Kings Prospects in Need of a Big 2024-25 Season: Francesco Pinelli

The Los Angeles Kings no longer have the league's best prospect pool, but they still have a few prospects with legitimate NHL upside.

Some of those players are in need of a strong season to start challenging for an NHL roster spot so they can avoid falling by the wayside. Some are in do or die mode and some have a little more runway, but they all need to start moving in the right direction.

Francesco Pinelli falls into the second category. He isn't in do or die mode by any means, but he needs to take the next step in his second season in the AHL.

His first season was just okay, which is fine, very few players have an immediate impact going from junior hockey to the AHL.

His 13 goals were good for sixth on the Ontario Reign but he added just seven assists for 20 points.

He was also a healthy scratch at times during the postseason.

Pinelli bounced around the Reign's lineup last season, but should get a big chance in the top six next season.

T.J. Tynan, Alex Turcotte and Akil Thomas are all gone which should give Pinelli an opportunity at the top of Ontario's lineup.

Pinelli is a skilled player with NHL caliber puck skills and vision, however, he struggled with spending too much time playing on the perimeter.

The Kings' development staff, Marco Sturm and even Pinelli himself have identified that as an area of improvement.

He needs to get into the interior of the ice more and play in hard areas.

He steadily improved at this last season and needs to make it a consistent fixture of his game this season.

If he can do that, combined with more offensive usage in Ontario, Pinelli can take the next step towards competing for an NHL roster spot.

It's unlikely he really pushes for one this season, however, a strong showing couple set him up for his NHL debut sometime during the 2025-26 season.

One interesting thing to keep an eye on will be whether Pinelli sticks at center of moves to the wing.

He played both for Ontario last season and was drafted as a natural center, but a move to wing could open more opportunities for him.

If Pinelli can solidify himself as a top offensive player for the Reign, it will be a huge step in his development and a big positive for the Kings.

He has the skill to be a middle-six forward at the NHL level and needs to show that in Ontario this season.