Kings sign Elton Hermansson to entry-level contract

The Los Angeles Kings have locked up their rocket man.

On Wednesday, the Kings announced that they have signed forward Elton Hermansson to his three-year, entry-level contract.

Los Angeles selected Hermansson in the first round (19th overall) in June’s 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Hermansson, 18, spent most of last season with MoDo Hockey of HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-highest professional league in Sweden, where he put up 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points in 38 games. He then contributed just one goal in 13 playoff games.

The Swedish national also played 13 games last season for MoDo Jr., MoDo Hockey’s under-20 team playing in U20 Nationell, the highest level junior hockey league in Sweden. With MoDo Jr., he had three goals and six assists for nine points.

In the 2024-25 season, Hermansson played 41 games for Orebro HK Jr. of U20 Nationell, when he impressed with 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points.

Hermansson is the highest draft pick the Kings have made since they selected defenseman Brandt Clarke eighth overall in 2021.

In his final pre-draft prospect ranking, Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis had Hermansson as the 20th best player in the 2026 draft. Ellis noted that “Hermansson loves generating offense. He put up solid numbers in the second-tier Swedish league this year and scored at a goal-per-game pace with the U-18 national team. From an offensive standpoint, there’s a lot to love, especially on the power play. His game away from the puck has improved over the past few months. However, it still feels like he isn’t as impactful as he needs to be when he’s not piling shots on net. I want to see more urgency when attacking opponents to regain possession. The good news: he’s best at the hardest thing to do in hockey, which is scoring goals.”