Kings Recall Kirill Kirsanov and Erik Portillo, Return Pheonix Copley

The Los Angeles Kings recalled goaltender Erik Portillo and defenseman Kirill Kirsanov from the AHL Ontario Reign to bolster NHL practice and roster depth, and returned netminder Pheonix Copley to Ontario in a corresponding move. Portillo’s recall was described by Ontario Reign material as on an emergency basis, and Josh Erickson noted Portillo “will get his turn in practice today with Darcy Kuemper absent,” highlighting the immediate NHL linkage.

Portillo arrives in Los Angeles on the strength of AHL numbers and recent form. The 25-year-old from Gothenburg, Sweden is listed at 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, was drafted 67th overall by Buffalo in 2020 and traded to the Kings on March 1, 2023. Ontario Reign career totals list him in 65 games with a 40-16-7-2 record, a 2.65 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage; last season he was 15-5-3 in 24 games with a 2.82 GAA and .889 SV%. Josh Erickson cites a current-season snapshot of 19 AHL games, a 13-3-1 record, a .905 SV% and a 2.45 GAA with one shutout, and Lakingsinsider earlier posted a 9-1-1 line in 13 appearances with a 2.33 GAA and .912 SV% at a different cutoff.

Game logs underscore Portillo’s recent workload: Ontario reported he stopped 19 of 21 shots in a 4-2 win over Tucson and 22 of 27 in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Roadrunners, collecting his first AHL assist in that stretch. Portillo also made his NHL debut on Nov. 29, stopping 29 of 30 shots in a 2-1 win at Anaheim. Josh Erickson’s assessment is blunt: “Portillo, who’s essentially usurped Copley as the No. 3 goalie on the Kings’ depth chart, will get his turn in practice today with Darcy Kuemper absent. After a tough showing last year, the 25-year-old has squarely outperformed Copley in the minors this season and has a .905 SV% and 2.45 GAA in 19 games. That’s been good for a 13-3-1 record and one shutout behind one of the AHL’s best offensive clubs.”

Kirsanov’s recall gives the Kings a 23-year-old left-shot defenseman an NHL practice look. Kirsanov is 6-foot-2, was drafted by Los Angeles in the third round in 2021 and waited four years to come over from Russia; ProHockeyRumors described him as “a stable two-way presence” and wrote “Kirsanov gets a look in an NHL practice today while Drew Doughty is still in Italy representing Team Canada at the Olympics.” With Ontario this season he has 4 goals, 11 points and a plus-8 rating in 47 games and scored the game-winner with 5:05 to play in a 3-2 win over Coachella Valley on Jan. 3.

The recall sequence has logistics quirks. Anthony Collazo tweeted that “Copley recalled from AHL Ontario due to Kuemper being in Italy. Copley will practice with LAK today,” and MayorsManor added “This will happen a few times over the next week, allowing the Kings to have an extra goalie at practice while Kuemper is in Italy. Nothing to see here.” MayorsManor also noted that despite the morning recall and LA practice, Copley served as Portillo’s backup that night for Ontario.

Ontario projects Portillo to start with Copley backing up and a Kirsanov-Booth pairing on the blue line for upcoming home dates, including Friday’s game against the Henderson Silver Knights at Toyota Arena and Sunday’s matinee versus the Colorado Eagles. The moves underline the Kings’ readiness to promote AHL form into immediate NHL practice opportunities, even as sources differ on which LA regulars are abroad and as contract and stat snapshots for Portillo vary between team reports.