Kings sign goaltender Hampton Slukynsky (three years) and forward Grant Slukynsky (one year) to entry-level contracts

The LA Kings have signed goaltender Hampton Slukynsky to a three-year, entry-level contract and forward Grant Slukynsky to a one-year entry-level contract, both beginning with the 2026-27 season. Both players have also signed professional try out agreements with the AHL’s Ontario Reign and will begin their respective professional careers at the AHL level, effective immediately.

Instant Analysis
Good stuff here for the Kings.

Let’s start with Hampton, who was a 2023 draft pick of the Kings.

By most evaluators, Hampton Slukynsky is a Top-3 prospect within the organization and he makes up one-third of the strongest facet of the organization’s pipeline – the goaltenders. Slukynsky, Carter George and Petteri Rimpinen are three legitimate NHL prospects in net and some evaluators would have Slukynsky as the top guy in the group, though I think that all three are exciting for the Kings organization, whatever order you rank them.

Slukynsky is a winner and he’s won at every level. In his first season after he was drafted by the Kings, he won the Clark Cup in the USHL with the Fargo Force. In his first collegiate season at Western Michigan, Slukynsky supplanted the existing starting goaltender and led his team to an NCAA championship last spring, earning a place on the All-Tournament Team in the process. While Slukynsky and Western Michigan fell short in the quarterfinals this season, he posted strong splits as a sophomore with a .915 save percentage and a 2.30 goals-against average during the 2025-26 season, as he played in 39 games, among the most in the nation among netminders.

Here’s a blurb from prospect analyst Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, who ranked Slukynsky as the second-best prospect in the Kings organization, only behind George.

Slukynsky is a lean goalie but has grown from 6-1 and 179 pounds in his draft year to 6-2 and about 185 pounds now. He’s a very smart, anticipatory goalie with legitimate quickness and mobility in the net. He stays square to shots and hits his spots early. He’s active and fast on his feet, athletic with good hands, sticks with shooters one-on-one, gets to his spots early and tracks well — most of the boxes you look for! He needs to get stronger to hold the crease better on jam plays, but that’s been my only criticism of his game.

In watching Slukynsky at development camp over the summer, he is not an imposing netminder with his size or stature, but while that is a non-negotiable for some, the Kings have had lots of success with “undersized” goaltenders. Don’t think it’s held him back in the slightest. He’s got a lot of really strong attributes and had he chosen to wait things out, he would have been an extremely hot commodity on the market if he played two more seasons of NCAA hockey.

There’s always that concern with college prospects, who can play four seasons at the NCAA level and can eventually become an unrestricted free agent at the end of their college careers. That the Kings were able to entice Slukynsky to sign right now is certainly a victory. Getting him into the facility now is a win as well, as it should allow him to spend time around the AHL club, getting comfortable with the staff and perhaps even get into some games down the stretch with the Reign. As we saw last season with George, he might be able to help the team win a game or two, but it’s also experience that will help him in the fall, when he’ll attend his first NHL training camp and begin his first, full NHL season. Happy for both sides to see the deal get done when it did. Hope that Slukynsky gets into a game or two at the AHL level and he should be around for a playoff run in one variety or another, whether that be as a third goaltender with the Kings or perhaps in a similar capacity with the Reign.

I’ll admit that I know far less about Grant, as he popped onto the radar for the first time over the summer, when he attended Kings development camp alongside his brother.

His play over the last two seasons at the collegiate level, though, has certainly stood out. He was over a point-per-game scorer as a junior with 40 points (10-30-40) in 39 games played, exceeding his breakout offensive season as a sophomore, when he collected 36 points. His 30 helpers were tied for the eighth-most in all of college hockey at the Division 1 level, making him one of the better playmakers in the NCAA. Grant Slukynsky began his career at Northern Michigan but transferred across the state to Western Michigan in advance of the 2024-25 season, with the Slukynsky brothers playing together. On route to the 2025 national championship, Slukynsky scored one of the biggest goals of the season, as he buried the game-winning goal in overtime against Minnesota State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, securing a 2-1 victory to advance to the quarterfinals. Three wins later, they were national champions.

