Similar to last summer, Kings GM Ken Holland went shopping on July 1, adding players for both his NHL squad and a few reinforcements expected to start the season in AHL Ontario. That list included forwards Mats Zuccarello and Erik Haula, as well as defenseman Erik Gustafsson.

Confirmed pic.twitter.com/nLrkvdgPd8

— The Mayor | John Hoven (@mayorNHL) July 18, 2026

Zuccarello and Haula were pretty much known from the beginning. Both players had already acknowledged as such — and why not, it’s what they’ve primarily worn throughout their careers, plus both were available. For those interested in a little history, No. 36 has been worn eight times previously in LA, most often by goaltenders (including Daniel Berthiaume and Jack Campbell). However, the last time a player wore 36 for the Kings, it was TJ Tynan for a pair of games in December 2021.

As for Haula’s No. 56, it’s only been worn four times, including by Kurtis MacDermid. The very first player in franchise history to use 56 was Brent Thompson in 1992. Although he was the Kings top selection at the 1989 NHL Draft — a class that also included Jim Hiller being selected by LA in the 10th round (yes, back then there were actually 12 rounds) — only the most diehard fans would probably remember Thompson the player. He only laced up the skates for 81 games in Los Angeles. He went on to have a fine career in coaching, though; serving behind the bench in the ECHL, AHL, and NHL. He even won a Kelly Cup championship with the Alaska Aces in 2011.

Corey Perry (back for his second tour of duty) is going with No. 90 in a bit of a surprising move. Of course, he wore No. 10 with LA last season before being moved to Tampa Bay at the Trade Deadline. After leaving Anaheim, the former Stanley Cup champion wore either 10 or 94 exclusively — with the latter being his favorite number from his junior days in London. That all changed once he landed in Edmonton, where 94 was off limits, believed to be for an eventual retirement of Ryan Smyth’s number. This led to Perry going with 90 as an Oiler, a compromise / combination of his two favorite numbers.

Perry will become the first player to ever wear No. 90 with the Kings. Ironically, if he had gone with 94, he’d have become only the second player to wear it in LA. The other one? Smyth in 2010-11.

Building upon the above information, the team officially announced several other jersey numbers, as well.

New season, new numbers pic.twitter.com/9HfPuOlHzD

— LA Kings (@LAKings) July 18, 2026

While several of the additional names listed are expected to be in Ontario, Jared Wright is worth noting. Although he’s expected to be on the NHL roster at some point, the Kings currently have at least one extra forward to contend with when they try to get down to a maximum of 23 players before opening night. More on that here:

FIRST LOOK: LA Kings 2026-27 Line Combos, Plus Salary Cap Outlook After July 1 Signings

After debuting in No. 53 last season (a number also worn with the Kings by fellow Denver Univ. alum Jeff Giuliano back in 2006), Wright has opted to go with No. 25 moving forward. What makes this a tad interesting is his two previous numbers, 18 at Denver and No. 20 from the USHL, were already retired in LA.

In the end, Wright went with No. 25 because Logan O’Connor wears 25 for the Avalanche. The Colorado forward also went to DU and the two met when Wright initially went on his college recruiting trip. He’s sort of looked up to his fellow Pios alum ever since, even though they’ve never played together, as O’Connor was already up in the NHL by the time Wright started playing college hockey in 2022.

If you missed it… Wright has many other great stories — including shedding a tear, his odd dinner choices, as well as various nicknames like Jerry, Wrighter, Jerr-Bear, etc. — check out more with the speedy young Kings forward during his KOTP appearance from last November here.

Speaking of No. 25 and the podcast, here’s a fun little trivia note: Four players who have previously worn the number with the Kings have been guests on KOTP. That list includes Eric Belanger, Dustin Penner, Jim Thompson, and Noah Clarke.

Anze Kopitar

As sort of an add-on to the info about next season, we thought we’d include some other quasi-jersey number information in this article. Several people have asked us about a possible date for Kopitar’s jersey retirement night.

We’ve looked into this over the past few weeks, and from what we’ve been able to gather via multiple sources, this doesn’t appear to be happening in the 2026-27 season. While we’ve been told nothing has been planned as of now, these types of things have usually been on the books for six months or longer. So, could something still be added to the second half of next season? Sure, it’s possible. However, at this time, it looks like it probably will be something for later down the road.

Obviously, it’s going to happen at some point. There’s no question about that; none whatsoever. We’d even assume there will be a statue outside the arena going up someday. No, those two things don’t have to occur at the same time. There’s also his eventual inclusion in the Hockey Hall of Fame that will be recognized. For now, the Kopitar family are making final preparations for their move out of the South Bay and back to Slovenia. And if you follow them on social media, you’ll see just how busy LA’s former captain has been adjusting to his new role as dad.

