The first draft for Ken Holland as general manager of the Los Angeles Kings was certainly notable, and the Kings would end up drafting nine players, the most since they drafted seven in the 2020 NHL Draft, and is the same total as the last two draft classes combined. Over the two days, the Kings would make three trades, as they traded back twice, along with one trade that sent Jordan Spence to the Ottawa Senators for two draft picks.
Entering this draft, there was certainly a need to improve the prospect pool, which was rather thin. While there were some questionable picks along the way, as a whole, this draft class has certainly achieved that. These are the grades for each draft selection made by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2025 NHL Draft.
The first trade that the Los Angeles Kings made was on Friday night when they moved from the 24th overall pick back seven spots in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. That trade would bring back the 31st overall pick along with a second-round pick, and at the time, the Kings didn't have a pick in that round as part of the Tanner Jeannot trade from last year.
When it was their turn to pick, the Kings would select defenseman Henry Brzustewicz, who looks like an excellent selection. He is a right-handed defenseman who addressed a major need and is a steady presence on the defense. There is room to grow in terms of his offensive skill set, but they didn't draft him for that, and if he develops that, it will only be a bonus.