Slukynsky is a good skater and isn’t short on size either, at 6-1, 205 pounds. Outside of development camp, haven’t gotten the chance to watch a ton of his games or learn a ton about the way he plays, but a scoring forward at the college level is never a bad shout for a team that needs prospects up front. Grant Slukynsky’s contract is shorter, because of his age, but the Kings have shown they are willing to give older prospects an opportunity, so if things work out, it’s the first one-year deal of more to come. Taylor Ward signed at a later age and is now playing NHL games. So, Slukynsky will get a chance at the AHL level and is under contract through next season as well. One to keep an eye one, perhaps at next season’s Rookie Faceoff, to see how he is able to make the jump to the professional ranks.

On the logistical front, neither player is “burning” a year off of their respective contracts. Both contracts start next season, 2026-27, and both players are on PTO’s to be immediately eligible for the AHL. There are a few ways to look at that choice, but both have taken this approach which is not that uncommon. So, both will have their contracts kick in next season and away we go!

From the team’s official release –

Hampton Slukynsky, 20, recently completed his sophomore season of college hockey at Western Michigan University (NCHC), where he played in all 39 games and posted an NCAA-best 27 wins as part of his 27-11-1 record with a 2.30 goals-against average (GAA), .915 save percentage (SV%) and four shutouts. His 2,352 minutes of time-on-ice (TOI) and four shutouts ranked second and tied for third, respectively, among all collegiate netminders and was one of two to start in all 24 NCHC conference games. Slukynsky earned NCHC Second All-Star Team and Three Stars Award honors while also being named a five-time conference Goaltender of the Week and the January Goaltender of the Month.

The 6-2, 185-pound netminder made his collegiate debut in 2024-25, recording a 19-5-1 record with a 1.90 GAA, .922 SV% and one shutout in 25 games to guide the Western Michigan Broncos to their first NCHC conference regular season and NCHC tournament championships, Frozen Four appearance, and NCAA National Championship in program history. As a freshman, Hampton earned multiple recognitions, including the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team, NCHC All-Rookie Team and Second All-Star Team honors, and was named a finalist for the NCHC Goaltender of the Year.

Selected by the Kings in the fourth round (118th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft, Slukynsky played one season of junior hockey with the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he accumulated a 28-3-0 record in 33 games while leading the league in wins (28), GAA (1.86), SV % (.923%) and shutouts (5). Honored as the USHL’s Goaltender of the Year and named to the league’s First All-Star Team, Slukynsky appeared in 12 Clark Cup Playoff games, going 9-3-0 with a 1.69 GAA and .931 SV% to lead the Force to their second Clark Cup Championship in franchise history.

Internationally, the Warroad, Minn., native represented the United States at three International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) tournaments, including the 2025 Men’s World Championship, 2025 Men’s World Junior Championship and 2023 Men’s Under-18 World Championship where he helped the U.S. claim gold medals in all three tournaments.

Grant Slukynsky, 24, finished his third season of collegiate hockey, and second with Western Michigan, where he notched 10 goals and 40 points (10-30=40) in 39 games, including 97 shots, a +15 rating and eight penalty minutes (PIM). Both his 30 helpers and 40 points led all Broncos skaters while they placed third and eighth, respectively, among all NCAA centers. Slukynsky is the fourth Western Michigan skater in the last 20 years to post a 30-assist campaign and was named to the NCHC’s Third All-Star Team as a result of his efforts.

The 6-1, 200-pound forward tallied 36 points (10-26=36), including a team-best 26 assists, over 42 games in his first year with the Brocnos in 2024-25. In his debut campaign, Grant joined his brother, Hampton, in guiding the Broncos to their first NCHC tournament championship, Frozen Four appearance and NCAA National Championship in program history. The Warroad, Minn. native made his collegiate debut with Northern Michigan University (CCHA) in 2023-24, finishing the year with six goals and nine points (6-3=9) in 34 games.

Prior to joining the college ranks, Slukynsky played parts of four seasons of junior hockey split between the Sioux City Musketeers (2021-23) and Fargo Force (2019-21) of the USHL. In 2021-22, he scored nine goals and 29 points (9-20=29), including five points (1-4=5) in 10 postseason contests to win the Clark Cup. In his final junior season, Slukynsky registered 48 points (21-27=48) in 61 games.