18

Carter George was LA’s most recent goalie added to the cupboard. The Kings traded back in the first round on draft day this past June and received a second-round pick. That first-round pick was used to select Liam Greentree, and the second-round pick they used to draft George. The numbers from his season in the OHL don’t look great (3.35 GAA, .909 SV%, and 17-22-3 record), but that has to do with the poor play from the Owen Sound Attack in front of him.

George faced the most shots (1,665) and made the most saves (1,514) in 47 games. That is an average of 32 saves on 35 shots faced per game, and his .909 SV% was good enough for 7th in the league. He was Owen Sound’s MVP throughout the regular season and dragged them into the OHL playoffs by clinching the final spot in the Western Conference, but the team bowed out in four games to the eventual Conference champion London Knights.

George was also the starting goalie for Team Canada at the U20 World Juniors and was the team’s lone bright spot.

After his OHL season ended, the Kings assigned him to the Reign. George made his pro debut on April 12th and stopped all 33 shots faced, earning the shutout. George impressed, albeit with a two-game sample size, and looked poised, confident, and mature for an 18-year-old playing professional games. You can see why the organization is high on him. Unfortunately, for Kings fans, he won’t be eligible to play in the AHL for the 2025-26 season because of his age. He’ll be back in the OHL next season.

George grew up a Kings fan, and seeing those saves above looks like a save by a goalie by the name of Jonathan Quick would make.