Kings Make Seven Total Selections At The 2018 NHL Draft

ROUNDS TWO THROUGH SEVEN OF THE DRAFT TOOK PLACE ON JUNE 23 IN DALLAS

The Los Angeles Kings made seven total selections, in this weekend’s NHL Draft hosted by the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

LAKings.com is at the American Airlines Center and filing reports from the event. Jon Rosen is also providing content on LAKingsInsider.com. 

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After selecting forward Rasmus Kupari in the first round (20th overall) yesterday, the Kings continued the draft on Saturday by adding six more members to the teams’ 2018 draft class.

“In the NHL, you certainly need to be fast, you need to be skilled, you need to be competitive and you need hockey sense,” LA Kings Director of Amateur Scouting Mark Yannetti said. “We filled a lot of those needs today.”

The Kings opened day two of the draft by selecting forward Akil Thomas from the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL in the second round (51st overall). 

Thomas, a 5-11, 177-pound 18-year old (born on Jan. 2, 2000) from Scarborough, Ontario, totaled 81 points (22-59=81), a plus-6 rating and 36 penalty minutes in 68 regular season games this past season. 

Thomas ranked fifth in the OHL in assists and ranked second on the IceDogs in points. He also produced over a point per game during the postseason, recording 11 points (5-6=11) in 10 postseason games. 

Internationally, Thomas captured gold with Team Canada at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial where he tied for second on the team with six points (2-4=6) in five games. He also represented his country twice at the Under-18 World Championship (2018 and 2017). 

In his rookie season of 2016-17, Thomas was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team after setting a Niagara record for rookie scoring in a single season with 48 points (21-27=48) in 61 regular season games.

The Kings next selected forward Bulat Shafigullin from the Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik of the KHL (Russian Pro League) and the MHL (Russian Junior League) in the third round (82nd overall). 

This past season, Shafigullin, a 6-1, 165-pound 18-year old (born on Dec. 29, 1999) from Nizhnekamsk, Russia, appeared in 17 regular season games at the KHL level with his hometown club, collecting two assists. He also collected 20 goals and 36 points (20-16=36) in 22 regular season games with Nizhnekamsk’s junior team in 2017-18.

The Kings selected forward Aidan Dudas of Parry Sound, Ontario, in the fourth round (113th overall). 

The 5-7, 164-pounder 18-year old (born on June 15, 2000) recorded 65 points (31-34=65), a plus-1 rating and 12 penalty minutes in 68 regular season games with the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack this past season. His 31 goals tied for second on the team and his 65 points ranked third on his club. He added another seven points (3-4=7) in 11 postseason games. Dudas also captured gold with Team Canada at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial, recording one goal in five games, and he played for Team Canada at the 2018 Under 18 World Championship.

The Kings used their fifth round pick to select goaltender David Hrenak of Povazska Bystrica, Slovakia, 144th overall. 

The 6-2, 192-pound netminder had a record of 14-7-2 in 25 appearances with the St. Cloud State Huskies of the NCHC. 

Additionally, the 20-year old (born on May 5, 1998) had a 2.11 goals-against-average, a .919 save-percentage and three shutouts for the Huskies, who won the NCHC regular season title and advanced to the 2018 NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey tournament before losing to the Air Force Academy in the Regional Semifinal. 

Hrenak was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team and he also suited up for Slovakia at the 2018 and 2016 World Junior Championships. He played for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL in 2016-17, posting a 2.24 goals-against-average, a .923 save-percentage and four shutouts in 33 appearances.

The Kings used their first of two sixth round picks to select forward Johan Sodergran 165th overall (this pick was acquired from the New York Islanders in exchange for the 165th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft on June 24, 2017). 

The 6-2, 205-pound 18-year old (born on Nov. 20, 1999) from Stockholm, Sweden, played for Sweden’s Linkoping at both the pro level and the junior level in 2017-18. He went scoreless in 20 games at the pro level (SHL) and at the junior level he collected 17 goals and 33 points (17-16=33) to go along with 10 penalty minutes. He also represented his home country at the 2018 Under 20 Five Nations Tournament notching three points (2-1=3) in four tournament games.

The Kings wrapped up day two of the draft by selecting goaltender Jacob Ingham in the sixth round, 175th overall. 

The 6-4, 191-pound 18-year old (born on June 10, 2000) netminder from Barrie, Ontario, made 43 appearances with the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads this past season, totaling 16 of his team’s 33 regular season wins to go along with a 3.65 goals-against-average and a .880 save-percentage. He also skated in five of the Steelheads six postseason games, winning two games of those games while posting a 4.02 goals-against-average and a .870 save-percentage.

The Kings did not have a seventh round pick as they traded the pick to Tampa Bay when they acquired forward Boko Imama on May 31, 2017.

To view the Kings all-time draft selections, visit LAKings.com/alltimedraft.

LA Kings Season Ticket Memberships for the 2018-19 season are on sale now with three membership levels: Full Season, Half Season, and Quarter Season. Deposits are also being accepted for Groups of 15 or more and Private Event Suite rentals, and deposit holders will receive exclusive pre-sale windows before the general public. 

Individual ticket sales information for the 2018-19 season will be released at a later date. Call 1.888.KINGS.LA or visit LAKings.com for more information.