It’s time for Part II in this year’s LA Kings Prospect Ranking series. After first looking at some Honorable Mentions across the team’s pool of forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders in our opening article, we now jump ahead to the five players slotted in at Nos. 11-15. This is where things really start to take shape, as players are ranked against each other.
First, though, some quick housekeeping and context mentioned in that first piece:
For those new to our player ranking series, since its inception roughly 15 years ago, this has become some of the most popular content published on Mayor’s Manor each season. The reports provided have come to serve as a vital source of player information, as nobody outside the Kings organization talks to more coaches, scouts, and general managers about LA’s top prospects on a regular basis than the team at MM. Endless hours go into evaluating players in the pipeline and preparing our write-ups. Additionally, the final slotting of players is influenced by hundreds of hours of game action and debating the team’s prospects with a myriad of well-respected hockey people, including our key sources inside the Kings organization.
…Our rankings typically start with a simple question, ‘How likely is this player to reach the NHL and play at least 50 games?’ (aka the industry standard for evaluating draft pick performance / efficiency). From there, we delve into impact in the NHL and then timing, i.e. how quickly is said player expected to become a full-time pro with the Kings and so on.
With all of that ground now covered, let’s really get into things.
2026 Prospect Rankings: Nos. 11-15
15. Jan Chovan – Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
6th round pick in 2026
Forward – left shot
2025-26 Stats: 30 goals, 27 assists, minus-28, 14 PIM in 64 games played
After being selected late in the 2025 Draft by LA, expectations were likely rather low for what would be a first-year player coming over to North America this past season. True to form, Chovan started off rather slow, picking up seven goals and 11 assists in 29 games. Not bad, just not much to make a big deal out of, that’s all. Then things changed. Once he returned from the World Juniors, the big 19-year-old was on a different level. Chovan recorded at a 1.2 points-per-game pace. And this all happened after being one of the best players for Slovakia at the WJC, where the coaches also showed tremendous trust in his complete game, as he consistently played among the most minutes in each game for his home country. In total, Chovan is as good around the blue paint as any top prospect. As noted in our weekly prospect reports throughout the season, he looked good after getting switched from wing to center midway through the year. He’s a solid two-way player with scoring upside and PP utility. His stock is clearly on the rise and he is one to watch when he returns to the OHL for a second campaign.
14. Jakub Dvorak – Ontario Reign (AHL)
2nd round pick in 2023
Defenseman – left shot
2025-26 Stats: 4 goals, 3 assists, plus-6, 41 PIM in 45 games played
At first glance, seeing a second-round pick outside our Top 10 rankings may seem concerning. However, this is where context is so critical. Dvorak is on the younger side for American League defensemen. What allows him to have two years of experience in the AHL is the fact he was drafted out of Europe. Had he been selected out of the Canadian junior leagues, his path to becoming a pro player would be completely different. Remember, he’s 6-foot-5 and just turned 21 years old a few weeks ago. The Czechia native is still a work-in-progress and showed periods of improvement throughout the season. Sure, we’d like to see him be a little more aggressive, yet there isn’t much worry here quite yet. Rinse and repeat on the development side and we’ll check back in next summer.
13. Brendan McMorrow – Denver University (NCAA)
7th round pick in 2025
Forward – left shot
2025-26 Stats: 3 goals, 8 assists, plus-11, 6 PIM in 27 games played
Don’t be fooled by where he was selected. Buy stock early on this player, and lots of it. McMorrow’s most simple description is that he’s a hockey player. In the same vein as guys like Mikey Anderson, Alex Laferriere, Kenny Connors, et al., this former USHL standout is a high-effort player who brings it every single game. Has a Mike Richards-Blake Lizotte motor, is great on the forecheck, solid in transition, and can pull off some unbelievable scoring plays (check out his spin-o-rama goal from December). When he joined Team USA for the World Juniors, some were shocked to see a seventh rounder on the team. They just didn’t know who they were dealing with. McMorrow went out and earned Player of the Game honors in their opening contest of the tournament. After not attending Dev Camp last summer because he had to be at DU orientation, this is one of the true players to watch next week.
12. Aatu Jamsen – Ontario Reign (AHL)
7th round pick in 2020
Winger – left shot
2025-26 Stats: 16 goals, 12 assists, plus-4, 26 PIM in 59 games played
We’re calling it now. We have him ranked way too low. Jamsen is another of the Kings recent late-round gems, and from a purely offensive standpoint, he’s arguably the most talented prospect in the pipeline. If you even barely follow Mayor’s Manor the past few years, you already know we’ve been very high on this Finnish forward right from the start. He made several early impressions at Dev Camps and the Rookie Faceoff tournament. Now 23 years old, he’s still a bit on the slender side and we’d like to see him gain some weight this summer. Looking at the full package, Reign coach Andrew Lord recently spoke about Jamsen’s continued development during his Kings Of The Podcast appearance.
“He took big strides, particularly on the defensive side of the game,” said Lord. “He’s committed — he’ll block shots, he’ll track hard. Particularly before that injury a while ago, he was quite physical. That’s finishing checks on the forecheck, but that’s also offensively. That’s getting to the net front, that’s protecting pucks, jamming and riding pucks to the crease offensively. I think it’s been a good year for him, and I’m really interested to see what he can do in the playoffs. And then, probably even more importantly for his career, [to see] what he can do in the summer; to come back much stronger and just another level up. I think if he has a great summer and is very committed, he can be a really impactful player next season.”
11. Jimmy Lombardi – Flint Firebirds (OHL)
4th round pick in 2025
Center – left shot
2025-26 Stats: 40 goals, 42 assists, plus-35, 73 PIM in 73 games played
This may be a case of recency bias; guess we’ll find out next season. Lombardi is coming off a breakout year in the OHL, where he was 20th in scoring with 72pts. Former Kings first-round pick Liam Greentree had 74, and consensus top-5 pick this year Caleb Malholtra had 84. LA’s newest Lombardi (no relation) is not flashy in the typical sense, but can make eye popping plays because of his hockey sense and finesse. The 6-foot pivot has been a slow burn with Flint, recording 7, 13, and 36 goals each of the past three seasons. He wasn’t a particular standout at last year’s Dev Camp, yet with his confidence as high as it’s ever been, we’re curious how he performs amongst his peers at this year’s summer showcase in LA — and, more importantly, at September’s Rookie Faceoff tournament in San Jose. Can he put enough pieces together to reach up and grab one of LA’s Top-10 spots in our next rankings?
We’ll be back soon with article three in the series, featuring the next five players on our list, guys who slot in at Nos. 6-10 on this year’s Kings Prospect Rankings.
Lead image by Megan Sanders
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