Following a weekend series in Northern California just a few days ago — where the Reign and Barracuda split a two-game set — it will be more of the same on Tuesday night at Toyota Arena. For the third straight contest, Ontario and San Jose will square off in a battle of Pacific Division foes.
Technically speaking, this will serve as an early season rubber match between the two teams, as each California based club holds one victory over the other side. Things are beginning to heat up now, though. They’ll meet up a total of eight times in just over two months, capping off with a showdown on New Year’s Eve.
For the third installment coming up later tonight in the Inland Empire, we’re expecting a few lineup changes for Reign coach Andrew Lord. Look for Kings prospect Erik Portillo to get the call in net. Though overshadowed by Ontario’s offensive outburst on Friday, he was outstanding in that affair, stopping 36 of 37 shots.
Additionally, defenseman Angus Booth was a late scratch Saturday night. Coming off a knee injury sustained in training camp, it’s likely the coaching staff opted not to push him in the second half of the back-to-back this past weekend. We’re expecting the 21-year-old rearguard to draw back in for this one.
Meanwhile, fellow Kings prospect Otto Salin hasn’t played since Booth’s return last Wednesday. While nothing has been confirmed quite yet, he’s a good bet to see action tonight back on home ice. Further complicating the already crowded blueline situation, Kyle Burroughs cleared waivers and is now with the Reign, as well.
There are still some decisions to be made regarding who plays on the fourth line, with Jack Hughes potentially rotating in for Jacob Doty.
Ziemmer Gaining Traction
LA draft pick Koehn Ziemmer had to bide his time when Ontario’s 2025-26 campaign got underway. He was a healthy scratch for the team’s first five games and then has now played in three of the past four. Those were all on the road, which would make tonight his potential home debut this year.
During his time in the WHL the past few seasons, the 21-year-old forward split his time between right wing and center. In his first two games with the Reign this season Lord slotted him at RW4, only to move him over to LW4 for Saturday’s contest in San Jose. With few injuries on the roster, it was mainly just about the coaching staff trying to piece things together and give enough guys some playing time — something Lord believes Ziemmer is earning.
“His first two games were very good,” explained Ontario’s bench boss. “The game in Abbotsford, he really gave us a spark. He made some good individual efforts. I think he had five or six shots on goal. And then game two, that line of Hughes, Jamsen, and Ziemmer was really effective. They had two goals for, but then also some other chances. So, he’s doing well. It’s early days for him to contribute offensively like he’s done, with limited game time and time on ice is impressive. I think the most important thing in a young player’s season is that he’s just developing every day. He’s getting better through practice, through his details, learning the systems — all those things. He’s a great kid, as well. I’m really excited about where he’s at right now and where he’s going to go.”
What You May Have Missed
How and why Burroughs ended up in Ontario is explained here:
This Week’s Kings Prospect Tracker — Looking at all the top performances LINK
Kings Of The Podcast, Ep. 235 with Andrew Lord, New Reign Head Coach LINK
Reign Projected Lineup vs. Barracuda
If there are any key changes during pregame warmups, this article will be updated.
Ward – Gawdin – Chromiak
Pinelli – Thomas – Guttman
Lee – Connors – Wright
Jamsen – Hughes – Ziemmer
Hicketts – Millar
Kirsanov – Booth
Dvorak – Salin
Portillo
Copleyy
Likely scratches: (F) Doty and (D) Bolduc, Burroughs, Rego
Injured: Brown, Lawrence (month-to-month), Parker-Jones
Key Game Info
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and will be streamed via FloSports. Additionally, a Reign radio feed is available here.
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