Big picture, the Kings goaltending pipeline is looking pretty strong — as reviewed in depth here.
At the NHL level, Darcy Kuemper is having a huge rebound year in Los Angeles. His .918 save percentage is a big reason the organization is in contention for a possible Pacific Division title at the moment.
David Rittich, meanwhile, has been struggling. Having earned a victory in just two of this past five games (and only three of his past 11 starts), the 32-year-old netminder hasn’t looked as sharp as he did earlier this year. With the way the balance of the regular season lays up, Rittich may only be called upon for back-to-back games scheduled this weekend (Carolina, Boston) and the following weekend (Toronto, San Jose).
Normally, the organization would at least be tempted to recall their top goaltending prospect in AHL Ontario to possibly help out. Unfortunately, second-year pro Erik Portillo is not available at the moment. Sidelined since mid-February, he was originally targeted for a return to action with the Reign next week. Now, Mayor’s Manor has learned he’s been shut down once again. There remains hope that Portillo will be back by April 15; just in time for the Calder Cup Playoffs. Yet, that’s a ways off and the team will have to wait and see how everything plays out. His long-term health is far more important than rushing him back unnecessarily.
Injuries rarely happen at a ‘good time’ – yet this one likely stings a little more than usual. Portillo may have been in line to get a second stint with the Kings this season; something that is no longer an option now.
His absence doesn’t just impact the Kings either. Reign coach Marco Sturm is scrambling to solve his own crease issues, as well. When Portillo initially went down, Ontario’s bench boss turned to veteran goalie Pheonix Copley has his primary guy. With some back-to-back games and other load management issues in mind, the team initially recalled a goalie on a minor league-only contract (i.e. not a Kings prospect) from ECHL Greenville to backup Copley. Then, just a few days ago, they recalled Jacob Ingham to take the No. 2 spot instead. He was immediately thrust into action last night vs. the Texas Stars, when Copley was pulled after giving up three goals on 15 shots in the opening period.
Ingham went on to stop 11 shots faced over the final 40 minutes of regulation, and he will most likely start one of Ontario’s two games in Iowa later this week. Any avid reader of this site is familiar with our thoughts on Ingham. He is more than capable of being the starter. At 6-foot-5, he’s done a remarkable job of coming back from a serious back injury that wiped out his 2022-23 campaign. He has the skillset necessary to be on a much larger stage than he’s played over the past two seasons. How long he sticks with the Reign in the near future remains to be seen, especially in light of the new Portillo information.
And then there’s Carter George. LA’s second round selection at last summer’s NHL Draft, could potentially be entering the chat soon. As was reported on Kings Of The Podcast recently, George is expected to join the Reign once his OHL season is over. Already signed to an NHL entry level contract, the original assumption was he would join the team — like other junior players in the past — simply to learn some of the routines of life as a pro player. There wasn’t really any sort of guarantee he ever would have played (especially not in the postseason), should Portillo and Copley be on top of their respective games.
Adding more complexity to the situation is the fact George has taken it upon himself to put his Owen Sound club on his back and essentially attempt to carry them into the playoffs. At the beginning of their 2024-25 season, everybody wrote them off, calling them a young, rebuilding team. Nobody really expected them to make the playoffs. Now, they’ll enter this weekend as one of four teams vying for three playoff spots up for grabs in the OHL’s Western Conference.
Owen Sound is preparing to play three straight nights, beginning this Friday, to close out their regular season. Expectations call for George to play in two of those three contests. Should the Attack qualify for the postseason, clearly that will delay George’s AHL arrival.
Should things not work out in Owen Sound’s favor, there could be some interesting decisions coming for Sturm and GM Rich Seeley as early as next Tuesday.
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