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The Los Angeles Kings have made it to the playoffs for four straight years, falling in the first round to the Edmonton Oilers in each of those seasons. This led to the Kings parting ways with general manager Rob Blake and hiring Ken Holland. The new general manager would make a flurry of moves and also make his first draft picks with the franchise. They would own nine picks overall, including three in the top 100 of the 2025 NHL Draft.
The Kings have had mixed success in recent draft classes. While many prior picks have had success in the NHL, many of the picks are no longer with the team, such as 2015 second-rounder Erik Cernak and 2017 first-rounder Gabriel Vilardi. They do have some pieces on the roster that were former picks of LA. This includes 2005 first-rounder Anze Kopitar, 2008 selection Drew Doughty, 2014 selection Adrian Kempe, and 2020 selection Quinton Byfield.
The new Kings GM has a history of making amazing draft picks. When with the Detroit Red Wings, he selected players such as Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, and Dylan Larkin. Many of those picks were also outside of the first round of the draft. Holland did not have the same success in his time as the Edmonton Oilers' GM, but did draft Dylan Holloway and other major pieces to their farm system. In his first draft with LA, he would make selections in each round, and this is how they grade out.
Henry Brzustewicz joins the Kings in 1st round
Through a series of trades, Los Angeles would select 31st in the 2025 Draft. They selected a defenseman out of the OHL, Henry Brzustewicz. He was projected as a potential first-round pick this year. The 18-year-old from Michigan has played the last two seasons with the London Knights of the OHL. In his first season with the Knights, he played 52 games with the team, scoring two goals and adding four assists. The blue liner would break out last season, scoring 10 goals and adding 32 assists. He is a solid offensive player from the blue line, who has great speed and skates well.
While Brzustewicz has a solid shot, he is also a pass-first type of player. He is also a major player on the powerplay. His defense still needs some work, especially in overall defensive awareness and closing passing lanes. Still, this is a low-risk selection that should at least land them a bottom-four defensive player of the future.
Los Angeles adds a forward in the 2nd round
The Kings would use their second selection of the night on Vojtech Cihar, a forward out of the Czech Extraliga. He was projected as an early-third-round pick and is coming off a solid year. He played in 43 games with HC Energie Karlovy Vary, scoring four goals with five assists. Still, in Czechia U18 competition, he was much better, scoring six goals with six assists in 15 games.
The most attractive part of his game is his versatility. While the Czech forward has shown the most production playing on the left wing, he can play center and right wing. He has good speed and works hard. Still, he has not shown a ton of offensive productivity and has struggled on defense at times. He projects out to be a middle-six forward in the NHL, but may have been a slight reach in the late-second round.
The Kings select Kristian Epperson in the third round
With the 88th overall selection in the draft, Los Angeles selected Kristian Epperson. He is in his second year being draft-eligible. After spending two seasons with the USNTDP Juniors, he would join the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL. He took a massive step forward in the OHL last season. Epperson scored 27 goals with 53 assists in just 58 games with the Spirit. The American-born forward made massive strides over the past season and showed a new side to his defensive game that had been lacking.
He is a solid playmaker who has great IQ and passing abilities. Further, the forward will continue to develop playing for the University of Denver next season. He will need to work on protecting himself when in vulnerable positions and controlling his stick when making a play for the puck. If this happens, the Kings got a steal in the third round of the draft.
The rest of the draft and final Los Angeles Kings' draft grade
The Kings would select twice in the fourth round of the draft, starting with the fourth round selection of Caeden Herrington, a defenseman out of the USHL. He was the second right-side defender that the team took in the draft. He spent last year playing with the Lincoln Stars, scoring 34 points in 56 games with the team, and will be heading to the University of Vermont next year. The American-born blueliner saw his offensive skill take off in 2024-25. He has all the base tools to be a solid two-way defender and was big on the powerplay. While he does not have the same upside as Brzustewicz, he could make it to the NHL as a bottom-four defender.
With their second pick of the fourth round, the Kings selected Jimmy Lombardi, a center out of Canada. He has spent the last two years playing for the Flint Firebirds of the OHL. After scoring 20 points in 62 games in 2023-24, he would put up 45 points this past campaign. He has solid vision and can play on both the powerplay and the penalty kill. Lombardi is also strong on both ends of the ice. He does have inconsistencies, though, and both his offensive and defensive play can go into prolonged cold streaks. Regardless, his tools make him a player who could see playing time in the NHL.
Los Angeles would select a goaltender in the fifth round of the draft. This was the third time in this draft that the team selected someone in their second year of draft eligibility, as the team picked Petteri Rimpinen. The Finnish goaltender played in the professional league in Finland this year, playing with Kiekko-Espoo. He was solid, playing in 40 games with a 2.35 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. The netminder has great reflexes and is solid with his glove. He is on the smaller side for a goaltender. Still, his raw skill gives him NHL potential, which is great for a fifth-round draft pick.
In the sixth round, the Kings selected Jan Chovan. After spending time in his native Slovakia, he will be moving to the OHL to play for the Sudbury Wolves next season. Still, his work with the Tappara U20 team should give credence to his selection. In 39 games at the new level, he scored 11 goals and added 12 assists. He has a solid defensive presence, but can be overly aggressive. This leads to some unnecessary turnovers or penalties at times.
Los Angeles would make two selections in the seventh round, with one forward and one blueliner. The first selection was Brendan McMorrow out of the United States. He played for the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL. He would score 24 goals last year, tying him for 14th in the USHL. The forward moves well and was solid on the power play last year. Overall, he has a great shot, but is not an elite passer, nor does he skate well. If he can add to his high-level shooting, he could be an NHL prospect.
Their final selection in the draft was William Sharpe out of Canada. He is seen as a strong skater and great passer, finding hidden passing lanes and making moves in the open ice. Still, he is a blue liner and his primary job is defense. He is often inconsistent on the defensive end and gets pulled out of position regularly. While he does have a good offensive game, he tries to do too much at times, forcing plays and getting beaten on defense. Being a seventh-round pick, this was a low-risk selection, with someone who has the upside similar to a fourth or fifth rounder. Most likely, he will not make it to the NHL, though.
The Kings had a solid draft overall. They took some players who were in their second year of draft eligibility, and may have picked up some gems with them. They also added a lot of depth that could turn into NHL talent in the middle rounds. The team may have reached on Cihar, and the late round picks are longshots to ever see NHL action, but with a few years of development, there could be some surprises. Still, Holland did a solid job in his first draft with the Kings in 2025.
The Kings' best draft pick: Kristian Epperson, Third Round, 88th overall
The Kings' worst draft pick: Vojtech Cihar, Second Round, 59th overall
Final grade for the Los Angeles Kings' NHL Draft: B-
