The Goaltending Prospects

Back when the Kings had the number-one or number-two-ranked prospect pool (depending on who you followed) five years ago, the one area they lacked potential in was the goaltending position. Since 2023, the Kings have replenished that position mainly through the draft and one trade at the 2023 deadline. Goaltending is the hardest position to evaluate. There is a lot that goes into the scouting and evaluation process, and it’s why the Kings lean heavily on the expertise of Bill Ranford, Matt Millar, Mike Buckley, and Adam Brown.

This year, all four goalie prospects had great seasons in their respective leagues. Today, we will be going over those seasons. We will work our way backwards, starting with the goalies who haven’t been in the organization long and working our way to the longest-tenured one.

Petteri Rimpinen

Age: 20

Petteri Rimpinen, AKA “Showtime,” is the recent goalie added to the Kings’ prospect pool and had a nice season in Liiga (Finland) with Kiekko-Espoo. Rimpinen finished the season with a 13-11-11 record with a 2.29 GAA and .911 SV% with the club and was the starting goalie for Finland at the World Juniors. Kiekko-Espoo qualified for the playoffs as the ninth seed (out of 12) and were eliminated in five games in the preliminary round.

Of the four goalies in the system, Rimpinen is the most athletic of the bunch, and that’s how his nickname “Showtime” originated. Rimpinen is expected to return to Kiekko-Espoo for the 2026-27 season as he signed a one-year extension with the club back in November. If you like early morning hockey, perhaps you can catch him in action on his start days for Kiekko-Espoo.

As of now, I have him ranked as the number four goalie of the prospects because he is still raw and the newest member of the group.

Carter George

Age: 19

When you watch Carter George play, the moment never seems too big for him; he is as poised and mature for his age. He makes saves eerily similar to former King great Jonathan Quick, but is a better puck handler than Quick was. George had a cup of coffee with the Reign near the end of the 2024-25 season, and those two games showed why scouts and the Kings believe he has a promising future.

Not eligible for the AHL in the 2025-26 season, George returned to juniors with the Owen Sound Attack for his final season. George posted an .899 SV%, a 3.12 GAA, and a 10-9-2 record for an Attack team that wasn’t good defensively. At the OHL trade deadline in January, Owen Sound traded the netminder to the Soo Greyhounds as the latter club believed he was the missing piece to help take the team on a deep playoff run.

With the Greyhounds, George had a .913 SV% and 2.40 GAA in 24 starts and added his second career goalie goal to his resume. In 10 playoff games with Soo, the 19-year-old netminder posted a .910 SV% and 2.36 GAA. Soo was eliminated by the eventual OHL champion, the Kitchener Rangers, in five games in the semifinal round.

George is projected to play in the AHL with the Ontario Reign next season.

Hampton Slukynsky

Age: 20

All he does is win. Hampton Slukynsky (Hammer) has won at every level. After backstopping the Fargo Force (USHL) to the 2024 Clark Cup, Slukynsky backstopped Western Michigan University (NCAA) to an NCHC title and an NCAA title the following year as a freshman.

Aside from the winning, Slukynsky’s puck tracking and calm demeanor are attributes that stand out when watching him. Talking to his coach at WMU, Pat Ferschweiler, for a story on LAKI, he had nothing but high praise for his netminder, saying he has an elite mindset and crediting him for never letting any moment be too big for him. If you add all of these things together, you have the makings of a potential number-one goalie in the future for the LA Kings.

Slukynsky took on the role as the number-one goalie for WMU and finished the season with a 27-11-1 record, a 2.30 GAA, and a .915 SV% in 39 starts. The team defended its NCAA title but fell to Denver University early in the tournament.

Shortly after, he turned pro and inked his three-year entry-level contract with the Kings and signed an ATO to join the Reign. In two starts, Slukynsky allowed one goal in games as the team was victorious in both of them.

Seeing Slukynsky sign his professional contract wasn’t surprising, as the organization is really high on him. In fact, according to a source, the Kings went as far as trying to sign him to his entry-level contract after his freshman season at WMU concluded.

I’m eager to see him begin his pro career this upcoming season.

Erik Portillo

Age: 25

It was a bounce-back season for Erik Portillo. Portillo, acquired by the Kings in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres in February of 2023, played the entire season in the AHL with the Reign. Portillo was named the Reign’s opening-night starting goalie after missing the final two months of the 2024-25 season with a back injury.

Healthy and back on the ice, Portillo had a strong start to the season, winning six of his nine starts, before an injury on November 12th in Calgary put him on the shelf for nearly two months. When he returned, he didn’t miss a beat. The 25-year-old recorded a 19-save shutout in his first game back in a 4-0 win over the Iowa Wild and would also win his five following starts after.

Portillo would rotate starts with Pheonix Copley, as the duo formed a reliable tandem as the Reign successfully captured the Pacific Division title. Portillo posted an 18-7-3 record with a 2.45 GAA and a .907 SV% in 30 games. The goalie rotation would continue into the playoffs, and Portillo posted a 1-2 record with a 2.14 GAA and .924 SV%.

Portillo is big and often relies on his 6-foot-6 frame and aggressiveness. He is entering the final year of his three-year contract. The Kings have a logjam in net because George and Slukynsky are eligible to play in the AHL, and if the organization believes Portillo is ready for at least a backup role in the NHL, they will need to make room for him and trade one of Darcy Kuemper or Anton Forsberg to make that happen.