Roster Moves: Kings recall Fagemo & Spence, assign Andersson to Ontairo

It’s game day, Insiders! A few roster moves this morning that will impact this morning’s skate for the Kings.

The Kings have recalled forward Samuel Fagemo and defenseman Jordan Spence from the AHL’s Ontario Reign this morning. Additionally, the team has loaned forward Lias Andersson to Ontario.

To first present the landscape, the Kings are without forwards Alex Iafallo and Brendan Lemieux in the longer-term, meaning definitely not available to play tonight, as well as forward Gabe Vilardi in the short term, who could play tonight, but is not a definite. Andersson filled in on Sunday but was tasked with a very difficult situation. He had not played a game at any level in two weeks, but was asked to play on Saturday with Ontario and Sunday with the Kings. On the backend, the Kings have seven available options as of this writing, but do have an open roster spot available to them. Insert Spence, who has more than deserved at the very least an NHL paycheck through his early-season play with the Reign.

First on Spence, he’s certainly been pushing towards an NHL opportunity early in the season with AHL-Ontario. He found himself as one of the odd-men out after training camp, with his waiver-exempt status making him an easy player to assign to the AHL, with a glut of NHL-caliber defensemen at the organization’s disposal. Amongst defensemen, Spence ranks second in the AHL in assists and fourth in points, while skating on the team’s top defensive pairing and power-play unit, alongside Tobias Bjornfot. Spence was a bright spot when recalled last season, seamlessly fitting into the NHL game as he helped to fill the void created by numerous injuries on the blueline. Where he’s grown his game this year, as a sophomore, is on the defensive side of the puck. His offensive output clearly has not suffered, but he’s now being used on the penalty kill in Ontario and in the final minutes of games up a goal, situations that he wasn’t necessarily relied upon in last year. Reign Head Coach Marco Sturm called Spence an “NHL defenseman”, who the Reign were fortunate to have early in the season. More on Spence’s all-around growth from a few weeks back HERE. Now, he’ll get a chance to skate with the NHL club and see where things go.

For Fagemo, this will also be his first recall of the season. Fagemo was given an opportunity during training camp to skate with Phil Danault and Trevor Moore on the team’s second forward line, while Viktor Arvidsson recovered from offseason back surgery. Fagemo showcased himself well in that spot, generating three shots on goal from the lone preseason game he played where those statistics were recorded. Arvidsson was eventually able to go right out of camp, so the point was moot, but seeing Fagemo thought of in that manner showed how highly he is viewed by the coaching staff here. During his limited action last season, he saw a bit of time on Anze Kopitar’s line, with the 22-year-old forward bringing a high-caliber shot and offensive instincts with him. Frequently skating on Ontario’s top forward line, Fagemo has recovered in full from a minor, early-season injury and is scoring goals at a nearly identical rate to last season, on pace for 27 goals over the full season. Four of his six goals have been power-play goals, tied for tenth in the AHL. Should a Vilardi not be able to go, or the Kings just want a different look, Fagemo is a player who would make sense to plug onto the wing of a third or fourth line tonight.

Regarding Andersson, he made his season debut at the NHL level on Sunday against Ottawa. Andersson was thrown into a pretty difficult situation, as mentioned above with a lack of lead-up time, and entered into a game in which the Kings did not play well as a whole throughout the bulk of the first 40 minutes. By the time the team sorted things out, Andersson had just four shifts in the third period of a 2-2 game. At his best, Andersson has the ability to be a tenacious forechecker who can provide some energy and opportunities in a bottom-six role. He has the skill ton contribute offensively as well, as we’ve seen at points, and is a shootout specialist. Sometimes, that one shot may be the only one you get to remain in the lineup, however, in a league when each result matters and the Kings aren’t flowing smoothly as a group at 1-2-2 in their last 5 games. Todd McLellan touched on the concept of “pinch hitting” yesterday, found HERE. Andersson will re-join AHL-Ontario, where he’s been a first-line staple alongside Fagemo and center T.J. Tynan, with the Reign set to return to action on Friday.

The Kings are on the ice in about 90 minutes in El Segundo, for morning skate in advance of tonight’s rematch against Seattle. The Kraken have gotten the best of the Kings in two early-season meetings and the Kings will look to avoid dropping another two points within the division here tonight. More to follow following today’s skate!

From the team’s official release –

Andersson, 24, made his Kings season debut this past Sunday against the Ottawa Senators, going scoreless with one shot on goal in 8:37 of ice time. Through 12 AHL games this season, the 6-1, 185-pound forward has registered nine points (5-4=9) to rank third among all Reign skaters in goals (5) and fourth in both assists (4) and points (9). Last season, he appeared in 20 games for the Kings, tallying two points (1-1=2) and added six points (6-0=6) in four outings with the Reign. In 110 career NHL games, the Smogen, Sweden native has posted 17 points (7-10=17) and 57 PIM (penalty minutes) with the Kings and New York Rangers and added 71 points (32-39=71) in 105 AHL games with the Reign and Hartford Wolf Pack.

Fagemo, 22, has skated in 15 games with the Reign this season, earning eight points (6-2=8) to lead the club in goals (6) and power-play goals (4) while also ranking fifth in points. Last season, the 6-0, 200-pound forward made his NHL debut on Jan. 13 against Pittsburgh and appeared in four contests with the Kings. Selected by the Kings 50th overall in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft, the Goteborg, Sweden native has registered 70 points (43-27=70) with a plus-9 rating and 44 PIM in 110 career AHL games with Ontario.

Spence, 21, has appeared in all 17 games for the Reign this season, recording 16 points (1-15=16) to lead club defensemen in assists (15) and points (16) while ranking second among all team skaters in both categories. Among AHL defensemen leaders, the 5-10, 180-pound blueliner ranks second in assists and shots (58) and fourth in points. Spence made his NHL debut with the Kings last season, appearing in 24 games and earning eight points (2-6=8), while leading Kings rookie defensemen in time-on-ice per game (19:45). In his first professional season with the Reign in 2021-22, he posted 42 points (4-38=42) with a plus-18 rating and 28 PIM to lead AHL rookie defensemen in assists (38) and points (42) and earn AHL First All-Star Team and AHL All-Rookie Team honors.