Going into Year 2 of his NHL career with the Los Angeles Kings, young defenseman Brandt Clarke made a big leap on the blue line.
Clarke stepped into a more versatile and impactful role in the top four on the blue line for the Kings this past regular season. He showed the potential to become a top-pairing defenseman and one of the top young blue-liners in the NHL in a contract year in the 2025-26 season.
Brandt Clarke's performance for the Los Angeles Kings in the 2025-26 season
In the 2025-26 season, Clarke registered eight goals, 32 assists, and 40 total points while playing in all 82 games. Clarke also played in all four postseason games in the first round vs. the Colorado Avalanche, registering zero goals and one assist.
He posted career highs in goals, assists, points, and game-winning goals this past regular season.
Clarke continued to thrive as the quarterback of the Kings' power play on special teams while using his skating and puck-moving ability to drive the offense in the zone and in the neutral zone in transition. According to NHL.com stats, Clarke ranked ninth in the NHL among defensemen in offensive zone ratio (61.7) and fifth in offensive zone start percentage (43.0).
By the halfway point of this past regular season, Clarke had proven himself to be the most effective and potent puck-moving defenseman for the Kings and now-former head coach Jim Hiller. He was entrusted with more playing time per night as the season progressed, averaging nearly 20 minutes in time on the ice per game, and he played as the primary quarterback on the power play down the stretch from the point.
Clarke led all Kings' defensemen in ice time on special teams on the power play.
This past regular season was also the first time in Clarke's career that he's played all 82 games for the Kings, highlighting his reliability and durability for the team's blue line.
On the defensive end of the ice, Clarke also improved his game and became a more well-rounded blue liner. While his offensive game was never in doubt, Clarke became a more complete defenseman by improving his awareness on and away from the puck and bringing more physical play while continuing to produce offensively.
Clarke was able to not only improve his defensive game, but his offensive skill set really shined while playing on a pairing with veteran Joel Edmundson. The pairing of Clarke and Edmundson led the Kings in 5-on-5 goals for percentage this past regular season.
I still think there is a lot more potential for Clarke to tap into offensively. He has the talent level and ability he's shown in the offensive zone in this past couple of seasons to be a double-digit goal and 50-point scorer for the Kings. The Kings could also use more production from him in the postseason, after the scoring pretty much dried up for him in the first round vs. Colorado. He only had a secondary assist in the postseason for the Kings.
2025-26 Season Grade: A
What to expect from Brandt Clarke moving forward with the Los Angeles Kings in the 2026-27 season?
After a career year for Clarke this past regular season, he earned a sizable five-year contract worth north of $7 million in average annual value (through the end of the 2030-31 season) in restricted free agency from the Kings this offseason.
Now that the Kings have Clarke locked in for the foreseeable future, they can start focusing on building the young core for the future of the franchise around him and center Quinton Byfield. The Kings expect Clarke to turn into a top-pairing defenseman this upcoming season after general manager Ken Holland and the front office made a long-term commitment to him this offseason.
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