The Los Angeles Kings have consistency and stability with the goaltender depth situation with the Ontario Reign, with the AHL affiliate going into the upcoming 2025-26 season in the West. Ontario has the same two goalies on the projected depth chart roster for the upcoming season in the AHL for 2025-26 that the Reign had this past campaign.
Erik Portillo and Pheonix Copley will be the same two goaltenders for the Reign going into the 2025-26 season. The former of those two goalies for the Reign, Portillo, hit some speed bumps this past season in Ontario in the AHL after putting up very impressive numbers between the pipes in the 2023-24 campaign.
Erik Portillo 2024-25 Los Angeles Kings player season recap
2024-25 season stats: 1 game played, 1-0-0, .966 save %, 1.02 GAA, 0 shutouts
An upper-body injury halted Portillo's momentum in between the pipes from the past campaign in the 23-24 regular season for Ontario a couple of years ago. Portillo missed the final few months of this past regular season for the Reign due to a back injury that kept him out of multiple dozen regular season games and the playoffs for Ontario.
He led the Reign to the Calder Cup in the AHL playoffs a couple of years ago in the 2023-24 postseason.
But Portillo was inconsistent in net for the Reign last season. He did have some great high points for the Reign last season, including winning two starts in a row against the Calgary Wranglers before he suffered the back injury in mid-to-late February.
A down stretch in the net for Portillo this past regular season in the month of December, where he posted a save percentage under .860, sparked something in him for the rest of the campaign for the Reign.
Due to an upper-body injury that Darcy Kuemper suffered in November this past regular season for LA, Portillo got the call-up with the Kings last fall. He played well for the Kings in a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks in late November this past season in his first start in the NHL last year.
Erik Portillo 2025-26 Los Angeles Kings season preview
Portillo has two years remaining on a three-year contract extending his deal with the Kings that he signed last offseason. He needs to show improvement in the AHL this upcoming season with his movement and lateral quickness with the Reign to show he can rebound and get another chance in LA with the Kings.
Assuming he's able to get back on the right track after he suffered the back injury in the last regular season for the Reign, he could see an opportunity to show his talent and skills in net with the Kings again this upcoming season in 2025-26 in the NHL.