The Los Angeles Kings had to be a winner from what they accomplished on Friday night in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft. Especially if their selection, Henry Brzustewicz, can have the same impact as the player he models his career after, Alex Pietrangelo.
The Kings would select Brzustewicz with the 31st overall pick after trading back from their original selection of 24th. They would make the trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins while picking up an extra second-round pick that they will use later today.
It seems like Brzustewicz was the player they wanted all along, so the fact that they were able to get an extra pick makes this a win. For the Kings, it is easy to see why Brzustewicz was the player they were targeting based on what he has been able to do the past two seasons with the London Knights.
After the selection, according to Jared Shafran, Brzustewicz said, "he tries to be a two-way, puck-moving defender with physicality that can jump up and add offense when needed." The Kings certainly can use that on the right side of their defense, as they are pretty thin for that position in their prospect pool.
Henry Brzustewicz tries to play like LA Kings division rival defenseman Alex Pietrangelo
During that press conference, Henry Brzustewicz said he tries to play like Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. If he can have a similar career to Pietrangelo, it will only make this trade and pick even better.
Pietrangelo has played in 1,087 regular-season games between the St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights while averaging over 24 minutes of ice time per game. He is a three-time All-Star while also winning the Stanley Cup twice (once with the Blues and once with the Golden Knights). During the Stanley Cup run with the Blues, Pietrangelo would actually lead the league in assists with 16 in 26 games.
That is certainly what the Kings would love to see from Brzustewicz, who primarily will be a solid part of their defense and a Top 4 defenseman. However, a player who can add something on offense as well, particularly on the power play, where Pietrangelo has been a force with 154 career power-play assists.
This has been a great start for Ken Holland as general manager with Los Angeles Kings and he will look to keep that momentum going into Day 2.