In this past couple of weeks, the Los Angeles Kings reached the halfway point of this regular season in the West for the 2025-26 campaign in the Pacific Division. With the first half of this regular season in the West now in the books for head coach Jim Hiller and the Kings, it's a good time to look back at the thoughts and perspective around the league around the NHL for this team in the Pacific Division.
Kevin Fiala and Joel Armia have both turned heads offensively for the Los Angeles Kings this regular season
It doesn't feel like the view and perspective of the Kings' team is much different this regular season in the West than it has been this past few years for LA. The Kings are still a team that is in the thick of the competitive picture for this upcoming postseason in the playoffs.
But the first half of this regular season for Hiller and the Kings wasn't anything to be super proud of either for the team. This team needs to play better in games that matter a lot in the standings in the West this regular season.
In the past four weeks this regular season, the Kings have won just five of the past 20 games they've played in this past couple of months, including three straight losses in overtime in the Pacific Division in the West in the past week since last Wednesday (Jan. 14).
Here are three Kings players who have exceeded expectations as pleasant surprises for the team in the first half of this 2025-26 regular season in the West.
Joel Armia, W
The most positive surprise this regular season in the West for the Kings and Hiller among the new free agent signings from last summer in the 2025 offseason among the forwards is two-way winger Joel Armia. If not for Armia, the Kings would not be tied for first in the league in the NHL this regular season in shorthanded goals (seven).
He's been able to play an impactful role for Hiller and the Kings' coaching staff this regular season on special teams on the penalty kill top unit and score important shorthanded goals to shift momentum offensively in games for the team this campaign.
Armia has earned the extra minutes offensively and on special teams on the penalty kill that he's received this regular season in this past couple of months. He began this regular season with the fourth-line forward group offensively for the Kings and Hiller.
"He sticks out to me. His hockey sense, his strength, you saw the penalty kill, he gets a breakaway. So those are things we’ve missed for sure. I was glad to see, I didn’t expect to play him, I think he played 15 minutes, but he was going pretty good. He’s an important player for us. I think you if you didn’t think about it before, I think it was pretty clear tonight the difference he can make in a lineup."Jim Hiller on Joel Armia
Armia has registered double-digit goals and over 15 total points this regular season for the last three consecutive years (since the 2023-24 season with the Canadiens in Montreal).
Kevin Fiala, W
No playmaker has proven to be a more important player scoring the puck offensively for the Kings this regular season than winger Kevin Fiala. Fiala leads the Kings in goals scored this regular season offensively (17), and he ranks second in total points behind standout winger Adrian Kempe.
He's scored seven goals and over a dozen total points in the past 25 games this regular season in the West for the Kings in the Pacific Division this campaign since early December this past month.
Fiala has consistently proven to be an elite goal scorer offensively in the zone for the Kings this past few seasons in the West. He's scored at least 20 goals in over a half dozen seasons in his career in the league in the NHL. Fiala has also registered over 30 goals twice in his career in the NHL in the past half-decade in the 2020s.
Brandt Clarke, D
What was made clear this regular season in the first half of this campaign in the West is that Hiller and the Kings have a true top-line top-four defender on the blue line in young defenseman Brandt Clarke. This team is very much buying into the promise and potential that the talent of Clarke is showing on the blue line on defense for the Kings and Hiller this regular season.
Not only is Clarke an incredibly important part of the future of this franchise for the Kings in the West, but he's also one of the top emerging scorers on the blue line for this squad this past couple of months. He's growing into a bigger role offensively and on special teams on the power play on the 5-on-4 man advantage on the blue line for the Kings this regular season.
"He's been awesome. He can be a wild card sometimes. That's the way he plays. He sees it different. Makes a lot of plays. When he's feeling good, he's confident. He he makes some more plays and it's a big goal tonight. But he's he's been like that, ever since he's been here, now I think he's he's got more confidence in what he's doing. He's maybe a little more leashed to try some more things. He's big for us and he'll keep getting more and play better."Mikey Anderson on Brandt Clarke
Even though Clarke is getting a career-high of over 18 minutes in time on ice on average per game this regular season, I would still like to see him get more playing time on the blue line on defense for the Kings.