MORE LA KINGS NEWS:

UPDATE: LA Kings New Purple Jersey Coming Next Season – More Notes and Mock-Ups

5 Things We Learned From Ken Holland’s Free Agency Availability

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Summer often brings a little bit of down time, but certainly not in the hockey world. It’s been a busy few weeks and Kings Of The Podcast returns with all new episode to discuss what’s been going on. In addition to about an hour full of LA-related topics, a special surprise guest will stop by during the second period. The fellas will welcome in Clipboard Guy — yes, the infamous fan who made this year’s NHL Entry Draft broadcast.

During the show, co-hosts John Hoven and Dennis Bernstein will touch on items such as:

— NHL offseason strategy and signings
— Kings roster and lineup analysis
— Player contract structures and bonuses
— Trade rumors and league-wide player movement
— Draft coverage and future prospects

This article also accompanies the conversation:

FIRST LOOK: LA Kings 2026-27 Line Combos, Plus Salary Cap Outlook After July 1 Signings

Listen to this KOTP episode for free using the audio player below or find a full catalog of past shows on all the major podcast platforms, including: Spotify, iHeart Radio, Apple Podcast, Tune In, etc.

Graphic created by ALoImages

Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please remember to include a link to www.MayorsManor.com

MORE LA KINGS NEWS:

Reign Recap: Kenny Connors’ Gordie Fuels Win Over Condors

Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please remember to include a link to www.MayorsManor.com

Beyond winning their first Pacific Division title in over a decade, what else happened during Ontario’s 2026-26 AHL season? In the video below, check out their top 10 moments, as curated by the Reign digital team:

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Reign Claim AHL Pacific Division Title with Win in Coachella Valley

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Although scouts Mark Yannetti and Christian Ruuttu were already on board with the player — having selected him with pick No. 19 at last month’s NHL Entry Draft — more of the organization recently had an opportunity to see the 6-foot-1 Swede up close at Development Camp in LA.

He didn’t disappoint either, being highly visible in the afternoon scrimmages. As noted at the time, his vision and puck skills stood out; showing an ability to slow plays down, identify passing lanes, and create offense in tight areas.

Comfortable on both the left and right sides, Hermansson also had no problem naming some big-time NHL players as influences on his game, including Kings forward Artemi Panarin.

“I just like how he plays,” the future Kings hopeful said. “I love how [William] Nylander plays too; so I would say those two, Panarin and Nylander. But I think skating-wise, shooting-wise, and stickhandling, I’m pretty similar to Panarin. He had been my choice before [the Kings drafted me]. Some people told me about the comparison, then I watched him, and I agree.”

It proved to be an action-packed week for Hermansson. In addition to the on-ice practices with LA’s development staff and three scrimmages, he also took part in a field trip to Crypto.com Arena.

“That was such a cool experience; you get another perspective — you know, [this is] where you want to play one day,” he shared with Mayor’s Manor.

A previous hockey tournament had brought him to Florida a few years ago, so Hermansson was a rare European prospect who had already been to an NHL game. Yet there was nothing like sitting there dreaming of what the future could hold after spending the week at the Kings’ training facility in El Segundo.

“It was just a great experience,” he shared. “You get to know a lot of new guys, new faces, all the staff here. And just being in LA — that’s a great experience too. So, there’s a lot of stuff I’m going to take with me.”

He also felt like he made deep connections with at least two of the Kings development coaches.

“I liked both Mel [Mike Donnelly] and [Jarret] Stoll,” he noted. “I’m looking forward to working with them more in the future.”

Never one to shy away from a question, Hermansson went on to reveal which other prospects he believed he’d formed a quick bond with.

“Liam [Lefebvre], I talked with him a lot. And number 68 [Brzustewicz], he’s a great guy. And the goalie, [Carter] George.”

What a team-first approach; spreading the love around and naming a forward, defenseman, and a goalie.

Before the hype train gathers more steam, though, let’s attempt to set some realistic expectations. Hermansson will not attend Kings training camp in September, and is scheduled to play with MoDo in HockeyAllsvenskan for the 2026-27 season.

“It’s a perfect place, playing big minutes against men in the second division there,” shared Yannetti. “There’s a history of guys going back to the Allsvenskan and being pretty good — Oliver Ekman-Larsson springs to mind. The development situations in Europe are all really good.”

