The day after the LA Kings signed five players to their NHL roster, they agreed to two-way contracts with four other players. These players may end up appearing in games for the LA Kings but more than likely will spend the season with the Ontario Reign at the AHL level.
One of those players is Cole Guttman, who is a forward who recently was apart of the Chicago Blackhawks organization. These are three things to know about one of the newest players to the LA Kings.
Cole Guttman was a sixth round pick and played at the University of Denver
Cole Guttman was drafted in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning however the two sides didn't reach an agreement on a contract prior to his rights expiring. At that point, Guttman would sign with the Chicago Blackhawks.
It is worth noting that Guttman played in the NCAA during this time period for the University of Denver, which has seen a number of LA Kings prospects come through the school. The Kings would draft two players this year who will be playing at the University of Denver in Kristian Epperson and Brendan McMorrow after having Jared Wright the past few seasons, who was a sixth round pick of the Kings in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Cole Guttman led the IceHogs in goals and assists last season
This past season might have been Guttman's best in the AHL after he had 23 goals and 34 assists for the IceHogs and led the team in both categories while also being named alternate captain.
Cole Guttman has had some time in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks
While he spent all of last season in the AHL, he has appeared in some NHL games. The Chicago Blackhawks would bring him up in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons and has played in 41 games in his career. During that stretch, he has eight goals and six assists, with two of the goals being power-play goals.
Cole Guttman should replace some of the scoring that will be missing without Samuel Fagemo
The LA Kings saw Samuel Fagemo leave this summer to sign with the Winnipeg Jets on a two-way deal and he was one of the top scorers for the Reign last season. The addition of Guttman should help fill some of the gap left with the departure of Fagemo.