Los Angeles Kings sign Joe Hicketts to one-year, two-way contract

The Los Angeles Kings announced that they have signed defenseman Joe Hicketts to a one-year, two-way contract. According to CapFriendly, the contract will have an average annual value (AAV) of $775,000.

The Kamloops, British Columbian, spent the 2022-23 season with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he registered six goals and 42 assists for a career-high 48 points in 72 games. Hicketts led all Wild defensemen in points. Among AHL defensemen, he ranked fifth in points.

The Detroit Red Wings originally signed Hicketts after going undrafted and having a successful major-junior campaign with the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 2012-2016. Hicketts captained the Royals for two seasons and was named to the WHL First All-Star Team two years straight. He represented Canada internationally at the IIHF World Juniors, winning a gold medal in 2014-15. He notched three assists in seven games. In 224 WHL games with the Royals, he collected 32 goals and 141 assists for 173 points. Hicketts ranks first in the Royals’ all-time leaders list for points registered by a defenseman; among skaters, he ranks seventh.

The 5-foot-8, 176-pound defenseman made his AHL debut in 2016-17 with the Red Wings AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. Hicketts notched seven goals and 27 assists for 34 points in 74 games; he added eight points in 19 AHL Playoff games as the Griffins captured the Calder Cup. Hicketts made his NHL debut in 2017-18, registering three assists in his first five games.

In 2021, he signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Minnesota Wild and spent the last two seasons in the AHL with Iowa. Throughout his career thus far, Hicketts has collected 197 points in 419 AHL games and five points through 22 NHL games.