EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Kings’ goaltending stable was once a source of worry and woe, but with shrewd moves in three consecutive offseasons, it has become one of the most promising prospect pipelines in the NHL.
After trading for Erik Portillo, who made his successful NHL debut last year but later sustained a back injury that cut his campaign short, the Kings drafted Hampton Slukynsky in the fourth round two years ago, snagged Carter George in last summer’s second round and just added Petteri Rimpinen A.K.A. “Mr Showtime” as a fifth-rounder.
Kings scouting director Mark Yannetti said that European scout Christian Ruuttu extolled Rimpinen even before his Herculean showing at the World Junior Championships. There, he was voted the best goaltender of the tournament. Even given their already burgeoning depth between the pipes, they had no choice but to take the hyper-athletic, undersized netminder as he fell to No. 152 overall, Yannetti said.
“We went from a position of strength in goaltending, maybe the strongest in the league, and then for years it became a position of weakness, maybe bottom five in the league,” Yannetti said. “With the volatility of prospects and players being moved, I don’t think you can ever have too much of one (position).”
The Kings had two other goalies in those same World Juniors, and they would both join their respective national teams for the senior World Championships as well.
Slukynsky, 20, was a very small kid from an even smaller town (Warroad, Minn.) when the Kings selected him. What he has accomplished since required him to quicken his cadence to cram every accolade, honor, trophy and championship into a concise recap.
“The last year and a half has been crazy, it’s kind of been a whirlwind,” Slukynsky began. “It’s been great, playing in the (United States Hockey League) and winning the Clark Cup there. Going to college, I was supposed to go to Northern Michigan, but I ended up decommitting and going to Western Michigan. I found a great spot, everything there is first-class and really professional, great coaches, great guys and a great team. We were able to win the national championship, which was the cherry on top and really cool to be a part of.”
“I also got to be a part of the World Junior team, win the gold medal and help contribute there, and then I got to go to the World Championships to hang out with a bunch of NHL’ers and represent the USA again. It’s been really cool and a lot of fun. I try to enjoy all of it.”
Slukynsky arrived at Western Michigan with his brother Grant, 23, who transferred from Northern Michigan. Grant had reached the NCAA before Hampton and won a Clark Cup the season before Hampton’s triumph, but after a breakout season for Grant, he joined Hampton at Kings’ development camp this week. This time, it was finally the elder Slukynsky following in the footsteps of his younger brother.
“It’s my third time and his first time, so I’ve been giving him advice and helping him out a little bit, but he’s a good player and he can handle all this,” Slukynsky said. “Being able to share this experience with him and being treated like an NHL’er for a week has been really cool.”
The Slukynsky brothers weren’t the only pair of Broncos making their way from Kalamazoo to California. Captain Tim Washe, 23, signed with the Ducks after winning the national title and played his first two NHL games at the end of last season.
“Washe signed with Anaheim and played a couple games there, and if we ended up playing against each in the NHL, that’d be pretty sweet,” Slukynsky said.
George enjoyed more individual than team success, shouldering an enormous load for a low-expectation Owen Sound Attack squad that he willed to the playoffs with repeated displays of will and acrobatics.
He said “skating with the big dogs” during training camp last season, including during two exhibition games, and making his minor pro debut at the end of the year bookended his campaign with instructive, formative experiences.
“Then, I ended up going to the men’s worlds, and that was the cherry on top, getting to meet guys like (Marc-André Fleury and Jordan Binnington),” George said. “That was awesome, I learned so much from them. We went out and I sat down with them for an hour and a half to shoot the (breeze), it was awesome.”
In the middle of his season, George represented Canada at the World Juniors. Despite his two shutouts and overall miserly numbers, Canada failed to medal. That’s something George is looking forward to rectifying next winter.
“At Christmas time, I’d like to be wearing a gold medal around my neck,” George said.