General manager Ken Holland and the Los Angeles Kings took a swing on a high-upside offensive talent in the first round of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft this past month, selecting Swedish forward Elton Hermansson at 19th overall.
The Athletic ranked its top 100 drafted NHL prospects for 2026, and Hermansson cracked the list at No. 51. Hermansson also ranked among the top 10 right wingers on the list and landed in The Athletic's third prospect tier, putting him firmly among the most highly regarded young wingers currently outside of the NHL.
Since this list includes prospects from multiple draft classes who have already had additional years to develop, Hermansson's placement at No. 51 so soon after being drafted this summer is already an encouraging sign for the Kings.
Elton Hermansson's ranking highlights his upside and the Los Angeles Kings' need for more high-end prospects
This comes after Hermansson had a great season playing overseas in Sweden at just 18 years old. He registered 11 goals, 10 assists, and 21 total points with MoDo Hockey in HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden this past season. Hermansson also racked up three goals and nine points in 13 games played for MoDo Hockey in U20 Nationell in Sweden.
The Kings only have one prospect crack the list of the top 100 drafted prospects in the NHL for 2026 from The Athletic. Hermansson is a key prospect to help the Kings rebuild the prospect pipeline going into the future.
While it was encouraging to see the Kings' first-round draft pick showing up on this list, the fact that he was the organization's only prospect highlights the work that Holland and the front office still have ahead of them in the future. The Kings need to continue adding high-upside and talented prospects in future drafts to build a deeper pipeline behind the team's current young core.
At just 18 years old, Hermansson still needs at least a couple of years to develop his two-way game and to add some bulk to his frame physically. Hermansson is expected to take multiple years to develop his game before he's ready to take his talents to the NHL in the future.
In this past week, the Kings took another step toward strengthening the prospect pipeline for the organization by signing Hermansson to his entry-level contract. Hermansson's immediate inclusion among The Athletic's Top 100 NHL drafted prospects for 2026 gives another indication that the Kings might have added one of the most important pieces to the organization's future with the 19th overall pick in the 2026 draft in the first round this summer.
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