Kings re-sign Aatu Jämsen to one-year, two-way contract

Aatu Jämsen is not a routine depth signing. At 23, the Finnish winger has already logged 95 AHL games in Ontario, scored in the playoffs, and built a case that he is more than offseason inventory for the Los Angeles Kings’ system.

The Kings signed Jämsen to a one-year, two-way contract worth an average annual value of $850,000 through the 2026-27 season on June 5, keeping a player in the organization who has already proven he can produce in North America. Drafted by Los Angeles in the seventh round, 190th overall, in 2020, Jämsen has moved through a longer development path than a standard prospect, and that is what gives the deal some edge. He is 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, shoots left and was born July 22, 2003, in Lahti, Finland.

Jämsen just finished his second AHL season with the Ontario Reign, and the numbers were solid: 16 goals and 12 assists for 28 points in 59 regular-season games. He added another goal and assist in four Calder Cup Playoff games, a reminder that his offense did not disappear when the pace tightened. Over two AHL seasons, he has 23 goals and 39 points, with five power-play goals and five game-winning goals.

That production matters for a Reign team that has leaned on continuity in the standings and in the lineup. Ontario clinched a berth in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs on March 28 and was working through its first season under head coach Andrew Lord, while making its fifth straight postseason appearance and eighth in nine seasons since joining the AHL in 2015. Keeping Jämsen in the mix preserves a winger who already knows the league, the travel, and the rhythm of a six-month AHL season.

Before crossing to North America, Jämsen gave the Kings a reason to believe the scoring would translate. He totaled 29 goals and 63 points in 113 Liiga regular-season games with the Lahti Pelicans, then added 10 playoff points in 29 Liiga postseason games across the 2023 and 2024 playoffs. That track record, paired with his AHL finish in Ontario, makes this a low-risk bet on a player who can still rise from dependable depth to legitimate contributor.