A look at goaltenders Hampton Slukynsky & Carter George, both Kings development camp veterans, and their return to camp

If there’s an area of the LA Kings prospect pool that remains incredibly stocked it’s between the pipes.

With Erik Portillo already in the professional ranks, working his way back from an injury that cost him the final couple of months of last season, a pair of young goaltenders – Hampton Slukynsky and Carter George – bring a ton of potential and promise in the pipeline. Portillo has aged out of development camp so we’ll see him next come main camp in the fall, but Slukynsky and George are both on the ice this week in El Segundo, coming off of very different yet equally impressive seasons.

For Slukynsky, he was one of the most accomplished players in hockey this past season. He first won a gold medal with Team USA at the World Junior Championships before he led Western Michigan University to an NCAA National Championship. Slukynsky began the season splitting starts but ultimately claimed the starting role in the second half of the season, posting 10 goals saved above expected along the way during the regular season.

Slukynsky then finished his season in a reserve role, a terrific learning experience, as he was a part of the senior men’s national team that won a gold medal at the IIHF World Championships in May. He worked alongside NHL veterans Jeremy Swayman and Joey Daccord, an experience that meant a lot to him.

“It was unreal, it was a great experience for be with 23, 24 NHL players for a whole month,” he said of the World Championships. “Just to be able to talk to them, hear their stories on what they’ve been through in their career, I learned so much from them. It was really cool. I enjoyed every second over there and I was very fortunate to be able to have done that.”

Quite the list of accomplishments.

Slukynsky is now two years removed from being selected in the 2023 NHL Draft and has won just about everything you could in that time. In his first year, he won the Clark Cup in the USHL with Fargo and was named as the USHL’s Goaltender of the Year, along with a place on the USHL First All-Star Team. Last season, he was named to the All-Tournament team at the NCAA Tournament and was named as Western Michigan’s Rookie of the Year for a strong debut college season.

Exhale.

As he enters his third development camp, Slukynsky seems to feel more comfortable than he did say the first time around. He’s worked with Bill Ranford and the Kings goaltending department at length over the last few summers so he’s familiar with what’s being said and the people who he’s working with. He’s here with a pretty singular goal of improving and taking that back with him to Western Michigan, where he’s set to play as a sophomore come the fall.

“I think just to continue to get better, build off the last couple of years,” he said. “This is my third time here so I’m pretty comfortable with everyone and I know how everything works. Just trying to go out there and continue to improve. I think every time I come here, I get more and more comfortable at this level. Just continue to keep getting better.”

Gary A. Vasquez/Los Angeles Kings

For Carter George, his season was not filled with the trophies and medals that Slukynsky’s was.

George was part of a very young Owen Sound Attack squad that, by all accounts, was set to contend for the first-overall pick in the OHL Draft, awarded to the team that finishes last in the regular season. Enter George and that team qualified for the OHL Playoffs, behind a stellar individual season. No goaltender in the NHL faced a higher number of expected goals. George posted an absolutely ridiculous 48.7 goals saved above expected, per Sport LOGIQ, which was the best number in the OHL. For reference, Connor Hellebuyck was the only goaltender in the NHL above 40 this past season. Hard to imagine there would be too many better seasons in that metric across the hockey world, regardless of league.

George willed his team into the playoffs, at some times single handedly, and in doing so he and his teammates reached an important goal for the group.

“For me, I think it was a good development year,” he said. “Obviously our team wasn’t rated very high, but as a group, we made it to playoffs. For me and for our team, that was huge. I think for myself, personally, it was stepping into a leadership role, learning how to handle myself as a leader in the room, having a voice for myself, trying to help younger guys out with the experiences I’ve had throughout my career. That was the biggest thing for me.”

On the international stage, George was the starting goaltender for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. He led the tournament with a .936 save percentage and two shutouts, allowing just seven goals over four games played. George and Canada fell short, bowing out of the tournament in the quarterfinals, but a strong showing individually for a player who is expected to be the starter again this winter, potentially alongside fellow Kings prospect Liam Greentree.

George ended his season in the AHL, making two appearances with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. He won both of his starts, including a 33-save shutout in his professional debut, allowing just one goal in total over his two games played. A great way to end the season.

Now, George is in development camp for the second time with the Kings, after he made his camp debut last summer immediately after he was drafted in the second round. He’s more comfortable now in Year 2, similar to what Slukynsky said, and he’s trying to use this week as a part of his summer training, geared towards getting better for the season to come back in Owen Sound.

“For me, it’s just about learning, learning new things from the goalie coaches out there and taking in as much as I can from this experience,” George said. “Learning from the other guys around here, I think that’s the biggest thing for me, just to take that into the summer time and work on it.”

Gary A. Vasquez/Los Angeles Kings

Look for both goaltenders to play in camp scrimmages this afternoon and tomorrow morning. On Day 1, the pair were on the same team but it wouldn’t be surprising to see them play against each other as well, to get the true feeling of competition between two of the best prospects within the system for the Kings.