LA Kings: Mid-season organization’s prospect rankings, the top five

Samuel Fagemo – 21 y/o – RW – 2019 Round 2 #50 overall

AHL – Ontario Reign – 19 GP-7G-5A-12P

Ever since being overlooked in the 2018 NHL Entry draft, Samuel Fagemo has played with a chip on his shoulder. That chip was never more evident than in the 2020 WJC when he led the tournament in goals and total points for his native Sweden.

After the long pause during the COVID pandemic, Fagemo was one of the few Kings prospects who were able to start earlier than most. He returned to Sweden, playing for Sodertalje SK in the HockeyAllsvenskan league, and kept up his goal-scoring abilities. After scoring six goals and five assists in 18 games played, he came back to North American to start his professional career in the AHL.

It was going to be interesting to see if Fagemo’s talented goal-scoring would translate to the smaller NA rinks, and so far, so good. Fagemo has led the Ontario Reign in goal scoring for pretty much the entire early part of the AHL season. As of right now, he is tied for the goal-scoring lead with fellow prospect Arthur Kaliyev, who looks poised to take that lead soon.

HockeyProspecting.com Player Comparison

Tony Ferrari Scouting Report

"“A winger that will fit like a glove in a team’s top-nine. Fagemo has a very good shot, elevates the puck in tight, and does a good job of maneuvering off-puck to get himself into a good scoring position. He is probably ready to get a taste of NHL action sooner rather than later. He is underrated as a passer as well, showing off some really fun creativity at times.”"

Watching Fagemo play, there’s one recently former LA King player that comes to mind, Tyler Toffoli. Much like Tyler, Fagemo just has that knack to put the puck in the net. He’s not as flashy as a Tyler Madden doesn’t have much top-end speed like a Rasmus Kupari or the size like a Quinton Byfield, but it’s his hockey IQ to put himself in a position to utilize that great shot to score.

It’s the intangibles that Fagemo possesses that puts him in the top three of my rankings. Not many players in the Kings prospect pool can join the NHL right now and produce, but Fagemo can.

I love watching that last Fagemo goal. Before the clip even starts, he is already thinking of heading straight to the net. Once he can establish his position, he notices the chance to make himself available just enough to give his teammates an outlet and time to get a quality shot off.  That is a goal-scorers goal.

He’s also a power-play force. While he might not have as powerful a shot as Arthur Kaliyev, it’s more accurate.

There’s no question in my mind that Samuel Fagemo should be up with the LA Kings right now. He would be a great fit on the right side for the struggling Gabe Vilardi, not only offensively but defensively as well.