Just two weeks into the 2024-25 season and the Kings goalie carousel is already spinning at full speed. From Darcy Kuemper not looking right in Ottawa to Jacob Ingham being signed to a contract late in training camp, there has been a lot to keep up with.
Here’s a quick skate through the crease…
Darcy Kuemper
After looking very promising in LA’s first two games of the season, it was obvious something wasn’t quite right with Kuemper during last week’s game in Ottawa. He entered the game with a .949 save percentage through the Kings first two contests this season, only giving up one goal in regulation to each Buffalo and Boston. Against the Senators, it was 2-1 Kings after 20 minutes, and then the wheels fell off. Kuemper let in four goals in the middle frame and didn’t look like himself.
Sure, not all the goals allowed were his fault. The team in front of him was playing as if defense was optional that night; something that wasn’t making coach Jim Hiller too happy. Yet, Kuemper could not cover the five-hole like he normally does, and the struggles were rather obvious. The team was leading on the scoreboard most of the night, which may explain why he was never pulled. Either way, it wasn’t too surprising when Kuemper was sidelined with a lower body injury.
The 34-year-old goaltender was officially placed in injured reserve over the weekend. Because it can be retroactively dated, Kuemper could return as early as this Thursday vs. San Jose. He has been skating with the team in practice the past few days — which is a good sign. However, no timetable for his return has been set at this point.
David Rittich
He saw plenty of action during the preseason and looked like a solid No. 2 option for LA after re-signing over the summer with a very manageable cap hit of $1M AAV on a one-year deal.
Come game four, Rittich was thrust into the starter’s position for foreseeable future. Unfortunately, Big Save Dave didn’t appear up to the task in Toronto last week. He gave up four goals on just 14 shots and was pulled by Hiller — in what was described as load management, as the team planned to start him the following night in Montreal. A good night’s rest seemed to be just the reset needed. Rittich allowed just one goal against in the Montreal game last Thursday and was less than two minutes away from a shutout against Anaheim on Sunday.
“I think we showed we can be patient,” Rittich said of his team’s slow start vs. the Ducks. “I think we maybe missed that type of play last year, where we couldn’t stick with it and we were just pushing way too hard, and we gave up a lot; compared to this year, we were pushing but smart. … We were pushing, but we were playing really good defense.”
Pheonix Copley
After not seeing the North Pole native during NHL preseason — or when the Reign played their lone AHL exhibition contest — Copley finally made a start during Ontario’s second game last Sunday. He picked up the win, but he was likely still shaking off the rust following his ACL surgery back in January. The 6-foot-4 netminder stopped 19-of-22 shots faced, allowing three goals and finishing with a .864 save percentage. At the time, a simple narrative would have been, ‘OK, he’s clearing out the cobwebs, he got the win and should improve as the weeks move along.’
A few days later, he was recalled to the NHL — which perhaps had him thinking, ‘Well, that didn’t take long.’ It definitely wasn’t in the cards, that’s for sure.
By now, nearly everybody reading this knows the story. Copley was a veteran goalie who had bounced around quite a bit, then was signed by LA in a depth move in July 2022. Few would have ever expected him to get a game with the Kings. Yet, there he was, winning game after NHL game in the second half of the season and helping propel LA into the playoffs. With a contract extension in hand for 2023-24, Copley returned last season as the backup to Cam Talbot, but a knee injury in December ended any hopes of another magical run.
Off the ice, there are no questions about his commitment to the game. He looks more like an MMA fighter, with a lean, ripped body. He’s put the work in to come back from major surgery, no doubt. Now, it’s just a matter of seeing where he’ll be able to get the most playing time. He stopped 25-of-27 shots in mop-up duty against the Canadiens. Next Tuesday/Wednesday, the Kings will play their next set of back-to-back games. It remains to be seen if he’ll still be up with the Kings or if Kuemper will have returned by then.
