Kings sign defenseman Otto Salin to three-year, entry-level contract

The LA Kings have signed defenseman Otto Salin to a three-year, entry-level contract, running through the 2027-28 season.

Salin was the team’s fifth-round pick at the 2022 NHL Draft and is now the second player from that draft class to sign an entry-level contract with the Kings, joining defenseman Angus Booth, who has had an impressive start to his professional career with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Salin profiles as a very different player than defenseman Jared Woolley, who signed his own entry-level contract last week. For the size and physicality that Woolley brings, Salin is known for his skating ability, his puck movement and ability to push the pace of a game.

Salin’s entry-level contract will kick in beginning next season. Salin could join the AHL’s Ontario Reign on a try-out basis between now and the end of the season as well, which would not start the contract.

Instant Analysis
Salin can skate. That was the top trait that led to the Kings opting to select him during the 2022 NHL Draft.

“Salin’s skating was the first thing that stood out,” Kings Director of Scouting Mark Yannetti said. “His skating is excellent. His skating allows him to get into situations and get out of them [both good and bad]. He has the ability to skate the puck up the ice and push the pace; that’s a great thing. That’s an ingredient you can’t add later down the line and you can always pull a guy back. The fact that [Salin] can skate himself in and out of trouble at this stage of his career is a good thing… and he has the ability to play more of controlled game.”

That quote came a couple of years ago closer to when Salin was drafted. Pretty clear he’s taken some strides forward since then as well. The skating is still at a very high level, but Yannetti’s thoughts on how he uses it was naturally an area to focus on. Sometimes you see that with elite skaters, who have always been better skaters than their competition. When in danger, at younger levels, your skating can always get you out of trouble. That’s not the case in the NHL for more than a few, high-end players.

Where Salin has taken a massive step forward this season is in the offensive side of his game. Salin is a player who has played against a higher level of competition, playing over the last couple of seasons at the professional level in Finland. Liiga is widely thought of as a higher-caliber professional league in Europe and Salin has been a regular at that level since the 2022-23 season. He’s increased his workload along the way from 27 games in 2022-23 to 44 games last season to 56 games this season. Along with the games played has come his offensive production. Salin had a very strong 2024-25 season at the offensive end, amassing 28 points (8-20-280 from 56 regular-season games, in addition to two goals and four points in five playoff contests. Among not just U-21 or U-23 playing in that league, but U-25 players, no defenseman had more points than Salin did. Pretty impressive for a 21-year-old

Looking ahead, Salin is certainly not imposing by size and that will be part of his challenge going forward. At 5-11, that’s something he will need to overcome to reach the NHL. It certainly can be done – see Jordan Spence – but on the blueline in particular, size still has value and you can’t teach size. Salin will have to rely on his skating ability, which is excellent, while continuing to round out the other areas of his game as he develops. The book from development camps that Salin has attended is a player who is well ahead of the curve offensively, but with a lot of work to do at the defensive end. That’s what the minor leagues are for. How his offensive game stacks up against higher-level and more physical competition, as well as what strides can he make defensively, will ultimately determine what his NHL upside is.

He’s not a player we should expect to make the jump immediately to the NHL and that’s the case for most. He’ll likely need some time in the AHL to develop and adjust, as was the case for other offensively-gifted defensive prospects the Kings have had recently in Spence, Brandt Clarke and Sean Durzi. He is, though, an intriguing prospect with that offensive upside from the blueline. that makes him one to keep an eye on going forward.

From the team’s official release –

Salin, 21, played in 56 games for TPS Turku of Liiga, Finland’s top professional hockey league, where he set career-marks in games played, goals (8), assists (20) and points (28) with 14 penalty minutes (PIM) and two game-winning goals. Salin’s 28 points placed seventh-most on TPS Turku and second among all team blueliners. He added a pair of goals and assists (2-2=4) in five postseason contests.

Selected by the Kings in the fifth round (148th-overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft, Salin has played parts of four seasons (2021-25) in Liiga split between TPS Turku and HIFK, accumulating 13 goals and 49 points (13-36=49) in 133 career regular-season games. The 5-11, 190-pound defenseman collected an additional eight points (2-6=8) in 22 career Liiga playoff games. Prior to joining Liiga, Salin skated in 30 games for HIFK of the U20 SM-sarja league, Finland’s premier junior league, tallying 22 points (7-15=22).

Internationally, the Helsinki native has represented Finland at three separate International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) tournaments, in the Under-18 Men’s World Junior Championship in 2022 (bronze) as well as the Men’s World Junior Championship in 2023 and 2024.