LA Kings add intriguing winger Tobias Krestan in seventh round

In the final round of the 2026 NHL Draft, the Los Angeles Kings selected HV71 Jr. winger Tobias Krestan with the 209th overall pick.

With one of their late-round picks in this draft, the Kings took another flier out on a skilled winger whose offensive toolkit and long-term upside give him something intriguing, even though Krestan wasn't ranked by NHL Central Scouting.

This past season, Krestan scored at a point-per-game clip for HV-71's 18U squad. And he also was a point-per-game scorer for Germany's U17 national team, which earned him a spot as one of the youngest players on the German U18 team.

Krestan went into the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this past summer with anticipation that he could prove himself as a potential middle-round pick in the 2026 draft class. Unfortunately, though, he hurt his shoulder early in the tournament last summer, which caused him to miss multiple months of action during his recovery.

Upon his return from injury this past year, Krestan continued to impress with his big frame at 6-foot-2 and his offensive upside and playmaking ability. He's a smart puck-mover, has excellent puckhandling ability, and he's continuing to improve his physicality on both sides of the ice.

Around the net, Krestan is a consistent threat to score the puck. He combines soft hands with a quick release to form a potent scoring threat that saw him produce over 20 goals for HV71 Jr. and the Germany national team this past year.

Where Krestan must improve his game is his skating ability and continuing to learn how to use his body effectively in puck battles on the boards. He needs to work on his skating fundamentals and posture to become a quicker and more agile winger.

Until he improves his skating and quickness, Krestan will continue to be limited in terms of his potency in transition and on odd-man rushes.

There are some tools that Krestan possesses that make him a potentially undervalued winger to be picked in the seventh round. He's at least got a chance to improve and eventually carve out a path to the NHL with the Kings, which is all you really look for in prospects by the seventh round of the draft.

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