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Jordan Spence

Los Angeles Kings Recall Six Players

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The Los Angeles Kings have made several transactions as they prepare for Saturday’s do-or-die game six against the Edmonton Oilers. The club has announced the recall of Lias Andersson, Samuel Helenius, Andre Lee, Jacob Moverare, Jordan Spence, and Francesco Pinelli.

The group will likely serve as “Black Aces,” players who practice with the club and experience playoff preparations but don’t actually enter the lineup.

Pinelli, 20, is perhaps the most interesting addition, given he’s coming directly from the OHL. The 2021 second-round pick spent the year with the Kitchener Rangers, scoring 41 goals and 90 points in just 60 regular season games.

His playoff performance, though strong offensively, left something to be desired. Pinelli was given a three-game suspension for a blindside hit in the first round, leading to his absence in the first two games against the London Knights, longtime rivals that ended up winning both. Kitchener couldn’t recover (despite Pinelli’s first-star performance in game three) and was eliminated last week.

Several of the other names have already made appearances for the Kings this season, though the massive 6’6″ Helenius is still waiting for his NHL debut.

Los Angeles will try to stay alive at home and force a game seven on Monday.

Los Angeles Kings Emergency Recall Jordan Spence

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The Los Angeles Kings announced Wednesday that they have recalled defenseman Jordan Spence on an emergency basis from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.

Spence, 22, has been playing with the Reign for most of the season, scoring four goals and adding 38 assists in 53 games. The move comes as the Kings deal with a rash of injuries on their blue line, with Alex Edler and Mikey Anderson currently sidelined with undisclosed injuries.

The Kings are well-positioned for the stretch run, having clinched a playoff berth earlier this week. The focus now sets on playoff positioning, with the most likely outcome a rematch of last year’s First Round series against the Edmonton Oilers. Spence isn’t coming into potential NHL action cold turkey, though, having played five games earlier this season with the Kings and being involved in multiple paper transactions throughout the year. He also recorded eight points in 24 games last season with Los Angeles and appeared in three playoff games.

Spence, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Kings, is a skilled puck-mover who excels in transition and logs big minutes at the minor-league level. He also possesses a solid defensive game, using his quick feet and positioning to shut down opposing forwards. He figures to be a future piece in the team’s top six defense corps, and he’s a great option to have on hand as a depth call-up at this stage in his development.

Jordan Spence Reassigned To AHL

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After two weeks with the big club, Jordan Spence returns to the AHL. The Los Angeles Kings have reassigned the young defenseman ahead of their four-game road trip that starts in Calgary this evening.

Spence, 22, played just two games on this recent call-up, bringing his total to five on the year. Through 29 career regular season games he has two goals and nine points, averaging just under 19 minutes a night.

While he doesn’t figure to make a huge impact this year for the Kings, Spence did show he could handle playoff hockey when he was added to three postseason lineups last year. As a significant part of the team’s future, he’ll get that chance again at some point down the road.

For now, he’ll head back to an Ontario Reign team headed for the Calder Cup playoffs. Ontario will play tomorrow night in a potential first-round preview against the Colorado Eagles, and could really use Spence’s help.

Through 50 games this year, he has duplicated his outstanding minor league production, posting four goals and 41 points. Through 96 career AHL contests, he’s put up 83 points.

Los Angeles Kings Recall Jordan Spence

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The defensive shuffle of the Los Angeles Kings continues, with Jordan Spence the player recalled today. This comes after Jacob Moverare was sent back down yesterday.

Spence, 21, has suited up three times this season for the Kings averaging just over 14 minutes whenever he does get into the lineup. The young defenseman is one of several that the club shuffles between on game days and during road trips to make sure there are enough bodies in case of a late scratch.

Of course, after his encouraging performance last season, recording eight points in 24 games as a rookie, there are some that wish Spence was a mainstay on the NHL roster. The fourth-round pick offers a little more offensive upside than some of the other veteran names on the back end, and continues to tear up the minor leagues whenever assigned to the Ontario Reign.

In 72 career AHL games, Spence has 64 points, including 22 in 26 this season. At some point, the Kings will likely have to give him another long run in the NHL to see if he can translate that production. It might not come just yet though, as the Kings are playing well and sit second in the Pacific Division after going 7-2-1 in their last ten.

