The Kings signed prospect defenseman Otto Salin to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced on Monday.
Salin, 21, was a fifth-round selection in the 2022 draft (No. 148 overall) by the Kings. He has represented Finland at World Junior Championship competitions on three occasions, once at the U18 level and twice for its U20 side.
Salin, a right-shooting defenseman that loves to augment the attack, is in his first full season with one club at the top senior pro level in Finland with HC Turun Palloseura (TPS Turku). He finished the regular season with 28 points in 56 games, saving his most dramatic goal for last as his overtime winner secured a playoff berth for TPS.
In the postseason, his two goals in a Game 1 win against Saimaan Palo (SaiPa) helped force a decisive match against a heavily favored opponent, though TPS was unable to advance.
His profile combines some of the fluidity of Jordan Spence and a touch of the intrepidness of Brandt Clarke, with Salin willing to not only join rushes but also play low in the offensive zone off cycles and positional switches.
When he was drafted, Kings scouting guru Mark Yannetti called him “a really high-value pick.” Salin was never able to showcase his talents fully during his draft year, having an extended bout with COVID and a subsequent injury, Yannetti said at the time.
Yannetti said then that Salin, an undersized defenseman, used his swift skating to bail himself out of poor positions or compromised situations, but that he anticipated a transition that would enable Salin to utilize mobility in more positive and purposeful ways.
“His skating will become a much more complementary and primary strength element to his game, rather than one that compensates for other, weaker areas,” Yannetti predicted.
As Salin marches toward realizing the potential Yannetti and his staff saw, his next step will likely be joining the Kings’ top minor-league affiliate, the American Hockey League’s Ontario Reign. With his season in Finland over and his ELC signed, Salin could join the Reign imminently.