As the search for another top-6 center continues in Los Angeles — at a rather urgent pace, no less — a step in the right direction has just been taken. Dartmouth’s Hank Cleaves, a prized college hockey free agent, has agreed to attend the Kings upcoming Development Camp.
After being courted by what’s believed to be more than 20 NHL teams, Cleaves is said to be going back to school for one more year. At 6-foot-5, given his rare package of size and skill, he topped the wish list for many NHL scouts. As an example, Elite Prospects recently ranked him No. 1 in skating, passing, and physicality. His hockey sense is also rated excellent.
There were a pair of legit viable candidates at center among this year’s college free agent crop. And with all apologies to TJ Hughes — who will play for Michigan later in the Frozen Four — the top guy the Kings should be targeting is Cleaves. Just 22 years old, compared to Hughes at 25, he better fits their long-term plans and still has more upside in his development. It’s one of the reasons we didn’t see LA as a likely landing spot for Hughes. He’s a fine player in his own right; this is more about a different player the Kings should be chasing.
Adding intrigue to the equation, we recently reported the Kings have secured a deal to have Cleaves’ Dartmouth teammate Hayden Stavroff at Dev Camp. He was this season’s ECAC Player of the Year and the leading goal scorer in all of college hockey. Could another package deal be in the offering down the road?
For now, step one is a further courting process in El Segundo this summer during the Kings annual gathering of top prospects and potential NHLers. The event is tentatively scheduled for June 29 – July 3.
They’ll be joined by defenseman Isaiah Norlin — one of the right-shot rearguards we profiled in our original free agent article. While these three are locked in, we don’t believe the Kings are done. From what we’re hearing, another big time add from the blueline could be in the offering very, very soon. Stay tuned for more information on that topic soon.
Here’s more on Cleaves from our original UFA article:
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Hank Cleaves – Dartmouth
6-foot-5, 200 lbs, Center
2025-26 Stats: 32 GP, 17 G, 21 A, 38 Pts, 37 PIM, Plus-19
This weekend has put an even bigger spotlight on one of the best overall players on this list. A smooth skating, physical center, Cleaves is above average in everything scouts look for in a guy to scoop up. Checking in right around 200 lbs, he’s lean, although highly athletic.
Friday night, Cleaves scored a pair of goals (including the game-winner), helping Dartmouth earn an important victory over Colgate. He followed that up Saturday with a power play goal, part of a 4-1 win that sent his team to next weekend’s ECAC semifinals.
Hailing from the Northeastern part of the U.S., Cleaves went west to polish his game early. Cutting his teeth in the BCHL, he was fifth in the league for points-per-game (1.24) in 2023-24.
Now a sophomore at Dartmouth, there has been a lot of talk about Cleaves going back to school for one more year. He went to the Rangers development camp last summer. This season, he has the second-most points on his team.
Cleaves is a two-way, playmaking center:
His 23.3% shooting percentage ranks him inside the top-25 among all NCAA players who have played double-digit games this season. He’s also more than tripled the goal production from his freshman year (5) to sophomore season (17).
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MORE LA KINGS NEWS:
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Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please remember to include a link to www.MayorsManor.com
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