Bill Steicher- USA Today Sports
With the Los Angeles Kings‘ season over much earlier than expected, it’s time for the Kings to look towards the future as they retool this offseason. Veteran players such as Robyn Regehr and likely both Jarret Stoll and Justin Williams won’t be back, meaning there will be voids in the lineup for the first time in a while. One player who could fill a void in the future is 2014 first-rounder Adrian Kempe who won’t turn 19 until September.
After turning in a solid season with Modo in Sweden, Kempe took recently took his talents to North America to join the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs last week. Kempe has gone scoreless in three games in the AHL, but the experience he’s gained playing on smaller North American ice as opposed to Europe’s larger surface could prove to be invaluable. He’s also made a transition to left wing away from his usual center spot which, given the Kings’ makeup, will only work in his favor down the line. Having a versatile young forward who has held his own against older competition in the past is yet another reason why the Kings will recover from spending the postseason on the sidelines this year.
Despite all of this, I still think Kempe is a bit of a long-shot to make the Kings out of camp next season, but that’s not a bad thing. Playing the full season in North America next year and starting out in the minors will be great for Kempe’s long-term development, as at only 19 he’ll still be among the AHL’s youngest players and will be pushed in ways that playing against kids simply cannot.
As a bigger forward with great foot speed, there is a place in the Kings’ lineup for Kempe in the not too distant future. Playing in the AHL this season and again to at least open next year will be big stepping stones for the teenaged Swede as he looks to join what’s become an amazing nucleus in Los Angeles.