So why sign him now then? These situations usually boil down to control. When a player signs an ELC, the NHL team holding that contract more or less dictates where the player goes. Yes, there are some details that may limit where they can assign a player (i.e. CHL and AHL rules). However, generally speaking, it’s the NHL club that is in charge and that’s typically the primary motivator from a club perspective. There’s also a little bit of signing bonus money available to a player on an ELC, no more than 10 percent of the total contract value.

The three-year portion of the deal won’t kick in right away, so his 2026-27 season will ‘slide’ — meaning it won’t count against the term.

In this specific case, as a first-round selection out of Europe, Hermansson is eligible to play in the AHL this coming season. That’s just not the plan, for reasons noted above.

Even so, he is expected back in North America later this month and then again in December — it just won’t be with the Kings or one of their affiliates. He’ll join Team Sweden at the Summer Showcase in a few weeks, where he’ll have a chance to play against Brzustewicz again (repping Team USA). Then, he should return to represent his home country at the World Juniors in Edmonton beginning in December.

Additional notes from the team’s press release:

Selected by the Kings 19th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, Hermansson spent the majority of the 2025-26 season with MoDo Hockey of HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league, where he recorded 11 goals and 21 points (11-10=21) in 38 games with a +9 rating and 22 penalty minutes (PIM). The 6-1, 180-pound forward also appeared in 13 games for MoDo Hockey U20 in U20 Nationell, Sweden’s top junior hockey league, posting nine points (3-6=9) in 13 games. Prior to joining MoDo, Hermansson notched 17 goals and 36 points (17-19=36) in 41 games with Orebro HK Jr. (U20 Nationell) in 2024-25.

Internationally, the Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, native represented his home country at the 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Men’s Under-18 World Championships where he recorded a tournament-best 12 points (4-8=12) in seven games to earn a gold medal. As part of his efforts, Hermansson was selected as the tournament’s All-Star Team and named Best Forward.

For more on Hermansson pre- and post-Draft, be sure to check out the articles linked below.

Follow @mayorsmanor

MORE LA KINGS NEWS:

Predictions: LA Kings Selections at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft

LA Kings Select Elton Hermansson at No. 19 – What You Need to Know

10 Tidbits: Kings 2026 Dev Camp, Day 2

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With another AHL season in the books, it’s time to look back on some Reign highlights from 2026-26. In the video below, watch the Top 5 saves from Ontario’s 2025-26 season:

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Reign Recap: Portillo Earns First Shutout in Nearly Two Years for Ontario

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It’s been about six weeks since our initial article discussing the Kings new purple jersey that’s expected to launch in September/October. Of course, this is all part of a league-wide jersey program coming for the NHL’s 2026-27 season — something expected to be marketed as a Hometown Remix (HTR) collection.

Although we had confirmed the shell being purple in advance of that report, the crest and stripping was still very much in question. Soon after that article was released though, several sources told us the idea of a Burger King remix was not in the cards. We never really believed it was a viable candidate [ed. note: from that article – “We usually avoid all reference to the 1996 monstrosity that stretches the bounds of the ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ saying.”]. However, given fans ask about it whenever a new jersey is in the works, we included a handful of possible mockups, because, why not.

Now back to reality.

We previously went into the methodology of which of the five Kings’ jersey eras was most likely to be remixed, and why… it’s here if you’re so inclined to read the context.

Cutting to the short of it, there are likely three options on the table — the crown, the chevron, and the 2000-era shield, which we summarized in the aforementioned article.

This brought us to a few different ideas, and some fine-tuning based upon additional intel over the past month. Thus, it was time for our designer at ALoImages to head back into the lab and go to work again.

We started this phase with putting a little white into our mockups, as that idea wasn’t really explored much in Round 1.

Upon sharing it with some of our sources, we were told no — go back to putting some black in there, tone down or remove the white trim. Various iterations of shields and crests then led us to these mockups:

We were then told that although getting rid of some white is a good idea, there needs to be some gold in there, as the jersey will likely feature some — just as it was in the two Reverse Retro jerseys. No problem, here ya go.

At this point, we were getting signals that the crown was out — fine by us, as we were going to further dial in on the 1988 crest anyway. We appeared to be on the correct path with this jersey shown in one of the trios above:

Minus one key detail.

Then came some interesting news today from DJ Bean of the What Chaos podcast. He has heard — or seen — that LA’s new jersey will actually include black, in addition to the purple and gold, which leads to something like this:

Which then gets converted to a more realistic version…

So, there you have it. All the latest jersey news wrapped up into the images above. We’ll produce a Round 3 later this summer as more intel continues to roll in. Until then, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for all the social media debates. After all, that’s the best part of new jerseys being released.

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Note to webmasters/reporters: When recapping news or interviews from this site please remember to include a link to www.MayorsManor.com