Although their NHL parent club has already wrapped up their playoff seeding and is simply riding out the final stretch of regular season games this season, it’s a very different scene for AHL Ontario. With three games remaining on their slate, the Reign are very much in a tight playoff race among the top Pacific Division teams. They could finish anywhere from second to fourth, depending on what happens over the next few days.
As if that isn’t enough, coach Marco Sturm has slowly been working several Kings prospects into his lineup over the past two weeks — including goaltender Carter George, who had a shutout in the team’s most recent game on Saturday up in San Jose. He delivered one of the most memorable performances of the season, turning aside all 33 shots faced. The 18-year-old rookie goaltender had just joined Ontario a few days prior, fresh off a standout season in the OHL. He showed poise well beyond his years.
Now it’s time for three games in four nights to close out the regular season, all to be played at Toyota Arena.
Up first in this pivotal stretch is a matchup against the division-leading Colorado Eagles, presenting a prime opportunity for Ontario to make a statement ahead of the playoffs. While overtaking them for top seed may be out of reach (they could tie in points, but Ontario would lose out based on the tiebreaker), a strong showing against one of the AHL’s elite teams could provide a crucial momentum boost heading into this year’s postseason.
Thursday will be a day off, then Ontario faces San Diego on Friday. Closing out both the homestand and the regular season on Saturday, the Reign will host the Abbotsford Canucks —- a team they’re currently tied with in points, but who hold the ‘regulation wins’ tiebreaker over Sturm’s squad. With potential playoff seeding on the line, this matchup could determine who secures the coveted second or third spot in the Pacific Division.
Regardless of the outcome, the Reign have already secured home-ice advantage for at least the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Additionally, it was recently announced that up to two of those initial home games will be played at Crypto.com Arena, a great chance for future Kings to get their feet wet at the big house. We’ll have more on that in the days to come.
Turning to tonight’s contest, Sturm is expected to go with veteran Pheonix Copley between pipes. After entering the year as the team’s No. 1 netminder, he’s taken over the top role since Erik Portillo went down in mid-February. Copley is 2-2 in previous starts vs. the Eagles this season, including a victory at home just a few weeks ago.
Defensively, Kings prospects are expected to make up a good portion of the Ontario blueline tonight. Jakub Dvorak is slated to draw back in, joining Angus Booth and Otto Salin — who just made his AHL debut last weekend after signing an entry level contract and coming over from Finland.
However, the bigger news is what’s happening up front. Based upon alignment at practice this week, look for another top Kings prospect to make his professional debut in this contest. Indications are, forward Koehn Ziemmer will draw in on the third line. After training camp in September, Ziemmer returned to the WHL’s Prince George Cougars for his 2024-25 season. He impressed in his final year of junior hockey too, posting 71 points (37 goals, 34 assists) in 71 games. Tonight, he’s expected to get time on one of Ontario’s power play units — a testament to the trust the coaching staff already has in his offensive instincts.
Of course, this all comes as a precursor to next season, where he’ll be a full-time AHL player. Getting a power forward with his skill set at this time of the year could prove rather fruitful to Sturm and the Reign in the coming weeks.
We also have a few other notes to pass along:
— Booth made his return to action in the last game, pairing up with Salin. The duo worked seamlessly together, playing a key role in George’s shutout. We’re expect the defensive duo to remain a pairing in the lineup moving forward.
— It’s been mentioned time and again, but Martin Chromiak continues to ride a hot streak. The 22-year-old winger recorded a goal and an assist in the last game, bringing his total to 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) over his past 13 games. He appears to be heating up at just the right time.
— Forward Aatu Jamsen, who left the last game after taking a hit, will not dress for this one. It’s unclear at this time how long he’ll be out of action.
— Jared Wright is yet another Kings prospect to be on the lookout for this weekend. He won’t draw in tonight, but could be an option in one of the final two regular season games.
— Kings management is believed to be contemplating calling up one or two players for Thursday’s home game vs. the Calgary Flames. That could be a bit tricky for the Reign, as that is their only day off over the next four days. Even though Ontario is in the middle of a battle for playoff seeding, if Andre Lee and/or Franky Pinelli are recalled to the Kings, we wouldn’t expect them to then also play on Friday for the Reign. More on that to come soon, perhaps as early as later tonight.
REIGN PROJECTED LINEUP vs. EAGLES
Should there be any key changes during warmups, alignment below will be updated.
Hudon – Gawdin – Chromiak
Lee – Studnicka – Fagemo
Ward- Pinelli – Singleton
Element – Lawrence – Doty
Hicketts – Cecconi
Dvorak – Walsh
Booth – Salin
Copley
George
Other roster options include: (F) Jamsen, Olson, Singleton and (D) Millar, Rowe and (G) Ingham
Injured: (D) Krygier and (G) Portillo
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm Pacific Time and the game can be viewed on FloHockey. An audio only feed is also available on the ESPN LA app.
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