West Notes: Schmaltz, Smith, Spence

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The Arizona Coyotes announced that forward Nick Schmaltz had suffered an upper-body injury on Thursday versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. Per the announcement, Schmaltz is considered day-to-day. The Coyotes recalled forward Laurent Dauphin from the AHL today, so it’s possible his recall was motivated by this injury development.

The injury leaves a hole on the Coyotes’ first line, where Schmaltz had been playing with Clayton Keller and Travis Boyd. The 26-year-old forward has 16 points in 19 games so far this year and scored 59 points in 63 games last year. Injuries have been a consistent nagging issue for Schmaltz so far in his career, and he hasn’t yet had a fully healthy season in his career. He’ll hope to quickly get past this injury and continue what looks like it could be a productive year.

Some other notes from the Western Conference:

  • The Nashville Predators have announced that forward Cole Smith suffered an upper-body injury, and will be out on a day-to-day basis. Smith, 27, has been a consistent presence in the Predators’ lineup, having played in 34 games so far this year. He has eight assists and 32 penalty minutes in that time frame.
  • The Los Angeles Kings have loaned defenseman Jordan Spence to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. Spence, 21, has bounced up and down from the AHL quite a few times this season. He has an impressive 21 points in 22 AHL contests so far this year, and has gotten into three NHL games as well.

Kings Recall Three, Place Arthur Kaliyev On IR

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The Kings have been shuffling players back and forth all season long so it should come as no surprise that they announced several roster moves today.  The weekend assignments of center Rasmus Kupari and defenseman Jordan Spence have been reversed while center Quinton Byfield has also been brought back up from AHL Ontario.  To make room on the roster, winger Arthur Kaliyev has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to December 20th.

Byfield started the season with Los Angeles, getting into eight games where he picked up three assists while averaging a little less than 12 minutes per game.  He was sent down a little more than two months ago and has done well with the Reign, collecting nine goals and six assists in 16 contests which has earned him another look with the big club.

This is the seventh time already that Kupari has been recalled this season with many of those assignments being short-term paper transactions.  The 22-year-old has played in 21 games with Los Angeles this season, notching two goals and three assists while also getting into 11 games with Ontario, tallying five goals with four helpers.

Spence is up for the fifth time this season but only has three NHL games under his belt so far to show for it.  He has been quite productive in the minors with 21 points in 22 games (good for sixth among AHL rearguards) but with Brandt Clarke off at the World Juniors, he is starting to at least spend more time on the roster for Los Angeles.

Kaliyev was injured late in a game against Anaheim last Tuesday while blocking a shot and there’s no word on how long he’ll be out for.  With them back-dating the placement, he’ll be eligible to be activated as soon as he’s ready as he has technically already served the required seven days.  Kaliyev has nine goals and ten assists in 34 games so far this season.

Los Angeles Kings Loan Rasmus Kupari, Jordan Spence To AHL

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The Los Angeles Kings have joined in on the flurry of transactions ahead of tomorrow night’s roster freeze. The team announced that forward Rasmus Kupari and defenseman Jordan Spence have both been loaned to the Ontario Reign, their AHL affiliate. No corresponding moves were announced.

One of many talented young Kings players, Kupari has split his time between Los Angeles and Ontario this season as he continues to tear up the AHL, but struggles to become an impactful NHLer. Through 11 AHL games in 2021-22, Kupari has nine points, however in 18 NHL games, he has just five points while averaging 10:38 per night. Certainly with more ice time comes more points, but as it goes, more ice time likely won’t come without more points.

As for Spence, the 21-year-old defenseman has struggled to consistently crack the Kings lineup through no fault of his own, falling victim to the organization’s incredible defensive depth. Last season, Spence played 24 games with Los Angeles, recording eight points, but had a phenomenal 42 points in 46 games on Ontario’s blueline. This season has been much of the same, Spence registering 21 points through 22 games for Ontario. The Australian-born Spence was only able to make his 2022-23 NHL debut last night, playing in the Kings game against the San Jose Sharks before being sent back down.

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