As we enter the halfway mark of the Conference Finals, the shift to the offseason and everything that comes with that is right around the corner. One of those things is the NHL Draft, which is set to take place in Los Angeles at the Peacock Theater on June 27 and 28.
Related Link: 2025 NHL Draft Guide
For the Los Angeles Kings, the offseason has once again come earlier than they would have liked, and with that, they brought in general manager Ken Holland just in time for him to gear up and prepare for the draft, which will be his first major task as newly-hired GM.
With Brandt Clarke and Alex Turcotte taking that next step this past season and finding themselves with full-time NHL roles, the Kings’ prospect pool is looking a bit light, with Liam Greentree — the captain of the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League for the past two seasons — being the only first-round pick in the Kings’ pipeline at the moment. However, the good news for the Kings is that they currently have their first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. With that in mind, although the possibility that the Kings trade their first-round pick is still there, let’s take a look at a few players they could be targeting with the 24th-overall pick.
Cullen Potter, C/LW, Arizona State Sun Devils (NCAA)
Starting his collegiate hockey career with the Arizona State Sun Devils a year early at 17 years old, Cullen Potter is a standout in this year’s draft. Standing at just 5-foot-9, Potter is on the smaller side, but his exceptional skating, elite puck-handling, and outright ability to create quality chances off the rush make him a dangerous player any team would love to add. Projected to be selected anywhere from 12th to 25th overall, there’s no telling where he will land, other than the fact that it will be somewhere in the first round. Creative, offensively gifted players are exactly what the Kings should be targeting in the first round, and if Potter is available when they select at 24, he should be No. 1 on the list.
Quotables:
“Best-skating forward in this age group by a margin, Potter is a small but talented and extremely fast player who uses his electric speed to put defenders on their heels, back them off, create opportunistic chances, get out in transition, and jump onto loose pucks.” – Scott Wheeler, (from ‘2025 NHL Draft prospects,’ The Athletic, March 25, 2025)
“Potter may be the most singularly skilled player in…
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