Erik Portillo
Nearly forgotten in all the early season drama described above is the man being groomed to take over the Kings goaltending job in two years. Coming off a stellar rookie season in 2023-24, Portillo was signed to a three-year extension over the summer. In Ontario’s home opener on Saturday, Oct. 12, Portillo let in five goals, only stopping 18 shots faced and finished the night with a .783 save percentage (the only time he’s had a sub-.810 SV% game as a pro).
Many were eager to see how he’d rebound in his next start. However, the 6-foot-6 netminder didn’t participate in all of the practices last week and then was scratched from Friday’s game due to illness.
The Reign will next play a pair of games this weekend, beginning with a contest Friday night in Coachella Valley — the team who eliminated them from the playoffs last year. Portillo’s status is one to keep an eye on this week.
Jacob Ingham
Signed to an AHL only contract — so, technically speaking, he’s not really on the Kings depth chart because he doesn’t have an NHL deal (yet) — Ingham is back with the organization and looking to pick up where he left off. At the end of last season, he was allowed to walk as an unrestricted free agent, which came as a surprise to many, as he was arguably one of the team’s best goaltenders last preseason and was phenomenal in a handful of callup appearances with the Reign during 2023-24.
“I was really confident [putting him in on Friday],” Marco Sturm said after Ingham was thrust into action on a few hours’ notice due to the aforementioned illness to Portillo. “Iggy earned my trust last year. He played great every time he was here, he had a good camp. This year, same thing again. He was good in our camp and played good tonight.”
Somewhere, Ingham must have a t-shirt that reads, ‘Have gear, will travel’ because all he’s done the past few years is just show up and deliver, regardless of where he’s been assigned.
“Got to be ready and ready to go,” he said of the surprised start.
He came in cold to a certain degree, as his last real game was in March during the ECHL playoffs, when Greenville was eliminated by Orlando.
“I maybe had a couple scrimmages in practice but didn’t play any preseason games or anything like that,” shared Ingham. And if that wasn’t scary enough, the Reign are trying to put in a new system, as well as work in about a dozen new players. Even so, he just took it all in stride. If anything, he was more upbeat and reflective than anything else when speaking postgame.
“There’s a ton of positives,” shared the always affable netminder. “[There are] a ton of new guys, but that’s what it is. It takes time to get everyone to gel and obviously no one is panicking. It’s the third game of the year and there’s like 68 more to go. It’s one of those things that takes time, and everyone will get going. I think we have a really good group in there.”
Ingham, who missed nearly a year of action following back surgery (something he spoke about in detail here), hasn’t let any obstacle get in his way nor deter him from his NHL dreams.
“When I get in there, I have to take my opportunities and run,” he stated. “October 18, 2022 — two years ago today — I was lying on a table getting back surgery. It’s full circle, to get my first start and have it be with the Reign two years to the date, it’s one of those things that you never know what’s going to happen. Thankfully, they took care of me here, treated me really well, and got me to recover.”
While his immediate future is a bit unknown, Ingham understands the process and is willing to eventually go back to the ECHL and continue plying his craft until the next phone call comes. He believes in his abilities and remains confident his work on the ice will eventually lead to bigger things.
Prospect: Carter George
LA’s only goaltender selected at the 2024 NHL Draft came with a lot of hype — and he backed it all up and then some at both Development Camp in July and the Rookie Faceoff event in September. Things haven’t gone so well once he returned to the OHL last month. George has picked up only two wins thus far in eight appearances, sporting a 2-4-2 record. His save percentage sits at .894, as well. part of that is related to the team around him too. The real test for the 18-year-old Thunder Bay, Ontario native will come in late December when he suits up for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship.
Prospect: Hampton Slukynsky
Ho hum, Hammer just does his thing. The reigning USHL Goaltender of the Year shipped off to college this season, joining Western Michigan. And the early results are pretty good:
If you missed Slukynsky on Kings Of The Podcast, be sure the give it a listen below.
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